Tourist Police launches 'Tourist Buddy' application

[Bristolian]

The Tourist Police has launched one of the country’s most innovative applications called “Tourist Buddy” with an aim to provide both Thai and foreign tourists 24 hour assistance.

The “Tourist Buddy” provides information on tourist attractions around the Kingdom of Thailand as well as gives details on special events all year round. Not just information the app provides, it also ensures safety of tourists as the police can locate the person requesting the assistance.

According to Police Major General Roy Inkapairoj, the “Tourist Buddy” will help deliver a high level of service and safety for travelers who come to Thailand, but somehow end up in difficulty. He said the police’s mission is to provide protection on life and property of tourists, and other conveniences. This includes, for example, protection against crimes that could have a huge impact on the nation’s image.

He said the program can locate the person requesting the assistance, thus allowing the tourist police to intervene promptly if they are in a dangerous situation. < br>
Pol Maj-Gen Roy believes that with this app, the number of travelers will increase sharply as it will boost their confidence in travelling into the country.

Tourism is Thailand’s number one revenue earner and it is the government’s goal to increase tourism revenue to 2 trillion baht a year by 2015 when the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is formed. Pol. Maj-Gen Roy expressed his confidence that the “Tourist Buddy” application will help the Thai government achieve its goal.

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/new ... 4040010007

[MrPlum]

Sounds like a useful innovation. Let's hope the implementation succeeds.

[Big Boy]

He said the program can locate the person requesting the assistance, thus allowing the tourist police to intervene promptly if they are in a dangerous situation.

Does this not indicate an element of spyware/big brother is watching? Could it be used to locate people for other reasons?

[usual suspect]

The date on this post reads April 4th..is this April Fools week..??
There seems to be a missing link between what Thai Pol.Generals dictate/suggest, & what the Tourist Police (or any other division) actually do..This town does not exactly have a shining record for Farang related crime being dealt with in a prompt & thorough manner now does it?
(No disrespect aimed at our Bristolian whatsoever here).

[Bristolian]

The date on this post reads April 4th..is this April Fools week..??
There seems to be a missing link between what Thai Pol.Generals dictate/suggest, & what the Tourist Police (or any other division) actually do..This town does not exactly have a shining record for Farang related crime being dealt with in a prompt & thorough manner now does it?
(No disrespect aimed at our Bristolian whatsoever here).

Zero offence taken. I was simply posting a report. I have downloaded the app but have had no time to explore fully. There are some useful telephone numbers, a map with nearest police stations but I will need more time to check the functionality. I also have a concern regarding tracking users and will finally balance my decision to keep or discard the app based on its usefulness.

[Big Boy]

I also have a concern regarding tracking users and will finally balance my decision to keep or discard the app based on its usefulness.

Please keep us informed.

[Bristolian]

Will do BB. I am currently in Bangkok and the app is showing all the right telephone numbers and map locations of the police stations. I will be in HH over the weekend and will give it a full test and report back on the usefulness.
(If not arrested by the police for some offense I am not aware of and they now know where I am)

[usual suspect]

We'll wait for more news from you..BTW would you like a round file baking into the cake we'll send to you in jail or a square one..??

[MrPlum]

Presumably you can turn off GPS location info, on those occasions when you do not wish your location to be known.

[BaaBaa.]

Presumably you can turn off GPS location info, on those occasions when you do not wish your location to be known.

Yes.

[BaaBaa.]

Sooooo, there's no link on the website, doesn't tell you if it's Android or ios and doesn't show up in the Playstore.

I'm guessing it's written as well as TAT (admittedly good looking but ultimately shi.....) Apps.

[Big Boy]

Sooooo, there's no link on the website, doesn't tell you if it's Android or ios and doesn't show up in the Playstore.

The free app, currently available only for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, is packed with travel and safety advice for tourists and travelers around Thailand.

Source: eTN

So they're going to be there for Apple supporters

[Bristolian]

I still have not tested the app fully yet but it appears to be of little use to those of us already living here. Typical of these Thai apps, you can select English as the default language but pages such as news still appear in Thai only.

To use the application you must register and supply your name, nationality, telephone number and email address. Having done this it still asks me each time that I open the application so there are certainly some bugs that need to be fixed.

I will try using it again this weekend to see if some of the contact numbers change with location and I will report back.

So far, I don’t think that it’s an application that I will keep and therefore the kind offer of a file baked in a cake will not be necessary but please feel free to still send the cake without the file

Below are some of the screen shots for the app.

[BaaBaa.]

Gotta love Question 1 on the bottom right pic. Is that a typical welcome to Thailand?

It looks durge anyway, I'll not bother looking forward to it's Android release.

Some of the Tourism Authority Thailand apps have got real potential, they're just poorly coded or something. Look nice but slooooooowww.