Guest wowpow Posted August 4, 2007 Posted August 4, 2007 Holidays from hell New figures reveal the most dangerous destinations for British tourists. Stuart Jeffries finds out why so many of us are getting into serious trouble in some of the world's most beautiful holiday spots • The Guardian Friday August 3 2007 1. Thailand On the face of it, holidaying in Thailand may seem less dangerous than, say, Iraq or Afghanistan. But according to new Foreign Office figures released this week, Thailand is the place where British tourists are most likely to get into the sort of trouble that requires consular assistance. For a start, more British tourists die there than anywhere else. Some 224 Britons died in Thailand between April 2005 and March last year - a toll five times higher than in the second deadliest tourist destination, India. "Most of those deaths are of long-term elderly British residents," says a Foreign Office spokesman. But not all of them. Among those 224 Britons was student Katherine Horton, 21, who was raped and murdered by two fishermen in January last year on Koh Samui. Many of the less serious problems that Brits encounter in Thailand - illness, trouble with the police, lost passports - could perhaps be avoided with better planning. Frances Tuke, of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), says: "Because it's cheap and easy to get to Thailand, it's easy for people to forget that this is an ailing country and that they need to prepare accordingly. Backpackers to Thailand often get into trouble because they forget to take insurance or visit their doctor. Often they behave as they would here - but tolerance levels for binge drinking, bikinis etc may well not be the same as here." Yesterday I carried out an informal survey of Guardian employees, asking for stories of trips to the five countries that topped the Foreign Office list. Here are two of the anecdotes I got back about Thailand. "My friend Chris was on a bus to Koh Samui when someone put stuff in the aircon to make everyone sleepy, then they went through the bus and took cards, travellers cheques and jewellery," says Tiffany. "Chris had his girlfriend's engagement ring he'd just bought hidden away and, sadly, they got that." Rick reports: "It was just after New Year and I was catching a boat from Koh Samui to mainland Thailand, a trip of about 25 miles. A few people protested that it was overladen, but the captain waved them away. There were only enough life jackets for half the passengers. Waves were crashing over and soaking people, but because most people were off their heads, this was seen as a great laugh. A Thai man said to me that a big disaster was waiting to happen as greedy boat owners took on too many passengers on their leaky vessels." … 2. Australia The Foreign Office report says that 59 Britons died in Australia between April 2005 and March last year, making it the second most dangerous holiday destination for tourists. It does not say how many were murdered, but Brits do die violent deaths down under. Recent killings include Peter Falconio, ambushed on a quiet outback highway in 2001, and 19-year-old Caroline Stuttle, thrown 65ft to her death from a bridge in 2002...... Full article http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/aug/03/1 visa post by Kaengphetpetyang on Lonely Planet Thorntree Quote
