Phuket seeking undercover tourist ‘spies’
Tourism officials on the Thai island of Phuket are seeking the help of foreign nationals to work undercover in order to identify Thai tour guides and tour operators engaging in illegal activities.
The call was made by Santi Pawai, director of the Tourism Ministry’s Phuket office, who wants to register all companies and individuals working in the industry.
"Volunteer teams of Thais and foreigners will join tours in Phuket and report any illegal activities," Santi said.
Mr Santi has asked police stations in Phuket, airport officials and government offices to help recruit people for the program.
"The volunteers will help officers keep an eye on operators and will report details of any illegal tours and guides directly to me."
All tour operators and individual guides have until October 6 to register with the tourism office.
"After that date we will start deploying our volunteers," he warned.
He added that action will be taken against any illegal operators both Thai and foreign.
Any foreigners found working illegally with tour companies will be charged immediately and bail will be denied during the investigation."
"The warning comes after last week’s arrest of Georgian citizen Tengi Andguladze, 29, who was caught in the beach resort of Kata and charged with operating an illegal tour company and working without a permit.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025