Thailand’s Tourist Police launch their Smartphone Tourist Buddy APP for holiday-makers

Thailand’s Tourist Police recently embarked on a major campaign to improve their image and their services for tourists by launching a new application. The “Tourist Buddy Virtual Assistant” was launched at an “i-Exhibition” within Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The event was created by the country’s Tourist Police Commander Pol.Maj.Gen Roy Inkapairoj. The new APP and allows tourists to download the Tourist Buddy into smartphones, iPhones, iPads and Android devices.
Once tourists register, and this is required if you wish to use the service, they can have access to tourist police information and numbers along with tourist deals. If there’s an emergency tourist police can pinpoint the user through the APP and send assistance 24 hours a day.
When help is needed, immediate calls can be made to the Tourist Police 1155 hotline from the application.
The Tourist Police Division is also co-operating with the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand. Tourists with medical concerns can also call the EMIT Hotline 1699 for speedy assistance.
The Tourist Police were joined by the EMIT, The Airports organization of Thailand and the Director General of the Ministry of Tourism & Sports in launching the APP. Together the team marched with a traditional Songkran drum parade and handed out Tourist Buddy information to visitors arriving at the International Airport.
The Songkran Exhibition included a hologram message from the tourist police commander and can be watched in several languages.
Tourism is Thailand’s number one revenue earner and it’s the Government’s goal to increase tourism revenue income to 2 trillion Baht by 2015.
The Tourist Police believe their new Buddy APP will assist tourists in feeling more secure and confident when they travel to Thailand. We are also told it will later be available languages other than English and Thai, as will the Tourist Police website.