Thailand | Digital Crosstalk

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Brian and team, who work for a digital marketing agency run this Digital Crosstalk blog.
Occasionally we might blog about companies and people we work with but for the most part we'll simply be blogging about stories and events which we find interesting.

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26th
AUG

Thailand is deadliest holiday destination for Britons

Posted by Brian | Filed under road, tourism

: Image by FriskoDude via Flickr

If you’re going to Thailand on holiday then it is wise to take more care there than you might ordinarily do elsewhere says the Times newspaper online. That’s because latest figures from the Foregin and Commonwealth Office (FCO) suggest British tourists are more likely to be killed in Thailand than any other destination.

269 British tourists were killed in Thailand last year, giving the country the highest incidence of deaths in proportion to the number of British travellers of any other country in the world, with the main cause of death being motorbike accidents.

However, even if you manage to cheat death, Thailand also holds the unwelcome distinction of being the country where by the same proportion criteria is the destination where Brits are most likely to be hospitalised.

Motorbike accidents again account for the most hospitalisations in Thailand, with the majoritiy of the 324 reported hospital admissions of British tourists being attributed to this cause – with many proving fatal.

The actual numbers could be higher, however, as the reported figures only take into account actual documented incidences by the British consulates abroad. The full report, entitled the British Behaviour Abroad report (.pdf) can be downloaded via the FCO website.

Let’s be careful out there people!

Tags: thailand, tourism, Travel and Tourism

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10th
AUG

Buyers Beware of Duty-Free Deception

Posted by Brian | Filed under air

: Image via Wikipedia

Anyone who has ever spent time in an airport departure lounge will at one point or another in time browsed through the duty free shop in order to waste a few precious minutes before their flight departs – some people may even buy something.

But, thanks to a new scam happening in several Asian airports, including Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, browsing the duty free could cost much more than one could ever dream.

The scam, known as the ‘zig-zag’ scam involves an unsuspecting tourist being apprehended by a security guard on suspicion of shoplifting and getting removed from the departure lounge to a nearby police station where a painstaking interrogation – sometimes involving intimidation and bullying – takes place until the ‘accused’ hands over a sum of cash to buy their freedom.

The Irish Independent online carries a story of two British IT workers who fell prey to the scam and were forced to pay around £5,000 to a police official in order to secure their release. However, when they contacted the British embassy they were told they had fallen foul of the scam and had in fact paid a middleman.

So, the next time you’re in Asia awaiting a flight home it might be a wise idea to steer clear of duty free altogether, otherwise you might be counting the cost of much more than a bottle of perfume or a packet of cigarettes.