Koh Samui: The secret island gem of Southeast Asia’s hospitality scene

[snoop1130]

 

Over the past week, we have been compiling our latest hospitality, tourism, and hotel research on Thailand’s second-largest island, Koh Samui. The island remains a bit of a ‘little-big’ anomaly in Southeast Asia’s massive resort island arsenal. Despite hosting famed global hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, W, InterContinental, and Banyan Tree, its smallish private airport capacity has somehow created a natural barrier to mass tourism in the development-crazed last 25 years.

 

Looking at the tourism recovery trajectory in our newly released Samui Hotel Market Update 2023, the best word I could use for growth was the impish term ‘moderate.’ No, the island has not broken into a full sweat, but looking at the mounting hotel room night demand in Q4 of last year and into the first quarter of 2023, there are positive signs of momentum.

 

One of the most important pieces of recovery news is the re-starting of direct flights between Hong Kong and Koh Samui by Bangkok Airways starting the 1st of July. Three weekly flights are set, using an Airbus A319 aircraft. Mainland China flights are also on the books for May which is another strong positive. And for hotels, room night demand has been rising at a great pace this year.

 

But, this is the conundrum, the destination has limited low-cost airline access, with limited numbers coming from the mainland’s Surat Thani airport and then taking a ferry. While other Thai resort destinations such as Phuket and Pattaya hotels have been on a sharp incline upward, Koh Samui’s return to normal continues to be slower and at a more protracted pace.

 

But my point here is, maybe that’s okay. As fast-growing resort islands across Asia grapple with high population growth, traffic woes, and broken infrastructure, perhaps Koh Samui’s airport-imposed limitation is not entirely a bad thing. Smaller can often be better and chasing the endless tail of growth is not the right recipe for every destination.

 

One of the niche tourism segments that the island has maintained over the years is wellness. The Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa remain one of Asia’s best-in-class offerings. Rumoured to be expanding their current operation with additional land, we can’t wait to see what’s in store next for this icon.

 

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/koh-samui-the-secret-island-gem-of-southeast-asias-hospitality-scene

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-04-07

 

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[Sametboy2019]

Secret island gem?????

[swinginglow]

Flight expensive, off the plane into a rip off mafia taxi onto an over expensive hotel. Samui is a place to avoid in my opinion.

[stoner]

i feel like im getting a reach around from this article. 

[tubby johnson]

Ko Samui is a secret island?

 

And a gem?

 

That takes misleading marketing flimflam to a whole new level! 

[realfunster]

I am overdue a visit, haven't been for 15 years or so. Samui does hold a special place in my heart, having spent a good few months there in my younger days.

 

My last brief visit around 2005 was also after several year hiatus, can't say I was that impressed. The charm was fading.

Mind you, that's exactly what the old hands told me when I went there for the first time in the mid 90s.

I guess it's a natural human reaction to things changing and 'progressing'. 

 

It's probably still better than Phuket though ????

[Celsius]

https://www.iqair.com/th-en/thailand/surat-thani/ko-samui

[phetphet]

Have you seen the traffic here? It's getting ridiculous. God knows what it will be like if they increase  flights, or even worse, build a bridge.

 

Bangrak is slowly but surely turning  into Chaweng Mk2.

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Over the past week, we have been compiling our latest hospitality, tourism,

Samui and "hospitality" can have several meanings.

[hotchilli]

10 hours ago, realfunster said:

It's probably still better than Phuket though ????

A black hole in Calcutta is better than Phuket.

[PETERTHEEATER]

44 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

A black hole in Calcutta is better than Phuket.

Phuket no hab dum-dum bullets......

[Henryford]

Samui is nice but is a pain in the A to get to, unless you want to be ripped off by Bangkok Airways. I wouldn't go again.

[Tropicalevo]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Mainland China flights are also on the books for May

They have been coming from Chengdu since February. There have even been two 'welcoming' sprays.

Not a very well informed article.

[gearbox]

Which one is the Samui beach in the OP photo? I haven't seen a beach resembling this one.

[hotchilli]

59 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

Phuket no hab dum-dum bullets......

No bullets but plenty of dum dums

[phetphet]

24 minutes ago, gearbox said:

Which one is the Samui beach in the OP photo? I haven't seen a beach resembling this one.

Perhaps somewhere in Anthong Marine Park. Which isn't exactly Samui.

[robertson468]

14 hours ago, swinginglow said:

Flight expensive, off the plane into a rip off mafia taxi onto an over expensive hotel. Samui is a place to avoid in my opinion.

Yes flights are expensive as Bangkok Airways own the Airport so rule the roost.  However, cleaver people like yourself would get a inexpensive flight in to Surat Thani and then take a bus/Ferry to Koh Samui.  But sadly you did not include that in your rant!  As for expensive taxis, we have outsourced taxis for Airport Transfer at 400 baht.  Expensive???? Duh!  clearly this person knows for little what he is talking about.  I have lived on Samui for 18 years and have found the locals (in general) to be nice and helpful people.  Much prefer them to UK/Europeans.  Prices are outrageous and the people (like this Guy) sadly are so miserable looking and often have an attitude.

[VocalNeal]

I love the people complaining about Bangkok Airways to Samui.

 

They are like the villagers who complain that a local pub is going to close and they whine about local culture and loss of social life. 

 

When asked do you frequent the pub they answer no and that they are not pub people.

[spidermike007]

I lived on Samui for 9 years before moving to the mainland. When I first arrived quite some time ago it was an island paradise, over the years it got very developed, traffic became oppressive, and it just was no longer fun to be there. It got very expensive and things changed a lot. Also, alot of the locals left, and there was very little in the way of local pride in the island. It was not taken care of, and sometimes felt like a five minutes year old restaurant dishrag, that had been rung out too many times. We used to fly out of Surat airport, just to say no to BA monopoly, buy it is a haul. 

 

Now, after covid the island is starting to recover but it's still a pale shadow of its former self, so many businesses were devastated, so many restaurants closed, so many of the remaining mom and pop establishments are gone. Now they're just trying to open higher end restaurants and hotels and most of them are fairly slow and have low occupancy. The bar scene, massage scene, and the nightlife has almost entirely disappeared, and there's just not much in the way of fun action on Samui anymore.

 

Been there three times since the start of covid. It's a very, very different place from what it used to be. Will it recover? 

[Lucky Bones]

16 hours ago, Sametboy2019 said:

Secret island gem?????

Infomercial.????????

[cheapcanuck]

It will always lag behind other destinations in Thailand because of the cost to fly direct to the island. 

 

[Tropicalevo]

3 hours ago, cheapcanuck said:

It will always lag behind other destinations in Thailand because of the cost to fly direct to the island. 

 

Yet most flights are full.

Surely, if costs were the reason then flights would be empty?

[Denim]

On 4/7/2023 at 7:02 PM, Sametboy2019 said:

Secret island gem?????

Like the family resort of Pattaya. A quiet fishing village that only few have heard of.

[LosLobo]

7 hours ago, cheapcanuck said:

It will always lag behind other destinations in Thailand because of the cost to fly direct to the island. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Yet most flights are full.

Surely, if costs were the reason then flights would be empty?

Being a private monopoly the Samui airport owned by BangkokAir, has airport fees are set up for profit, not to boost the local economy.

 

Therefore flights to Koh Samui are limited and more expensive than other destinations.

Other local carriers I suggest would find the airport fees too expensive and could not compete with cheaper prices even If BA let them.

Also flights and trains from BKK to Surat Thani then a ferry are inconvenient and time consuming and more expensive than a direct flight to the island.

 

I would suggest the OP's post is valid!

 

[Tropicalevo]

1 minute ago, LosLobo said:

 

Being a private monopoly the Samui airport owned by BangkokAir, has airport fees are set up for profit, not to boost the local economy.

 

Therefore flights to Koh Samui are limited and more expensive than other destinations.

Other local carriers I suggest would find the airport fees too expensive and could not compete with cheaper prices even If BA let them.

Also flights and trains from BKK to Surat Thani then a ferry are inconvenient and time consuming and more expensive than a direct flight to the island.

 

I would suggest the OP's post is valid!

 

Yet before Covid, there were seven other airlines flying into the private airport (which does not receive subsidies from tax payers).

Currently there are two other airlines flying to Samui. One on a regular basis, the other 'as and when' there is demand.

 A lot of visitors used to fly to Suratthani, but Suratthani airport has similar problems to other airports - a lack of planes meaning a lack of regular services.

 

39 flights to Samui today.

9 flights to Suratthani today.

 

I do not think that cost is the main factor.

[huberthammer]

On 4/9/2023 at 11:48 AM, Tropicalevo said:

Yet before Covid, there were seven other airlines flying into the private airport (which does not receive subsidies from tax payers).

Currently there are two other airlines flying to Samui. One on a regular basis, the other 'as and when' there is demand.

 A lot of visitors used to fly to Suratthani, but Suratthani airport has similar problems to other airports - a lack of planes meaning a lack of regular services.

 

39 flights to Samui today.

9 flights to Suratthani today.

 

I do not think that cost is the main factor.

After all, high flight prices into samui also keep a lot of the undesirables away. Lot less trouble and shenanigans than in places with cheaper access.  In addition, could the island's infrastructure really cope with 5-10 charter flights a day?

 

quite happy to keep it as it is and let people talk bad about the island where they have no or very little knowledge

[still kicking]

On 4/9/2023 at 8:34 AM, Denim said:

Like the family resort of Pattaya. A quiet fishing village that only few have heard of.

Yeah, I have been in that little village 17 times and love to explore all the nice temples.  

[jacko45k]

On 4/7/2023 at 7:23 PM, swinginglow said:

Flight expensive, off the plane into a rip off mafia taxi onto an over expensive hotel. Samui is a place to avoid in my opinion.

I went there in the 80s, wonderful experience for a young man (with companion from Patts)....a few visits after, each becoming a little more expensive and the avarice slowly growing in the locals. A pity ...attractive island though. 

[brianthainess]

Secret Island ? Oh where is it again? 

who is the writer being paid by BKAirways or the Big Hotels? how to get free advertising on ASIAN NOW imo.