RUSSIA: Russian Union Of Travel Industry Threatens To Boycott Thailand As A Tourist Destination

The Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI), which represents more than five thousands groups and state agencies related to the tourism industry in Russia, has urged Thai authorities to improve the safety in Thailand for visiting Russians or it may face a boycott from its members.

The director of the TAT in Moscow, Mr. Narin Tijayung said that the union has submitted a letter to the Moscow office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand following a road accident that injured more than thirty Russian tourists when a double decker bus they were travelling on overturned on the highway. Four of those traveling were in a serious condition after the accident that police believe was caused by the driver falling asleep behind the wheel.

There have been a spate if incidents in Thailand involving Russians recently including the death of one Russian tourist being killed and thirty more being injured when a tour bus flipped over in Kanchanaburi province. On November 7th two Russian tourists were killed in a road accident in Nakorn Si Thammaram the same day that a twelve year old Russian boy succumbed to injuries he sustained escaping from the tourist ferry that sank near Pattaya

Mr. Narin said the letter submitted by RUTI, which is addressed to the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports, called for a concise, practical measures to ensure safety for Russian tourists in the kingdom.

The letter specifically points out road safety in Thailand as the main concern for the RUTI and its members, Mr. Narin added that the lack of training given to road users, the condition of many of the vehicles and the lack of enforcement of road rules and regulations were of great concern.

The RUTI also reportedly demanded the Thai government to solve these issues within the end of November, otherwise it will consider taking action to maintain the safety of Russian citizens by canceling all scheduled charter flights from Russia throughout the period of December 2013 – March 2014.If the cancellation came to effect, other countries in the region, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam would be picked as destinations instead of Thailand, the letter reportedly warned.