THE Tourist Police want foreign tourists arriving at Phuket International Airport to know that they are their ‘first friend’ on the island.

The public relations campaign, entitled ‘Your First Friend’, was launched last month with the aim of putting a friendly and approachable face on the Tourist Police and to encourage tourists to phone 1155 if they encounter any problems during their stay.

About 3,000 bookmarks which display important telephone numbers, including the Tourist Police hotline, have already been distributed at Phuket International Airport and it is expected that more than 100,000 bookmarks will eventually be given out during the first six months of the campaign.

Phuket Tourist Police Superintendent Ekachai Pramanakul said that the 1155 hotline gives tourists a single number to call when they have a question or a problem, no matter where they are in Thailand.

Col Ekachai also said the campaign has made a difference as more tourists were now contacting the Tourist Police through the hotline.

“Most of the callers’ questions are general inquiries about tourist attractions and how to get to them, but people are welcome to call any time with any inquiry. If we can not help callers immediately, we will co-ordinate with agencies and organisations that can,” he said.

The Tourist Police hotline number is prominently displayed on the bright red bookmarks. Other important numbers include the emergency services, hospitals, airports and taxi services.

The project was initially launched at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on 4 September and now covers Phuket too.