Tourists For High Season

[ESB7]

Remember the times when almost every hotel was full and almost no change to find a room? It was way before the Tsunami, 10,14 years ago? As far as I can remember there were apr 50 flights per day with BA from Bangkok to Samui.

They even charged 1.000 and something extra, payable at departure additional to the airport tax in the times of the oil crisis for a while then.

Ok, planes were smaller, hotels were less. But I would not blame everything on BA now. It isn't so, that Samui is doing bad and Phuket, Koh Chang, Pattaya and Krabi are booming.

And often the costs of the BKK-USM-BKK flights are covered in the long haul flights of package tourists.

You also forget to mention that customers changed with the increased arrivals of tourists from India, Middle East and China.

I would definatly think again befor Pattaya or Phuket...they are in a desperate situation with a minimum amount of visitors....not sure about Krabi or Chang though

[Birdman]

^...didn't say that so. I meant: If tourism booms all over Thailand there would be masses here too despite BA and if Samui is quiet, so it is everywhere else, considering the regional tourist seasons.........

[NALAK]

Used to live on Samui many years ago, but it changed. As have I wife 2 kids and if we go on holiday I can find a lot more value for money else where. Live in Issan now and it's cheaper to go to Bali. Jim

same same moved away after nearly 9 years on Samui, in Chon Buri now, seems half the price of samui, in the city Pattaya any where around the city is 10 baht by baht bus, outside the city 30 baht gets you about 15 kilometres. 129 baht air con bus from swampy in 1 hour San mig and Heniken 40-50 baht in air con bars, great breakfast for under 100 baht, haircut 30 baht. i rent a 3 bed 2 bath large house for 8,500 baht per month, the house also has guests quaters. way way cheaper than samui. all around are islands and beaches also cleaner than Samui and not developed.

forgot great roads as well and reasonable active police force, immigration with a price list up that charges correct prices list of pros is endless.

[livinthailandos]

Figured I'd input some points to note:

1. Keep in mind thailand is not necessary a number 1 destination after all for tourists, in might be top 10 list maybe.

2. Regarding bangkok airways, the chinese tourists who do to come thailand that go to samui or phuket do so by charted flight from china and land in suratthani airport. they completely bypass using bangkok airways. Basically go by bus from the airport, then to the ferry and have another van waiting for them. This has been the case this year and last year to.

3. As long as political instability is a issue and violence occurs its really hard to see how well tourism will even do in thailand let alone samui. I do know for a fact that lots of chinese, japanese, and koreans who were coming to thailand cancelled any trip to thailand due to the mess back in april and may

4. Samui has never been a big tourist attraction if we exclude the whole tsunmai event and exclude years 2005 & 2006. Koh samui average for tourists has only been anywhere from 500,000 - 700,000 tourists every year.

5. The only real major issue for at least the next 3 years minimum in terms of global tourism, is the less purchasing power that the pound & the euro have along with employment prospects in UK and euro, this not only effects tourism here but everywhere as well.

[carmine]

Used to live on Samui many years ago, but it changed. As have I wife 2 kids and if we go on holiday I can find a lot more value for money else where. Live in Issan now and it's cheaper to go to Bali. Jim

same same moved away after nearly 9 years on Samui, in Chon Buri now, seems half the price of samui, in the city Pattaya any where around the city is 10 baht by baht bus, outside the city 30 baht gets you about 15 kilometres. 129 baht air con bus from swampy in 1 hour San mig and Heniken 40-50 baht in air con bars, great breakfast for under 100 baht, haircut 30 baht. i rent a 3 bed 2 bath large house for 8,500 baht per month, the house also has guests quaters. way way cheaper than samui. all around are islands and beaches also cleaner than Samui and not developed.

forgot great roads as well and reasonable active police force, immigration with a price list up that charges correct prices list of pros is endless.

Living on Samui as i do, i can't really argue with a word of this. However the last paragraph for me is the most unpleasant reality.