New Chinese road signs: To reduce road accidents in northern Thailand

Chinese road accident boom follows Chinese tourism boom, so govt to install road signs to reduce road accidents. Chinese & Korean tourist guide shortage.

A tourist guide leads Chinese tourists at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok. The government will make road signs in Chinese to reduce accidents. (Inset: Scene of fatal road accident involving Chinese tourist in Chiang Rai) NARUPON HINSHIRANAN

TOURISM & ROAD SAFETY

Lost in Thailand: New Chinese road signs

30/06/2015

The Tourism Department and the Transport Ministry will install direction signs in Chinese next year in a bid to ease the number of car accidents caused by tourists travelling from China into Thailand, especially around Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is one of the most popular destinations among Chinese travellers, with many coming by car via Route R3A through the Chiang Khong checkpoint in Chiang Rai.

Tourism in Chiang Mai is booming, but so are road accidents involving Chinese drivers, which is chalked up to their poor understanding of Thai traffic law and directions.

The agencies hope Chinese direction signs and billboards will reduce the number of accidents.

Installation is scheduled for next year.

ACCIDENT THAT MADE THE NEWS

In March, 2015 a speeding Chinese tourist in Chiang Rai killed a motorcyclist with a car that he drove into Thailand from China (See photo of wreckage above).

Police detained a Chinese tourist in Chiang Rai who reportedly hit two motorcycles with his speeding car, killing one person. The accident took place on the Terng - Chiang Rai road at around 12.30 pm Monday morning.  The car was seen approaching at a high speed, and then hit one motorcycle on the side of the road and then crashed into another motorcycle.

The motorist who died was a 41-year-old woman who worked at a Chiang Rai hospital.

Read full story here, here & here

QR CODES AT TOURIST SITES

Wanasiri Morakul, deputy director-general of the the Tourism Department, said the agency planned to install QR codes at tourism venues such as Unesco World Heritage Sites and some border stations to provide tourist information and directions.

More than 150 QR code signs are expected to start installation later this year.

Ms Wanasiri said the signs would inform Chinese tourists at border stations about "dos and don'ts" in Thailand as well as traffic law.

CHINESE TOURIST ARRIVALS

The number of Chinese tourist arrivals to Chiang Mai increased by 50% to 421,108 visitors last year.

The Tourism Council of Thailand forecasts this year Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand will reach 7.4 million.

In the first five months, Chinese arrivals rose by 95% to 3.27 million, while total foreign visitors increased by 24.7% to 12.4 million.

TOURIST GUIDE SHORTAGE

Tour operators have complained about a lack of Chinese tourist guides, but the department insists the existing 5,600 guides are adequate to serve international tourist arrivals.

The Tourism Department accepted that Thailand faced a shortage of tourist guides for Koreans, with only 448 guides while the requirement based on arrivals is estimated at 1,292 per year.

The department has joined with the South Korean Embassy to train Thai guides in Korean.

The department announced all tour guides must wear its officially designed uniforms starting this October.

The fine is 10,000 baht for those violating the rule.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/608032/lost-in-thailand-new-chinese-road-signs

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/608296/new-chinese-road-signs-to-reduce-road-accidents-in-northern-thailand