Management of Life and Property Safety for Tourists By Phuket Tourist Police

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to study the current situation of tourist safety in life and property management by the Phuket tourist police, to study the problems and obstacles that occurred regarding tourist safety management and to propose guidelines to manage the safety system more effectively. This is a mixed method research. The study employed an in-depth interview with 17 informants. The researcher also used questionnaires to ask 140 people to check and prioritize the guidelines to manage the safety of the tourists. 

Regarding the current situation of tourist safety management, the tourist police used reactive strategies instead of proactive strategies. The government controlled the policy, designated positions, and planned the police force. 
The problems that occurred included the police’s foreign language skills, information technology, connections with various organizations, administration and investigation authority, cooperation and acceptance from tourists, police force, budget, and welfare. Suggestions to improve tourist safety management were that the tourist police should establish connections with various organizations and increase the level of seriousness in screening the tourists visiting Thailand; the transportation in Phuket must be developed to the international standard; laws and regulations must be strictly enforced; and the tourist police unit should have professionals in required areas.

The model which the researcher proposed to develop the safety system for tourists was called “7Ss Model”. The 7 Ss are: Safety, System, Staff, Safety Standard, Synergy, Service mind, and Satisfaction.