The lives of foreign tourists are continually being put in danger while on holiday in Phuket. Constant reports about the drownings off Phuket’s beaches and tourists being beaten up by aggresive tuk tuk drivers have made some foreign tourists hesitant about ever coming back to Thailand for a holiday. On top of that are the jet ski scams and the price gouging that goes on around the holiday island.
According to a recent report on Phuket Wan, an online Phuket news magazine, Austria’s ambassador said that travel warnings could be issued across Europe, specifically mentioning that Phuket’s tuk-tuks should be avoided, unless action is taken quickly to solve Phuket’s law and order issues. Recently a German expat went into a coma after being beaten up by tuk tuk drivers.
Over the weekend came another disturbing report about the Phuket taxi drivers. The incident involved Glenn Dawson and his wife, an Australian couple on holiday in Thailand. They had been picked up by a private tour car near their resort when the incident happened. This is what Glenn told Phuket Wan: “A guy walked up to our driver and reached in the window and turned the ignition off and proceeded to yell at the driver. Then more and more of them started coming around the car and they started punching the driver through the window and trying to drag him out of the car.”
Glenn continued: ”I screamed in the face of one guy ‘Do you think about tourism here?’ to which he just said, ‘Nothing to do with you.’ So we ran across the road to the driveway of Cape Sienna and continued yelling at these guys to leave the driver alone. Then they just turned around, maybe five of them by this time and looked at me, one of them screamed at me, ‘F!@# OFF Tourist’. The security of Cape Sienna was doing nothing and sat quietly at the end of the driveway. He did not move at all.”
The private tour driver finally managed to escape from the taxi drivers, but as he was driving away, one of them threw an iron bar which smashed through the windscreen. Fortunately the tourists in this case weren’t injured though the driver had to be treated at hospital. These attacks on tourists and tour services are becoming increasingly frequent and far more violent. It seems that the mafia have now taken over control of the holiday island from the police and local government.
Visit www.phuketwan.com for more reports about the decline of Phuket as a tourist destination for families. What about you, would you take your family on holiday in Phuket?
A Thai friend used to do private tour guide work, getting legitimate bookings through Trip Advisor. He had to stop after getting death threats from taxi drivers outside hotels who felt he was taking their business.
I’m an expat family living here in Thailand. We have had wonderful times on the beaches of Phuket, but we have recently read too many stories of the taxi mafia and scammers on Phuket. Itis no longer safe for our children. We have already decided that our next holiday will be to Bali instead.
Have never been to phuket as it has always seemed a bit touristy , but i was thinking maybe my next upcomming trip i might go there …Now i will not !!!
It’s a real pity, besides all this, Phuket is still a pretty nice place… A shame, really..
As frequent Aussie travellers to Phuket, we’ve never had a problem. Yes there is a mafia, but the simple rules are; Never travel by TukTuk, Don’t stay in Patong, behave yourself as you would at home and if it looks like a scam, it IS a scam!
Way to many tourists from all over the world behave like complete idiots while in Phuket and then cry like babies when they get ripped off. We love the place but hate the idiots ruining it for everyone else.
You are a frequent flyer to Asia, Glenn and I actually LIVE in Asia and were on holidays. We did not get “ripped off” we witnessed the severe beating of a young Thai man, just not a slap but a beating. The iron bar hurled through his wind screen could have killed him. We are not crying for ourselves but for guys like him. Live in Asia, then have an opinion.
I have been travelling quite alot in Thailand, and Phuket is by far the worst place I have been to when it comes to touts and scams and the general feeling of being in a generic tourist destination. But you do get some insanely beautiful nature, and if you follow some easy advice, you might want to go anyway:
1. Get a hotel with transfer service to the airport
2. Find a TRUSTED shop, where you can rent motorbikes and never use a taxi or a tuk tuk (drive carefully)
3. NEVER rent jet skis
4. Eat where the thais eat
5. Expect prices that are sometimes more than double the prices of other Thai destinations (we generally saw prices between 30 and 100 percent over the prices of Pattaya)
Jesper, Grant, that is good advice, but how can you really educate each and every one of the multitudes of new visitors who come in every day?
I agree. Even idiots should be spared having to deal with unnecessary death and dealing with mafia types. Someone is not doing its job in thailand, and we know who they are… The police.
Thomas: No I don´t think you can educate every new visitor, although I wish more visitors (and tourists in general) did just a minimum of research. And maybe a general travel warning would help here, but let´s be honest – European countries could issue travel warnings to a rather large portion of the world if this is enough.
I do however strongly believe many of the travel agencies in Europe are partly to blame for not warning their guests. I have talked to several guests on Phuket that received little or no warning at all from their travel agency.
> Way to many tourists from all over the world behave like complete idiots while in Phuket and then cry like babies when they get ripped off.
complete idiots, as in joining an organised tour, only to be hurt / beaten up?
ouch.
I’ve lived in Phuket for more than six years now, mostly in the Chaofa West corridor but recently have moved to the northern part of Phuket Town. It used to just be Patong and the southwestern beaches that had problems with taxi and tuk tuk mafia, but you rarely heard of violence towards anyone.
While there are certainly some really nice tuk tuk drivers in the center of the island, they aren’t the ones who regularly service the tourist sites or resorts. The nice ones seem to be pushed out by the aggressive drivers (and I can include motorbike taxi drivers in this group). Price-gouging has become commonplace at many areas between Central Festival and, say, Chalong Pier. (Sometimes you can get a better fare by NOT hailing a ride at Central — walk up to Big C instead.) Definitely avoid taking any form of transportation at the spots where you see a number of taxi drivers congregated.
That has been spreading to parts of Phuket Town. There are now plenty of tourist-unfriendly drivers who hang out at the main bus station and at numerous intersections along Montree and Phuket Roads between Thalang Road and the area of Ocean and Robinson Shopping Centers. These are some of the rudest drivers I’ve ever encountered and I have never used any of them. They sit in their taxi stands or on the corners waiting for customers and if you’re just walking they try to offer a ride. I always just keep walking and politely call, “Mai aow krap” to which I often receive profanity in response, particularly if I happen to be out after seven or eight at night. Not a image for tourism and I’m beginning to make long detours in my efforts to walk to the night market past Robinson’s.
But, I have nothing but praises for the Municipal Government’s pink buses — true, the routes don’t really venture out of Phuket Town but it certainly is nice being able to ride all the way from Satree School to Central for 10 baht (students ride for free). I hope they add a few more routes soon…
Wow we used to love going to Thailand but now if its become like Bali and not safe then we will certainly re-think about another destination like Vanuatu where things are still friendly or even holiday in safe Cairns and Palm cove in Australia which is also tropical and exotic
Christina: Thailand is SO much more than Phuket.
Please remember that Thailand / Phuket is SO much more than what you read what the media prints.
does Phuket still have the reliable and relatively cheap airport bus (going down the main road to Phuket town – not to the beaches), or have they been forced out of the market? do the “truck buses” still run? Phuket town to Kamala for 20 baht and the like?
yes, the airport bus is still running from Phuket town to the airport. “Truck buses” continue to run between the beaches and phuket town but are nearer 30 baht- I still wait for the price to drop after diesel got 2 baht per liter cheaper but don’t hold my breath
Hi Everyone, I am currently studying Travel and Tourism Management and as part of my degree I have to complete a dissertation. I have chosen to base my dissertaion around Sustainable Tourism in Thailand, as I have a great urge to visit the destination, and I want to learn more about tourism there. However, I need help or at least feed back to complete this project. If anyone would be willing to answer a few questions that I have it would be much appreciated. My email address is: 21019587@ex.tvu.ac.uk (I will keep all responses anonymous)