The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has established an Internet Call Centre to help visitors get updated tourism information - or even lodge a complaint. The Centre has been set up at the TAT Head Office since 1 October, 2009, and provides a 24-hour service in Thai and English. The information can be provided via internet inquiry or video live chat.

Tourists can log in to tourismthailand.org and click on the “1672 tourist hotline” icon on the lower right-hand side of the web-page. After selecting the language, visitors will be asked to fill in basic details such as their name and email address.

The information available covers these categories: accommodation, travelling, sight-seeing and season. A fifth category allows visitors to lodge a complaint.

Responses will be provided as soon as possible, depending on the kind of information sought, and the time it will take to compile and verify it.

As of 30 November 2009, the Centre has responded to inquiries from 3,074 visitors in 18 countries, viz., Japan, US, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, China, Denmark, UK, Switzerland, Korea, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Indonesia and Thailand.

According to Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, TAT, “The Internet Call Centre is one of numerous actions we are taking in response to the way people are interacting and communicating with each other in an increasingly online world. This service will be of help to travel agents, consumers, and even hotel concierge desks.”

Mr. Suraphon said there were plans to expand this facility in future, especially to add assistance in more languages.