I don`t have to leave my house to tell there are an increasing number of tourists on Samui these days. I just can sit on my balcony and count the number of ambulances passes down on the Ring Road

Well there is a decreasing number of tourists these days . . . and there are just the same number of ambulances.

Seems that sitting on your balcony all the time is a bit boring . . .no?

R

I think that BlackWolf is correct.

There are a lot more tourists around now.

Most of the villas that I look after have people in them and there are not many rental cars/jeeps on the parking lots of the rental people that I use.

However, one thing that is different - most of the bars are still empty. I guess that the tourists that are here don't drink out that much.

I think that BlackWolf is correct.

There are a lot more tourists around now.

Most of the villas that I look after have people in them and there are not many rental cars/jeeps on the parking lots of the rental people that I use.

However, one thing that is different - most of the bars are still empty. I guess that the tourists that are here don't drink out that much.

I think you are right,the bars in FV are empty and many restuarants doing ok,same in banrak which is pretty mucg a ghost town,dont know about chaweng or lamai.

I think that BlackWolf is correct.

There are a lot more tourists around now.

Most of the villas that I look after have people in them and there are not many rental cars/jeeps on the parking lots of the rental people that I use.

However, one thing that is different - most of the bars are still empty. I guess that the tourists that are here don't drink out that much.

I think you are right,the bars in FV are empty and many restuarants doing ok,same in banrak which is pretty mucg a ghost town,dont know about chaweng or lamai.

there has been allot of accidents this month. dunno why. just is.A German fell down a water fall a few days ago.

I think that BlackWolf is correct.

There are a lot more tourists around now.

Most of the villas that I look after have people in them and there are not many rental cars/jeeps on the parking lots of the rental people that I use.

However, one thing that is different - most of the bars are still empty. I guess that the tourists that are here don't drink out that much.

I think you are right,the bars in FV are empty and many restuarants doing ok,same in banrak which is pretty mucg a ghost town,dont know about chaweng or lamai.

there has been allot of accidents this month. dunno why. just is.A German fell down a water fall a few days ago.

I always wondered why they were called that. Now I know. (Water falls - not Germans)

R

There is one indelible fact that all business related to tourism on this island should get in their heads. There will NEVER be a high season again (apart from Dec 23rd-Jan 6th) whilst Bangkok Airways is allowed to operate the way they are.

Obviously there will still be people that will never understand anything about anyhing...the ones that are still opening bars in Samui ghost towns, clearly having done no homework whasoever, but you just can't account for them.

Just enjoy those wonderful fourteen days....the only days of the year that Bangkok Airways extortianate prices actually don't effect us. Sorry for the pessimistc monday morning post but atleast its reality in whats fast becoming fantasy island.

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

Very true, but its not just the airline. I'd include the landlords of commercial properties being incredibly greedy with how much they charge for rent. Their inflated charges make it so dificult to make a fair margin from a sensible sale price.

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

Very true, but its not just the airline. I'd include the landlords of commercial properties being incredibly greedy with how much they charge for rent. Their inflated charges make it so dificult to make a fair margin from a sensible sale price.

Better escape on the ferry before their prices go up as well!

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

Very true, but its not just the airline. I'd include the landlords of commercial properties being incredibly greedy with how much they charge for rent. Their inflated charges make it so dificult to make a fair margin from a sensible sale price.

good point, but all in all greed is killing the place

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

Very true, but its not just the airline. I'd include the landlords of commercial properties being incredibly greedy with how much they charge for rent. Their inflated charges make it so dificult to make a fair margin from a sensible sale price.

good point, but all in all greed is killing the place

Yep thats right. The whole issue in the drop in tourism broken down into one word....greed!

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

Very true, but its not just the airline. I'd include the landlords of commercial properties being incredibly greedy with how much they charge for rent. Their inflated charges make it so dificult to make a fair margin from a sensible sale price.

good point, but all in all greed is killing the place

Yep thats right. The whole issue in the drop in tourism broken down into one word....greed!

That and desperation...very sad.

Obviously there will still be people that will never understand anything about anyhing...the ones that are still opening bars in Samui ghost towns, clearly having done no homework whasoever, but you just can't account for them.

This is, for me, maybe one of the most significant points. There will always be a flow of punters believing they can live the dream and so pay the rent and prices etc. Only when the dream costs as much as their home country will they really weigh up the risks and probably say 'no'. It feels like we are getting closer to that point each month.

But, until then, prices will continue to go up fuelled by greed by the sellers, and ignorance by the buyers?

Maybe we should have a government health warning for the island.

Obviously there will still be people that will never understand anything about anyhing...the ones that are still opening bars in Samui ghost towns, clearly having done no homework whasoever, but you just can't account for them.

This is, for me, maybe one of the most significant points. There will always be a flow of punters believing they can live the dream and so pay the rent and prices etc. Only when the dream costs as much as their home country will they really weigh up the risks and probably say 'no'. It feels like we are getting closer to that point each month.

But, until then, prices will continue to go up fuelled by greed by the sellers, and ignorance by the buyers?

Maybe we should have a government health warning for the island.

we all know how much Thailand like to be a Hub .... so how about the Samui, the hub of ..........

There is one indelible fact that all business related to tourism on this island should get in their heads. There will NEVER be a high season again (apart from Dec 23rd-Jan 6th) whilst Bangkok Airways is allowed to operate the way they are.

Obviously there will still be people that will never understand anything about anyhing...the ones that are still opening bars in Samui ghost towns, clearly having done no homework whasoever, but you just can't account for them.

Just enjoy those wonderful fourteen days....the only days of the year that Bangkok Airways extortianate prices actually don't effect us. Sorry for the pessimistc monday morning post but atleast its reality in whats fast becoming fantasy island.

Reducing all the problems of Samu/Thailand/world tourism to the BA prices seems a bit silly narrow-minded. Get yourself some prozac or better xanax.

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

i am in the uk at the moment and i can tell you that Sweeney todds is much cheaper than the uk. cheapest breakfast in a cafe in uk, is about 4 or 5 pounds,160b in sweeneys about £3.20, beers in uk are now £3.50 pint minimum, only 60 baht and 70 baht in sweeneys. And Sweeney todds have almost kept all there prices the same as when they opened over 3 years ago.

Away from sweeney todds, being in england for the last month or so,and reading thai visa everyday, and seeing all the moaning going on, you dont realise how lucky you all are in samui,

England has really gone down the pan, going to the supermarket, everything has risen through the roof, vegetables,tinned goods like tomatoes, cereals,bread, i can go on and on.

Work, i dont know many people out of work but they are now earning less money and doing more hours.

Gas and Electric has just announced another 18% increase, since about 18 months ago those prices have risen over 100%

I will soon be back to paradise, to my main home now

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

Yep thats right. The whole issue in the drop in tourism broken down into one word....greed!

That and desperation...very sad.

Yes - and sadly all the Thai-owned resorts and hotels will be putting their room prices up. I'm 99% convinced that Thai people think that there's some sort of 'nothing' out there past the borders of Thailand, from which nothing can happen to affect Thailand - and nothing Thailand does could possibly affect anywhere else . . . if you get my drift . . .

Which of course will create even less tourists, but that's beyond comprehension for many of the Thais.

Hey ho.

R

I'm having a jaunt around Thailand at the moment and I can report that it's pretty quiet all over regarding tourists, currently in Hua-Hin and the staff out number the tourists in every single estabilishment, thats if there are any customers in the bars etc some are completely empty.

i have also noticed a few restaurants have yet again RAISED there prices.....

trouble with Samui is it is now CHEAPER to go to your local pub in the UK and get a slap up meal there including drinks....

Samui needs to look at its self and lower prices to the level they where in 2007, also rip off air really needs to address its prices as the people who would come here to spend money in the bars and resaturants are simply not coming here and going to phuket or pattaya

i am in the uk at the moment and i can tell you that Sweeney todds is much cheaper than the uk. cheapest breakfast in a cafe in uk, is about 4 or 5 pounds,160b in sweeneys about £3.20, beers in uk are now £3.50 pint minimum, only 60 baht and 70 baht in sweeneys. And Sweeney todds have almost kept all there prices the same as when they opened over 3 years ago.

Away from sweeney todds, being in england for the last month or so,and reading thai visa everyday, and seeing all the moaning going on, you dont realise how lucky you all are in samui,

England has really gone down the pan, going to the supermarket, everything has risen through the roof, vegetables,tinned goods like tomatoes, cereals,bread, i can go on and on.

Work, i dont know many people out of work but they are now earning less money and doing more hours.

Gas and Electric has just announced another 18% increase, since about 18 months ago those prices have risen over 100%

I will soon be back to paradise, to my main home now

Thank you for the reality check. I knew that there was a reason that I had not been back for 7 years.

Whilst a lot of people are complaining (and rightly so) about unreasonable air fares/landlords/greedy locals (and farangs) - another major factor is "European and US currencies are not worth as much".

It is not Samui's fault that you no longer get 70 baht to the GBP or 45 baht to the USD! So of course things are more expensive.

NB I have not put my prices up since I started business eight years ago.

Am I struggling - yes.

Am I happy - yes

Do I want to be anywhere else - not on your nelly.

Back to the OP. I went for a ride into Chewang this evening - loads of tourists - all over the place. (Well the bits of Chewang where I was.)

BlackWolf - get ready for more sirens. The riding skills/habits of the tourists that I saw will mean lots more Samui 'tattoos'.

Hmmm maybe buy some shares in a hospital here?

There is one indelible fact that all business related to tourism on this island should get in their heads. There will NEVER be a high season again (apart from Dec 23rd-Jan 6th) whilst Bangkok Airways is allowed to operate the way they are.

Obviously there will still be people that will never understand anything about anyhing...the ones that are still opening bars in Samui ghost towns, clearly having done no homework whasoever, but you just can't account for them.

Just enjoy those wonderful fourteen days....the only days of the year that Bangkok Airways extortianate prices actually don't effect us. Sorry for the pessimistc monday morning post but atleast its reality in whats fast becoming fantasy island.

Reducing all the problems of Samu/Thailand/world tourism to the BA prices seems a bit silly narrow-minded. Get yourself some prozac or better xanax.

Its even more silly and narrow minded not to read a thread properly before posting. If ofcourse you had, which from the contest of your rather stupid post you clearly have'nt, then you'd realise i have not narrowed it down to just BKK Airways.

Fine demonstration of how to highlight a piece of text though.....