THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: The Phuket Provincial Government has established a working party to investigate the feasibility of requiring all Phuket jet-ski rental operators to take-out compulsory insurance.

Comprising representatives of Phuket jet-ski rental operators and officials from the Marine Department, Kathu Police and the provincial insurance office, the proposal is an attempt to stamp-out complaints from tourists over being charged inflated prices for alleged damage to rented craft.

Phuket Vice-Govenor, Woapoj Ratthasima, said the province and various agencies received a number of complaints throughout each year from tourists and compulsory insurance might be one way to remedy the situation.

Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnark said that in 2008, Kathu Police dealt with 49 cases involving damaged Phuket jet-ski rental craft and a total of Bt3 million (about $US87,000) in compensation for damage to the machines was paid out.

Jet-ski’s are a popular activity for tourists to Phuket and each year hundreds of thousands of tourists rent the machines from Patong, Kata, Karon, Kamala or Bang Tao beaches.

According to reports, representatives of Phuket jet-ski rental businesses who attended the meeting were in favor of the idea, though they said it would have to be established whether the insurance would cover only damage to the jet-ski, or extend to include injuries to renters and/or damages to third parties.

The working committee will meet at the end of next month after a feasibility study has been conducted.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for May 22, 2009