Busy Samui These Days?

[joinme2leave]

i just wonder....

is there (compared to recent/past year statistics) lots of tourists around Samui these days? impact of soccer/european championships? weather? terrorist activities in south Los? Prices?

appreciate any relevant, honest comment as this might influence my future invest plans

(Samui or better off with an other island less developed by now).

[zzap]

The dumbshits keep moving in like lambs to the slaughter.

[Paul B]

ZZAP,

Just wondered what you meant by your post??

[beerguy]

I'm also interested in the meaning of ;

The dumbshits keep moving in like lambs to the slaughter.

[joinme2leave]

well, me too. no idea whatsoever ZZAP meant with that.

anyhow, i was asking for RELEVANT, HONEST comment and no b...sh.t.

So, WHO knows what is going on these days?

C'm on somebody MUST be interested in that question...

[Dutchy2]

i just wonder....

is there (compared to recent/past year statistics) lots of tourists around Samui these days? impact of soccer/european championships? weather? terrorist activities in south Los? Prices?

appreciate any relevant, honest comment as this might influence my future invest plans

(Samui or better off with an other island less developed by now).

If you have investment plans you'd better base them on something else then on this board. If you spend some time on Ko Samui this question will be answered, low season is really low season. I do not know your business plan and your expectations but it's very difficult to make decent money in Thailand.

If you understand this, you and the other posters might also understand what zzap so uniquely stated. If you're thinking about investing in tourism related enterprises why don't you check out Vietnam? The current climate in Thailand doesn't encourage foreign investment. (Steve and Sunbelt Asia feel free to disagree)

Check out what's for sale at the moment in Patong beach Phuket, that will make you wonder why so many businesses are for sale in a prime location .

Good luck!

Dutchy

[joinme2leave]

hej dutchy,

thanks for your comments.

as a matter of fact my PRIMARY intense was to hear about HOW's business going these days in Samui due to the fact that I USED TO HAVE a "g/f" working there.

That was until approx 3 weeks ago.

Thanks to thaivisa.com and other expat friends (not affiliated with and not even members on thaivisa.com) I finally got my mind up and decided to leave past behind me.

She´s a verrrry new freelance girl and I fell in like (not in love) with her the time I stayed Samui. Have to admit she seems to be after my money and only my money.

Anyhow would have never ever considered to invest in Samui as I do not like the foreigner (german/british) ruled land-biz....my goals are furthermore not in tourism (bar, restaurant) but in import-export. What I am looking for is an island where it is possible to combine both PERSONAL WELLBEEING (nature, SILENCE, bit of farang talk) as well as close to Bkk BIZ-OPPORTUNITIES. I know I would be better off places such as Pattaya or HuaHin but especially regarding Pattaya it is far toooo many germans around .. .and -frankly speaking- those ppl are the very LAST one I want to see when emigrating.

Vietnam is my 2nd thought but too early stage right now. First settle down Thailand on lease-base, afterwards lookout for new spots such as Vietnam, Cambodia or even China.

Kao jai mai?

Thanks.

[joinme2leave]

aaah, forgot to mention:

nevertheless, I AM STILL INTERESTED to hear about Samui´s ongoing.

Even though I try my very best to "forget" my (former) g/f it would a big pleasure for me to read that tourist biz is going real bad in Samui.

No ppl no money.

What a sh*t, I feel sooooooo sorry for her......

[Tattytam]

But there are other people here!!

If you have to think negative thoughts could you just confine them to her personally!!

[joinme2leave]

sure. my wish about bad biz only (and I mean it, only) refers to this very particular person who i (used to) like a lot....

for the rest of you Samui (tourist depending) ppl I wish you all the best...honestly!

[castelleone]

you seem to be a person that needs to exclaim his frustration about personal defeats as well as about members of nations of your dislike.

Quo vadis this forum?

[beerguy]

Not sure all this negativity is based in reality........

Major hotels, golf courses and the number of new developments by major players in the worldwide maket run counter to the opinions expressed by the sour grapes here.

I've invested here with in the last year and have already seen positive results.....

A lot of the people talking negative here are the hippy type backpackers that always move on anyway and do nothing to add to the value of a place....

I don't think it's to late to still come here and enjoy the place........

But thats just my 2 cents...........

[valentinoxxx]

"Hippy type backpackers" eh? I surely think that if it wasn't for those 'hippy type backpackers', Samui would have even less visitors.

It's was 'word of mouth' that made Samui so popular with the British. Word of mouth from those 'backpackers'.

Secondly, those 'hippy types' are more likely to put up with the infrastructure problems on Samui.

The 'ordinary' people aren't quite so keen on flooded or dusty roads with various vehicles whistling past their perambulators as there is no space on the so called pavement. When there is some space they are various obstacles to impede their progress. Add to that the continual annoyance of beach traders and boats plying the waterways advertising, "2night, 2 night........"

Even the Israelis are leaving....

Add to that the rising rents contributing to the general 'gouging' of the tourist', who haven't noticed yet as prices are relatively cheap.

It seems that some won't be happy until they have squeezed all of the 'value' out of Samui.

What happened to the 'Samui Festival'? Did it bring more visitors?

Of course, Samui still has a lot going for it...

[simey]

Despite everything Samui still seems to be getting more well known. I 'bought' my land there in 1999 and most people I told had never heard of the island. Now that my house is built I seem to be deluged with freinds and freinds of freinds who are heading there. Aren't the bad roads, beach hawkers etc all part of the fun? I live in Amsterdam at the moment and I'd rather have the beach vendors than the guys waiting on the bridges apparently looking for their missing freind Charlie.

Samui is experiencing growing pains like any up and coming tourist destination does - as with all businesses the supply and demand will create a balance eventually. For now, as a villa owner, things are looking better and better. We might even get a second supermarket, and everyone remembers what a stir the original Tesco Lotus caused!

[valentinoxxx]

Erm... Samui is more 'well known' than when I first went there in 1992. Through the 'word of mouth' of people like myself and 'hippy type backpackers', many more people travelled there, some desirable and some seemingly not.

Unfortunately, apart from the short stay holidaymakers, there appears to have been an influx of escapees from the 'Costa del Crime' and other 'undesirables'.

On my last visit I spent more time trying to avoid idiots than ever.

By all means, buy into Samui if you wish. Just don't expect to have 'quality' neighbours.

[simey]

It's true a lot of people have more dubious backgrounds than people you might meet in your local surrey neighbourhood. Having said that I lived in surrey for a year and a half and only spoke to my neighbour once - we hadn't been introduced you see.

The quality of your neighbours is a relative view, and I find the people that live closest to me have some very fascinating stories to tell. Maybe thats the difference here, I go to LOS looking for something as different to blighty as I can, maybe you are looking for a UK neighbourhood but just warmer Valentino?

[valentinoxxx]

No, I just find the people I meet on Samui a lot less interesting than the people I used to meet.

Not so much people with a sense of adventure, just a lot of people who think it's the new Magaluf.