Buzz
Public opinion is abuzz as a Korean police force is established to assist foreign tourists in avoiding any troubles while sightseeing, according to AFP.
According to Tuoi Tre, about 100 police officers, both men and women, join the 'special force' wearing attire reminiscent of the famous singer PSY in the Gangnam Style music video, a song that stormed YouTube and went viral worldwide with 1.8 billion views.
The colorful vests along with black sunglasses reflect the style of PSY and are quickly embraced by Korean police to make tourists feel closer and more identifiable. While on duty, this 'special force' doesn't carry guns like their regular job but only assists tourists in resolving difficult issues like dealing with dishonest taxi drivers or fraudulent vendors.
'They (the police) seem to want to send the message that you can be safe when visiting Korea' – Mr. Lee Charm, leader of the Korea Tourism Organization, positively assesses the impact of this force.
Korea may not have been known as a tourist destination, but the number of tourists has significantly increased, reaching 10 million in 2012, after the appearance of PSY's video clip. Thanks to the Gangnam Style phenomenon, tourists flock to Korea just out of curiosity.
After the emergence of information about the elite and meaningful police force in the international press, there have been many opinions suggesting that with the great potential of our country and the orientation of developing tourism into a major economic sector, along with the increasing phenomenon of tourists being cheated and scammed, Vietnam should also establish a tourist protection police force similar to that in South Korea.
Although there is no Gangnam Style phenomenon with global influence to build outfits for the tourist police, however, we can entirely focus on building a bold national image for the police force to attract attention.
However, Vietnam's national costume has been debated for over 10 years with countless workshops and conferences still not reaching a final decision, therefore, the future tourist police force may choose between two types of costumes considered worthy candidates for Vietnam's national costume: the draped ao dai or the traditional attire of the Central Highlands ethnic minority.
Regarding the draped ao dai, it has long been seen as the traditional attire of Vietnamese men, so choosing this attire for the tourist police will create a focal point and differentiation for tourists to easily recognize and connect when needed.
However, there are many opinions that if only the draped ao dai is chosen for tourist police, it cannot make as strong an impression as police wearing Gangnam Style outfits, and may even hinder pursuits of thieves and robbers, hence the traditional attire of the Central Highlands is the perfect choice.
In reality, it is very easy to see that if tourist police choose traditional attire of the Central Highlands, everything will become much more special. In that appealing attire, tourist police can confidently showcase their perfectly toned bodies without needing to adjust perfectly, which will undoubtedly leave a great impression on any tourist wanting to learn about Vietnamese culture. And so, this special police force could become one of the main attractions for tourists visiting Vietnam.
Not to mention the alluring and truly special attire like khaki, if the tourist police force patrols in many famous tourist attractions, it will surely captivate everyone, even making thieves or scammers intending to deceive tourists laughable and fearful to the point of forgetting their purpose. Thus, the task of maintaining tourist order and attracting tourists by this force has been perfectly executed.
Just imagine, if you see the tourist police force wearing khaki showing off their perfect figures while patrolling in many places, can you resist the special allure without paying attention to them? Of course not!
If people think that suggesting to establish a tourist police force wearing ethnic costumes is just for entertainment purposes, they're completely wrong. Relevant authorities have long considered establishing this force, but it has not been established yet due to concerns about overlapping duties with regular police.
However, in the context of increasing tourist scams and frauds, the calls for action are relentless, with tourism leaders even personally apologizing to a tourist, affecting the image of the country's tourism industry.
Therefore, I strongly believe that relevant authorities should seriously consider the idea of establishing this special force and implement it as soon as possible.
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Source: Travel Handbook from Mytour – According to Phunutoday.vn
MytourFebruary 7, 2014
