Deadly Thailand : 54% Spike in tourist deaths in 2015

The Tourism and Sports Ministry is working to address the issue of tourist safety after a 54% jump in the number of foreign tourists who lost their lives in Thailand in 2015.

A report by the Bureau of Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud revealed that 83 foreign tourists died in Thailand last year, up 54% from the previous year. Another 166 were injured, down 160% from the previous year.

The figures were compiled from reports from the ministry’s 10 offices nationwide.

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More than 40% died in a road accident

Of the 83 deaths, 34 were from road accidents, nine from swimming and boating accidents, six from congenital disease, four from suicides and 30 from other causes.

The report named several risky swimming areas for tourists, including Tawan Beach on Pattaya’s Koh Larn (Chon Buri) and Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui (Surat Thani).

Mu Koh Similan (Phangnga) and Koh Hae (Phuket) were noted as risky areas for scuba diving.Dangerous roads for tourists included highway 1095 from Chiang Mai to Pai district in Mae Hong Son, highway 118 from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, highways 2258 and 2296 to Khao Khor (Phetchabun) and highway 4233 to Karon mountain (Phuket).

Although Thailand’s tourist industry has been growing, with the number of tourist arrivals reaching almost 30 million visitors last year, tourist safety is still a major concern.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2015, Thailand ranked 35th globally and 10th in Asia-Pacific.

For safety and security, Thailand came in 132nd place out of 141 countries and was the lowest in Asean with a score of 3.75.

Last Friday when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed his concern after Russian tourists were seriously injured in a speedboat accident near Koh Phi Phi. Gen Prayut’s remarks prompted authorities overseeing tourist safety to seek out a solution.

Source: Spike in tourist deaths sparks ministry concern | Bangkok Post: business