A spate of tourist drownings on Phuket has spotlighted concerns over insufficient beach safety measures in Thailand, a destination already battling to improve its reputation for visitor security amid falling confidence in key markets like China.
Monsoon season is ongoing until around October in Thailand, bringing high humidity, winds, and tides that feed into ocean rip currents, making them even more dangerous and unpredictable than usual. This August, at least five swimmers, old and young, from around the world, have been taken by them.
Early in the month, a 10-year-old Canadian girl drowned at popular Kata beach on only the second day of a family holiday there, a tragedy that has prompted Thai authorities to erect more warning flags and allocate more lifeguards for the monsoon period.
This morning, heavy rains this morning caused the Bang Yai Canal to overflow, triggering floods in Phuket, Thailand. pic.twitter.com/Skh6vBbgV3
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) August 22, 2025
But another two drownings at the same beach on 20 and 21 August – of a 68-year-old Swede who reportedly collapsed while trying to exit shallow water, and a foreign visitor who, alongside a friend who survived, had to be pulled from the water – have led to local criticism. Witnesses have spoken of the lack of red flags in place at the time of the incidents, the absence of lifeguards putting other civilian lives at risk as they turn into rescuers, and the slow response of emergency services.
Also on 21 August, a 35-year-old Russian man drowned after he and his girlfriend got into trouble in strong waves at near Banana and Nai Thon beaches, and on 22 August, a 28-year-old Chinese American was found dead on Patong Beach, with authorities finding no signs of foul play.
Under pressure from the political class and hotel stakeholders, Thai authorities have reportedly now set up a review of beach safety and begun targeting beaches and resorts with public awareness campaigns to make foreign guests more attentive to the risks in and around the water.
Tourist attack lifeguards in Thailand over beach safety rules … pic.twitter.com/z4N9mrHotv
— Nightcap Crimes (@NightcapCrimes) August 27, 2025
This adds to increased security measures already announced, such as a May 2025 crackdown on illegal tour operators in the Southeast Asian country intended “to reassure all travellers that Thailand remains a safe destination,” according to Natreeya Taweewong, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The alleged abduction of a Chinese actor by scammers in January 2025 led to viral fears keeping vital Chinese tourists away from the kingdom, at a time when it was hoping to accelerate progress towards tourism targets with the help of exposure from TV series and films such as The White Lotus and Jurassic World.
