Tourist Arrivals On Samui Down 50%

[longtom]

many people are reading this forum and as can be seen by some posters they get a feeling that Samui is a sh..t

There´s the reason why you keep on claiming samui is busy. You want to fool people that are not here. Makes sence. I was all the time thinking "man, this guy must be high on something more than diving, if he thinks samui is busy this season", but now when you presented your reasons i can understand. Thats also probably why you on the forum deny corruption and taxiscams like they dont at all exsist on samui. Maybe infact you are in timeshare or another scam buisness. "Fool them to come. Tell them what they want to hear and get the money out of them".

So, people reading this forum thinking about samui, come here, its the place everybody wants to be. Its so packed with tourists that i can´t begin to describe it. Corruption does not exsist here and all the taxis have taximeters. Food and accomondation is dirt cheap. Roads are perfect and flooding does not exsist. Flying here costs peanuts compare to anything in Europe and the only thing you need to think of if you plan on going here is to book a room long time in advance since the whole island is usually booked out. That goes for restaurant tables aswell. Bring your own chair to bars if you want to sit down. They are all packed.

[sbk]

You know, I am getting really fed up with the sniping and pointless posts in this thread.

So, I shall make a quick reminder of the forum rules to all those who seem to have difficulty remembering how to post in a non-aggressive way.

Excessive, aggressive posts against other members, moderators and admin; or flaming will not be tolerated. 'Flaming' is best defined as posting or responding to a message in a way clearly intended to incite useless arguments, rants, and/or for launching personal attacks, insulting, being hateful, useless criticism, name calling, swearing and other bad behavior or comments meant to incite anger.

[Boater]

how is Samui at the moment?? ... busy or not?

[samuibeachcomber]

how is Samui at the moment?? ... busy or not?

IMHO its quiet,weather is good,hot and humid slight breeze.

[Boater]

how is Samui at the moment?? ... busy or not?

IMHO its quiet,weather is good,hot and humid slight breeze.

ok, how is Lamai and Chewang doin??

[samuibeachcomber]

how is Samui at the moment?? ... busy or not?

IMHO its quiet,weather is good,hot and humid slight breeze.

ok, how is Lamai and Chewang doin??

chaweng quiet too,at night mango bar and the one opposite busy,dont know about lamai,soi reggae quiet,not many people in fisherman village,and banrak is more of an expat haven,so its quiet but steady as usual.coming up to songran,so should see an increase i would imagine.

[mattias33]

You know, I am getting really fed up with the sniping and pointless posts in this thread.

So, I shall make a quick reminder of the forum rules to all those who seem to have difficulty remembering how to post in a non-aggressive way.

Excessive, aggressive posts against other members, moderators and admin; or flaming will not be tolerated. 'Flaming' is best defined as posting or responding to a message in a way clearly intended to incite useless arguments, rants, and/or for launching personal attacks, insulting, being hateful, useless criticism, name calling, swearing and other bad behavior or comments meant to incite anger.

Ahh, dont take it too serious sbk Its all in good fun. But your point is taken on my behalf, i´ll tone myself down a few steps. .

Anyway, i agree with beachbombers analysis. Tourist area of chaweng is very quiet to be this time a year, Ban rak has as he says a steady flow of expats. Fishermans village, where i do spend alot of my time, seem to go from very quiet one night to sold out the next? I dont know if they are maybe "in between" two groups of package-tourists? Today all of them go home so its quiet but tomorrow a new group arrive and its full? Spekulation from my side, not facts.

[HankChinasky]

many people are reading this forum and as can be seen by some posters they get a feeling that Samui is a sh..t

Well that's good... Because Samui has indeed become a sh@thole of the worst kind.

It should be public service to let everybody know the truth.

[mattias33]

many people are reading this forum and as can be seen by some posters they get a feeling that Samui is a sh..t

Well that's good... Because Samui has indeed become a sh@thole of the worst kind.

It should be public service to let everybody know the truth.

Yeah. A messageboard, and the use for it. Normal people, not trying to sell anything to you. A community of people saying the truth and their experince of a certain thing or a certain place. When buisness get involved in a messageboard it is as valid as an ad in the newspaper. The benefit of messageboards is that it reflects the truth of the people writing in that board. Might not be the real truth, but it is still oppinions being gained from experience in whatever the board is about. A samuiforum will contain the following caracters:

1. People that been touristing in samui and their experienses

2. People that have a buisness in samui tourism and want to promote samui in a different way than it really is

3. People that live in samui and their experiences

4. People that think of going to samui as tourists, expats or to run a buisness

Whoever reads a messageboard do it to get some kind of truth that is not presented in the normal touristguide. In the normal tourist guide book they will get the glamour pictures, and the glorified picture of samui. In the messgeboard where expats and people that recently been here, they are suppose to get the real truth, and i for one don´t gain anything in lying. Samui is quiet now. Whatever reasons there is to say anything else i dont know, but since i moved here 3 years ago i have never seen samui this empty of tourists. In december, januari, februari and now even march. That is the honest truth, and i dont gain or loose anything by lying.

Buisness people in a community messageboard? So, with all the rules there is on this particular board that is aloud? It is the only rule there is on most boards i am on. .

[sbk]

I don't see why local business people's opinions are any less valid than someone who doesn't work for a living.

As for Hank, well, his unrelenting obscenity laden negativity makes me a tad suspicious since, from his previous posts, it appears he, too, is a business owner on Samui as well.

[mattias33]

It´s just that people´s personal opinions tend to go a little beside the truth when buisness is involved. Selling a "truth" of "busy samui" in quiet times like this, for buisness interest, belongs in travel catalogues or newpaper ad:s. To my opinion.

[Pilchard]

......and people who have repeatedly failed in business here or can't keep a job could also have a view distorted by their experiences

[Mark Wolfe]

......and people who have repeatedly failed in business here or can't keep a job could also have a view distorted by their experiences

Tourist numbers are independent of how you feel about them. It's like saying that since you failed in business, you think the apple tree has few apples. The tree has the same number of apples on it regardless whether you can keep a job, failed in business, are David Beckham or are some retired fart.

Of course, without hard data, we can only compare using our memories of last year and previous years.

Right now I'd say that there are more people here in Lamai than I would have expected, but perhaps my memory fails me. I do believe that the demographics are changing, with more middle-aged people and families here.

[Pilchard]

......and people who have repeatedly failed in business here or can't keep a job could also have a view distorted by their experiences

Tourist numbers are independent of how you feel about them.

but how people feel about them affects how they post here.

example. If you opened a bikini car wash, mud wrestling ,karaoke bar and it fails ! easier to blame lack of tourists than your lack of business acumen

[HankChinasky]

I don't see why local business people's opinions are any less valid than someone who doesn't work for a living.

As for Hank, well, his unrelenting obscenity laden negativity makes me a tad suspicious since, from his previous posts, it appears he, too, is a business owner on Samui as well.

Well local business owners have a less valid opinion on a public forum simply because they depend on the tourists to pay the bills... Therefore they don't want the place to appear like a bad holiday destination. Makes sense or not?

That is perfectly understandable though. If I was a business owner there, I would probably feel the same.

And sbk, no I dont have any business in Samui, never had never will... Samui used to be my favorite place to go for vacations a few years back. I lived there for about a year 5 years ago. The place seems to get worst and worst every time I go there... My last trip was in september 2008 and I was shocked at how bad it's become.

Makes me think of the Canary Island's near Morocco which was also a nice exotic holiday destination and was turned into the ugliest dump ever for low class package tourists.

[highdiver]

mattias once again you missed the point..

the fact that i own business in Samui was no secret for those reading my posts for the last few years.

the fact that this is a message board and that everyone is entitled to an opinion is also correct.

the fact that the above allowed any tom dick and harry to come on this board and say what ever they feel like is also correct..and many of the threads here have a large share of ignorant, non factual and in mnay cases racist remarks allowing the poster to post all the prejudice ideas they have.

Some poster do it to let steam out... ok. but some posters have made this into an agenda .. no matter what the subject is there is always negativity regarding everything in Samui.

if this place is so bad why would such a poster choose to live here? why with that poster tkae time over and over again to complain whine and bitch about everything??

if a poster posts opinions on subjects that they have no knowledge, background, education and experience about in my view is incorrect as that poster is misleading others who attribute to this information validity when coming from a local.

postings that set out to mark Samui as a "wild west island" controlled by mafia with corrupt police, government mayor etc.. and emphasizing that Samui is the only place in the world where this is happening is in my view and opinion wrong and i will protest and reply to those posters what i view as incorrect information or a remark that i feel other readers should enjoy reading a different view also from a local.

Samui is far from perfect in many ways. and there is plenty of room here to make opinions on what should be done to improve things.

but there are some posting that in my opinion are are just plain lies with flaming remarks based on nothing apart from ignorant bar talk and slanderous rhetoric on the Island on the people who live in it and i find it unacceptable

just MY opinion..

p.s will be living to Berlin for the ITB in one week so when i get back i can tell you my impressions on where the tourist trade is going.. at least to those who actually are interested in it.

[HankChinasky]

postings that set out to mark Samui as a "wild west island" controlled by mafia with corrupt police, government mayor etc...

Don't you think it's the case?

[mattias33]

postings that set out to mark Samui as a "wild west island" controlled by mafia with corrupt police, government mayor etc...

Don't you think it's the case?

Noe. He thinks Samui has a good working police force, not corrupt at al. Appart from that he also think taxi on this island works very good. Or at least like to say so on the forum. Not that i beleive for one second that anybody living here with open eyes actually beleive a word in hd:s posts, not even himself. But buisness interests controls what he write.... .

Thats it for bickering.

Samui is more quiet than ever. Went to bophut beach today and my wife said "can you remember the last time there was only us, 10 meters in each direction?". I said "yes, 2001".

[sbk]

......and people who have repeatedly failed in business here or can't keep a job could also have a view distorted by their experiences

Tourist numbers are independent of how you feel about them.

but how people feel about them affects how they post here.

example. If you opened a bikini car wash, mud wrestling ,karaoke bar and it fails ! easier to blame lack of tourists than your lack of business acumen

but a bikini mudwrestling car wash with a karaoke bar inside for the waiting customers just might do the trick mark.

[mattias33]

p.s will be living to Berlin for the ITB in one week so when i get back i can tell you my impressions on where the tourist trade is going.. at least to those who actually are interested in it.

I´m sure your impressions from ITB in Berlin will be very interesting in some thread in some forum where it´s relevant. When you do post them, link me to wherever it is and i´ll read it with interest. However, this particular thread is about samui tourism and you don´t have to go to Berlin to see where that is heading. Beleive it or not, you´ll get more relevant imressions of samui tourism right here on the island. If you go out with open eyes that is....

[sbk]

Actually, mattias, from my understanding of reading other regional boards, tourism is down across Thailand. To ascribe it to some kind of Samui specific issue is probably not covering the whole truth. Read the posts in the krabi forum from the NBT news people if you want to check my assumptions.

[highdiver]

postings that set out to mark Samui as a "wild west island" controlled by mafia with corrupt police, government mayor etc...

Don't you think it's the case?

Noe. He thinks Samui has a good working police force, not corrupt at al. Appart from that he also think taxi on this island works very good. Or at least like to say so on the forum. Not that i beleive for one second that anybody living here with open eyes actually beleive a word in hd:s posts, not even himself. But buisness interests controls what he write.... .

Thats it for bickering.

Samui is more quiet than ever. Went to bophut beach today and my wife said "can you remember the last time there was only us, 10 meters in each direction?". I said "yes, 2001".

mattias i strongly condemn your above post.if please quote me on where i said that ?/?

r is this another case of your memory failing due to over nuclear radiation...

for the record:

i have always said that taxi drivers in samui are just as corrupt as other taxi drivers in any tourist destination world wide. on the contrary to posters who seem to relate this phenomena just to Samui ..although after my link last week regarding this i believe the Samui taxi drivers have still a lot more to learn about scamming from the Swedish taxi drivers... now that's a true mafia I personally have advocated many times to ban them if they fail to use the meter.

As for the police i has posted many posts about the incompetent of this force however when they did something right i also complimented them.. its called being balanced..

As for living on this island there is a big island out there and its not only limited to ghost road bophud and fisherman village. there are plenty of people who are living here who don't agree with you and some posters have expressed this more then once..

as for being on the beach alone.... well then if you wanted to see people you should have been on chaweng beach and at beach republic in lamai... plenty to go around...

i think it must be some sort of global conspiracy... all the tourist in samui are making sure Mattias does not see them...

[OnTheSnap]

A friend of mine is a GM at a major hotel and knows the occupancy rates of many other places- he didn't give me any specifics due to confidentially agreements, but he said the lucky hotels were down only about 10% from last year, and many were down 40-50% (or worse) from this time last year- things are bad here.

[mattias33]

postings that set out to mark Samui as a "wild west island" controlled by mafia with corrupt police, government mayor etc...

Don't you think it's the case?

Noe. He thinks Samui has a good working police force, not corrupt at al. Appart from that he also think taxi on this island works very good. Or at least like to say so on the forum. Not that i beleive for one second that anybody living here with open eyes actually beleive a word in hd:s posts, not even himself. But buisness interests controls what he write.... .

Thats it for bickering.

Samui is more quiet than ever. Went to bophut beach today and my wife said "can you remember the last time there was only us, 10 meters in each direction?". I said "yes, 2001".

mattias i strongly condemn your above post.if please quote me on where i said that ?/?

r is this another case of your memory failing due to over nuclear radiation...

for the record:

i have always said that taxi drivers in samui are just as corrupt as other taxi drivers in any tourist destination world wide. on the contrary to posters who seem to relate this phenomena just to Samui ..although after my link last week regarding this i believe the Samui taxi drivers have still a lot more to learn about scamming from the Swedish taxi drivers... now that's a true mafia I personally have advocated many times to ban them if they fail to use the meter.

As for the police i has posted many posts about the incompetent of this force however when they did something right i also complimented them.. its called being balanced..

As for living on this island there is a big island out there and its not only limited to ghost road bophud and fisherman village. there are plenty of people who are living here who don't agree with you and some posters have expressed this more then once..

as for being on the beach alone.... well then if you wanted to see people you should have been on chaweng beach and at beach republic in lamai... plenty to go around...

i think it must be some sort of global conspiracy... all the tourist in samui are making sure Mattias does not see them...

The swedish taxi example i answered already. Shit happens all over the world. But in Sweden its a rare case. Over here it´s 100% of the drivers. And i think even you will understand and agree on what i mean here, allthough you enjoy to take the piss, and i have to admit it was a cool move to come up with that link. . Enough about that.

The alone on the beach part was in a possitive way. We enjoyed it, so we are not searching for a more crowded beach. Allthough we did spend a day at chaweng beach two days ago and even if we were not alone, it was far from previous years at the same time. But that´s no complain. We like it when the beaches are not crowded. Like this season.

[BusyBee123]

after reading an email today it seems lamai is dead, tourism is down worldwide(just look at BA stats) i just hope my friends get through this rough patch as they run a lovely business

[Mark Wolfe]

HankChinasky:

Well local business owners have a less valid opinion on a public forum simply because they depend on the tourists to pay the bills... Therefore they don't want the place to appear like a bad holiday destination. Makes sense or not?

No, if you are saying that local business owners lie on this forum so as to make the place appear busier than it actually is. I don't think a business owner really gives a toss about what is said here, and businesses here are not affected much by this forum board. My guess is that most tourists haven't even heard of Thaivisa.

SBK:

but a bikini mudwrestling car wash with a karaoke bar inside for the waiting customers just might do the trick mark.

Wow, where do I sign up? Even a bikini car wash would be worth looking into, except that the girls wouldn't want to work so hard in the harsh light of day...

[mattias33]

Bikini carwach is a killer idea. I would go there with my car. If the girls where hot.

Mudwrestling carwash? .

Intersting thought but it dosent sound to good on the car. But might sell, alot of weirdos out there... .

[sbk]

Mudwrestling carwash? .

Intersting thought but it dosent sound to good on the car. But might sell, alot of weirdos out there... .

Precisely

[sibeymai]

Bikini car wash combined with a short time hotel.

Got an hour to spare while your car is washed ? Now there's a business plan.

[TonyMontana]

Some poster do it to let steam out... ok. but some posters have made this into an agenda .. no matter what the subject is there is always negativity regarding everything in Samui.

if this place is so bad why would such a poster choose to live here? why with that poster tkae time over and over again to complain whine and bitch about everything??

if a poster posts opinions on subjects that they have no knowledge, background, education and experience about in my view is incorrect as that poster is misleading others who attribute to this information validity when coming from a local.

postings that set out to mark Samui as a "wild west island" controlled by mafia with corrupt police, government mayor etc.. and emphasizing that Samui is the only place in the world where this is happening is in my view and opinion wrong and i will protest and reply to those posters what i view as incorrect information or a remark that i feel other readers should enjoy reading a different view also from a local.

Samui is far from perfect in many ways. and there is plenty of room here to make opinions on what should be done to improve things.

but there are some posting that in my opinion are are just plain lies with flaming remarks based on nothing apart from ignorant bar talk and slanderous rhetoric on the Island on the people who live in it and i find it unacceptable

HD, many of your posts make me wonder whats going on in your mind.

It seams to me that anyone and everyone that have a different opinon than you are ignorant to 'real facts'.

Never read a post where anyone claims that Samui is the only place on earth where there are; cheating taxidrivers, corrupt policemen, incompetent politicians etc etc.

But the fact remains, it all excists here, just like in many other coutries - And that fact is no defense to the behavior of these groups of people is it?

I, myself live here since several years together with my family, we early realized most of the problems here on the island.

Our way of tackling that situation is very simple;

All the 'problems' that we can do something about, we actually act accordingly to avoid those problems.

Like getting cheated at the market - we do our shopping at Tesco, Makro and other places where everyone pay the same price.

Taxi ripp-offs, easy as a local to avoid by having your own vehicle and/or having a friend drop you off and pick you upp at the airport.

We buy our clothes two to three times in Bangkok, nice short vacations and a way to avoid the local rip-offs.

We rent our house from an old British gentleman, from who we pay the actual cost for electric, water, internet, cable TV etc, which is unusual from Thai landlords.

We avoid eating and drinking at outlets where the tendency to rise the price coz' of lack of costumers rather than what normal business owner do - to lower the price.

We never lend any money to Thai's, we did but never got the money back = Good lesson.

Many more things, but that’s all I can think of now.

On the other hand - things that are out of our control, we know that those things we have to accept or we would go crazy.

Like the corruption within the political establishment and local police force.

The fact that money goes into these peoples pockets instead of improving the infrastructure on the island.

Like getting fined sometimes for something you didn't do.(more common outside samui)

Always getting the blame if there is an accident.(luckily almost never happened to us, but for many friends)

All in all - we live a very comfortable life here on Samui and luckily enough we get our income from outside the country, which is good since almost everyone we know that run businesses here have problems that we don't.

Also, in my very personal opinion, you don't have to have what HD expresses as "knowledge, background, education and experience” to realize or express these things and anyone that cannot see that the tourist industry is the lowest in many years this year - must be blind.