CityNews – A Media trip was organised, inviting the Tourism Business Association and Hotel operators to tour the newly reopened zipline centres after months of injuries and death caused by unsafe equipment.
On March 8, Royal Peninsula Hotel held the project which Pornchai Jitnawasatien, the president of the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association, director and deputy director of Chiang Mai zipline group, Santi Pitikham and Nawapon Kantawanich and the media were invited as guests of honor at the opening of the Eagle Track Zipline.
Pornchai said during the trip that Chiang Mai faced many obstacles regarding safety and standards of service at zipline centres, and asked for the cooperation from all involved to solve the problems for good.
He has encouraged the authorities to crack down on illegal tour guides and the setting up of CCTV and the centres to be used as evidence in any future accidents or robberies.
Santi said that now, the ziplines in Chiang Mai have already passed quality standards tests based on the safety standards of countries such as France and Australia instead of Japan and China.
Nawapon told the press that from now, each zipline will be made of two wires rather than one for added safety, and that each and every staff memeber hired has been trained at the Rockcamp International – which uses imported techniques and equipment from France.
However, the zipline group has also accepted that some tourists may have changed their mind about ziplines following the negative press recently, so anyone who has booked but wishes to cancel will receive a complete refund.