Thai tourism minister says visitors may be issued with identification wristbands

Identification wristbands may be distributed to tourists in Thailand, the country’s tourism minister says. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said she had approached hotels over the idea of handing out wristbands to help identify tourists who get lost or into trouble.

“When tourists check in to a hotel they will be given a wristband with a serial number that matches their ID and shows the contact details of the resort they are staying in, so that if they’re out partying late and, for example, get drunk or lost, they can be easily assisted,” Kobkarn said.

 

“The next step would be some sort of electronic tracking device but this has not yet been discussed in detail.” She said a “buddy system”, pairing tourists with a local minder at tourist destinations, was also being discussed.

Kobkarn admitted the wristband idea had already met some resistance. “Most people welcome the idea but some hotels are concerned that tourists may not want to wear the wristbands.”