Krabi resort case raises fair fears

More than 100 tourists have lodged complaints against Phu Pranang Resort and Spa in Krabi, in a case which tourism experts say illustrates the risk to consumers of buying hotel packages at tourism fairs.

The complainants say an offshoot of the firm sold low-priced packages at the Thailand Travel Expo in Bangkok. When the tourists showed up, the hotel refused to honour the deals, even though it had received full payment.

Total damages come to around 10 million baht, according to estimates by the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) Krabi office. On Sunday, TAT's Krabi office took the tourists to file complaints with Muang Krabi police against Phu Pranang Travel for alleged fraud.

More than 5,000 hotel packages at Phu Pranang Resort and Spa were sold by Phu Pranang Travel. Both the hotel and travel agents have the same owner.

PK Exhibition, the organiser of Thailand Travel Expo, accepted that Phu Pranang Travel joined its fair in September last year at the Queen Sirikit National Conference Centre along with other travel companies. It claimed it selected tour operators and hotels to join the fair by checking their travel agency business licences.

However, PK Exhibition said checking only the licence is not enough. Consumers should check the backgrounds of travel agents from popular websites such as Pantip or call the Department of Tourism's information centre to see if the tour company they want is on a blacklist, said managing director Krit Patarapal.

"Dishonest companies have documents to verify their status and invest heavily in public relations when compared to their business size. They like to rent booths at four or five exhibitions while their hotels are very small,'' he said.

Yuthachai Sunthornrattanawet, president of the Association of Domestic Travel, said it was difficult to double-check tour services priced at 1,000-2,000 baht, so government agencies must take a leading role in probing them.

Suwat Sidthilaw, permanent secretary for tourism and sports, said the Tourism and Sports Ministry has asked the Department of Tourism to meet tour operators to find a solution.