keepsamuiclean

14 years ago many companies went to India as it opened up to foreign investment. Main criteria was that the middle class was increasing tremendously. When companies found out that two indicators for a new middle class were the possession of a radio and a bicycle it was too late for many.

Here it will be similar that investors will get statistics with increasing numbers of high spending tourists and increasing average income.

But Samui is a small island and certainly living mainly from tourists. But fact is that many are not coming any longer. Last high season the occupancy rate dropped by 15 %-points (from mid Dec.06 till end of March 07). Read reviews about hotels and Samui where lots of people warn already to visit Samui. One put it almost nicely "when you want to visit Samui go now - when all the construction is ready, it will be terrible".

Think about November 2005 and the consequences of the massive rain. At least then the word "deforestation" came up as one culprit for the damages. But the deforestation is continuing and the damages forgotten - even that not all are repaired properly...

Tourists who still come are mainly doing their shopping in Bangkok as Bangkok is the place from where most of them fly home.

Regarding employment for locals I suggest visiting also Samui Mart in Nathon. Lots of bored employees already but I doubt whether they would like to clean rooms in a hotel. With more and more hotels coming up there is a shortage of staff already.

Some of the upcoming new hotels even provide their package guests with balconies to the road side. They will book as they like the great picture with the ocean and then they will have views and sounds of concrete trucks and more traffic.

Do you think these people will return?

When some find that this is now a negative approach they might be right and might have different business interests. My concern are people looking for relief from the "modern lifestyle" - not from having the same as at home.

Sorry, NOT my mistake. And let the people who are going to destroy the island go bankrupt. Wishful thinking!

What's the meaning of "smug"? Sorry for not beeing a native English speaker.

I can tell you that I am living with this hel_l next to me for 22 months - when this construction is ready I write a guide book how to complain, to whom to complain and how to survive.

Phuket is almost 4 times as big as Samui. Phuket is sizewise like Singapore, Samui has half the size of Delhi - so I could argue that 10 mios of people could fit on Samui..... and for them there must be loads of shopping malls....

Comparisons do not work here. With Tesco competitive prices came, sometimes the old shops in Nathon are even cheaper, especially in electric appliances and computer as well as groceries. The Home Marts got face lifts to compete with Home Pro.

I am much more at ease now than 5 years ago when I had to make an island tour for relatively nice lamp shades. But I am really worried about all town centers and houses along the roads where the shops are to 50 % or even more vacant. There is one shophouse next to Winner furniture on the way to Nathon which is ready since at least 2003 - nobody opened a shop. But: What do we need what we do not have yet? Perhaps a Sun Studio or a shop for interieur fireplaces? But certainly we do not need empty shop houses with "For Sale / For Rent" signs as it is as if the whole island is for sale.

And personally I do not need big shopping malls, avoid Family Marts and 7/11 but use mainly the old sources - but this is my own decision.

Am I the only one that caught that this is an Israeli company building a shopping mall??

Yes, the Thai govt gave permission to build but then I am from the US where there is a darn Walmart on every corner so find the presumption that Thais are the only ones that do this a bit OTT

Can anybody give a sufficient answer WHY Samui is in urgent need of such a shopping mall?