How Will Samui Be In 10 Years Time

[Beng]

Look at what it was like in 2002, and compare to now...then that will give you an idea of 10 years down the line

Personally - having been on Samui then and now - now is definitely better!

10 years from now- ask me then (Sorry Jimmy - original reply off topic!)

2002 was a boom time does anyone believe samui will see boom like yrs again? i hope so but I dont see it happening.

The biggest boom, arrival and occupation wise, was certainly in 2004 when the Andaman coast was hit by the tsunami.

[sscsamui]

I have lived on Samui for 22+ years and unless Samui is completely wiped out by a tsunami, Samui will be a Total disaster... Really

[samuibeachcomber]

I have lived on Samui for 22+ years and unless Samui is completely wiped out by a tsunami, Samui will be a Total disaster... Really

yes its possible,i hope not.the problem i think will be too many people wanting to live here and the island not being able to cope.

[PattayaPhom]

I spoke to a Thai architect last week, He's been there since 2004 and still sees so much potential, he loves the place and says he hopes never to leave....because of his proffession, not sure if that is good or bad for the island?

[Tropicalevo]

I have lived on Samui for 22+ years and unless Samui is completely wiped out by a tsunami, Samui will be a Total disaster... Really

WHAT? Samui is going to run out of beer? That's the only disaster that I can envisage

[Neilly]

The drains might be finished, but doubt the tarmac round the island will

[notmyself]

The drains might be finished, but doubt the tarmac round the island will

Finished in the pejorative context?

[PoorSucker]

The drains might be finished, but doubt the tarmac round the island will

Neither do I, always when they have made tarmac on one road it seems to be 2 meters short to connect to the next tarmac piece.

Examples are outside the boathouse in Choengmon and beachroad-"lakeside road" junction in Chaweng.

Seems like, "hey... I only got paid for this road, the junctions is not my problem..."

[PoorSucker]

Samui is going to run out of beer? That's the only disaster that I can envisage

I forgot to predict the beer pipeline to the mainland.

[khunsiam]

Samui will go the same (downhill) way as Phuket, only a bit slower due to the limited space versus Phuket AND the fact that Phuket can be reached by cars, buses and motorbikes.

I saw both paradises turn into what they are now also thanks to the extension of the airports of Phuket and Samui, allowing international inbound flights :-(

The absence of good building- and infrastructure laws in the beginning spoiled both islands and the local authorities only think about their own pockets and Provincial income and can't or won't cope with the fast increasing number of tourists.

Next to that there is the ENORMOUS GREED of Thai, thinking that every tourist is a millionaire, ready to be stripped of all his/her assets as fast as possible, not thinking for even a single second that these same tourists spent already a lot of money to travel to LOS in the first place and are "educated"" tourists who warn others about the dangers around the Thai corner.

The increasing impoliteness and lack of service will make the (western) tourist decide to go elsewhere in the near future.

And, there are quite a few other countries around the Asian corner, willing to welcome the western AND Asian tourist.

The Non-problem for the Thai is that there is such a HUGE stream of other tourists coming from Asia...an almost endless growing source of tourism for Thailand.

The biggest problem for the Thai however is that most of these Asian tourists arrive in big groups and spend a shorter period of holiday in LOS, next to the fact that they travel in organized groups and are not of the same kind of "single/couple/family" tourists as their western counterpart tourists and visit Thailand in a fixed time schedule with a day-to-day plan, organized by their travel agent.

The Thai have to adapt to these tourists since they are much more difficult to "grab" and to "strip" of their money than their western counterparts.

But, Samui will be overcrowded, also since the interior is boring and the beaches are limited; the roads are a disaster and very dangerous.

Time will tell and I hope I'm wrong since Samui has a special place in the hearts of my wife and myself but I'm afraid it will go downhill the same way as Phuket.

And that's a real pity!

the interior is very beautiful, exceptional if one considers Phuket, Samet, Phanghan;

[LaoPo]

the interior is very beautiful, exceptional if one considers Phuket, Samet, Phanghan;

Samui's interior is nothing special; yes, it's beautiful but there's very little to do and no restplaces, restaurants. 95% of the tourists even never come there.

Samet cannot be compared; it's very limited and small but Phuket's interior has a lot more variety than Samui and Phangan is considered more spectacular than Samui.

But if you're talking islands...go to Bali ! Now THAT's a spectacular beautiful island and forget the coastline in the south. The interior is amazing, wild, jungle, rice-terraces and spectacular high rising volcanoes.

[BigC]

give me 10 years to think about it an get back to you

[PoorSucker]

Samui's interior is nothing special; yes, it's beautiful but there's very little to do and no restplaces, restaurants. 95% of the tourists even never come there.

You just listed the reasons why it's special.

[LaoPo]

Samui's interior is nothing special; yes, it's beautiful but there's very little to do and no restplaces, restaurants. 95% of the tourists even never come there.

You just listed the reasons why it's special.

Happy New Year and may Samui's interior remain unspoiled

[samuijimmy]

There some nice spots and particularly some good views of the beautiful Island of Samui from the interior roads ...

For most people to see these roads, consider a "Jungle Tour"

For the hardier experienced traveler can be done on a motorbike or 4 wheel drive, but it's weather dependent though~

My feeling is many of these interior places won't change that much, in the next ten years .... there are many small farms growing everything from cashews to rubber trees... plus many areas up there are not serviced by electricity

Happy New year !

Edited December 31, 2012 by samuijimmy

[samuibeachcomber]

great photo SJ.

[maccaroni man]

the interior is very beautiful, exceptional if one considers Phuket, Samet, Phanghan;

Samui's interior is nothing special; yes, it's beautiful but there's very little to do and no restplaces, restaurants. 95% of the tourists even never come there.

Samet cannot be compared; it's very limited and small but Phuket's interior has a lot more variety than Samui and Phangan is considered more spectacular than Samui.

But if you're talking islands...go to Bali ! Now THAT's a spectacular beautiful island and forget the coastline in the south. The interior is amazing, wild, jungle, rice-terraces and spectacular high rising volcanoes.

I lived in Bali from 96 to 2000 and IMO there is very little comparison to thailand, having said this bali has 80 miles of coastline and since 911 many no go alone zones,add the continued uncontrolled growth, swarms of beach vendors and the paradise that was bali is no more.

[LaoPo]

the interior is very beautiful, exceptional if one considers Phuket, Samet, Phanghan;

Samui's interior is nothing special; yes, it's beautiful but there's very little to do and no restplaces, restaurants. 95% of the tourists even never come there.

Samet cannot be compared; it's very limited and small but Phuket's interior has a lot more variety than Samui and Phangan is considered more spectacular than Samui.

But if you're talking islands...go to Bali ! Now THAT's a spectacular beautiful island and forget the coastline in the south. The interior is amazing, wild, jungle, rice-terraces and spectacular high rising volcanoes.

I lived in Bali from 96 to 2000 and IMO there is very little comparison to thailand, having said this bali has 80 miles of coastline and since 911 many no go alone zones,add the continued uncontrolled growth, swarms of beach vendors and the paradise that was bali is no more.

That's why I said: "forget the coastline in the south" although Legian and Seminyak are less worse than Chaweng beach, Patong Beach/Phuket or Jomtien/Pattaya beach.

Bali's interior is far more spectacular than any place in Thailand but like you said: "very little comparison to thailand"

[PoorSucker]

Bali's interior is far more spectacular than any place in Thailand but like you said: "very little comparison to thailand"

Same thing about northern Finland in the winter, "very little comparison to Thailand"

[LaoPo]

Bali's interior is far more spectacular than any place in Thailand but like you said: "very little comparison to thailand"

Same thing about northern Finland in the winter, "very little comparison to Thailand"

Aahhh yes, LapLand Village* where Santa Claus is coming from? They have reindeer overthere also, and snowscooters and beautiful blond girls***.

* http://www.santaclausvillage.info/

Indeed: "very little comparison to Thailand"

beautiful blond girls***

[BeachGuySamui]

Some great comments in this string, I thought I’d give the view of a professional real estate agent who has lived in Asia for twenty odd years, with the last six being in Thailand, split between Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui.

I think that people don’t recognize the success story that Samui has become: the much acclaimed regional wellness/detox center, a magnet for tourism, but without the traffic, prostitution, crowds, pollution, and blatant corruption seen elsewhere. While Phuket is clearly THE Thai island, with multiples of tourists and locals as well as services and amenities when compared to Samui, Samui is clearly the island of choice for Thai tourists (and many others) looking for a true island feeling, which is absent in Phuket with its main highway being down the middle of the island (in contrast to Samui’s ring road, with its near constant glimpses of the sea) and even being connected to the mainland via a bridge.

The air links, while obscenely expensive, have had the effect of keeping the island from overheating, as the infrastructure can’t even keep up with the current population. Although certain services are overpriced, like Taxis, the problem is miniscule when compared to these problems in Phuket.

With Asia set to remain the global engine of economic (and perhaps cultural) growth, there seems no doubt that Samui will continue to grow. The eyesores of half built real estate projects are disappearing as forward-thinking buyers grab them before the next boom. Bali and Phuket are growing at such an incredible pace that Samui is likely to find itself in an enviable and unique position, as an island that has a strong backbone (I’m referring to the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) that has stood the test of time and has a huge legion of returning tourists, but is still green, exotic, and uncrowded. There are a large number of Malaysian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian (even Burmese) island destinations that are still quite unspoiled, but none that I know of, which also boast several international hospitals, several international schools, an easy to use, convenient airport, excellent ferry and boat links, as well as world-class hotels and restaurants.

So, what can we look forward to in the future? As soon as March, we will see a new electric cable from the mainland, which should stop the power-outages, at least in the near-term. One can assume that the re-elected mayor will continue his drive to improve the infrastructure, with a focus on the very dangerous roadways (and hopefully a stronger campaign for helmets to be worn on motor bikes). Bangkok Air has confirmed that they are thinking of increasing the number of flights to the island by over 30%, which would be a huge positive from the hospitality and tourism standpoints.

Going further into the future, it seems very likely that Samui will follow some of the Phuket success stories and put an increased emphasis on athletic and medical tourism, add at least one full-fledged marina, and even bring in a Central Department Store. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new country club/golf course in the coming years and I would certainly expect to see more top name hotels, continuing the gradual move from lower-priced lodgings to the higher-end. Certainly the less densely populated Southern areas of the island will see much development with this providing a very positive impact on those who live there, as it won’t become crowded, but more conveniences and variety will be available.

Will we see a new airport, perhaps near Donsak? My guess is no. Phangan is getting an airport and I would imagine that the Donsak Airport/Fast Ferry service story will continue to be used to push Bangkok Air to increase flights, lengthen the runway, and lower prices. Will Samui itself get a second airport? I would be very surprised. No, my view is that Samui will grow in a predictable, positive way, with property owners and business owners prospering, while tourism numbers gradually grow.

[John 1]

Some great comments in this string, I thought I’d give the view of a professional real estate agent who has lived in Asia for twenty odd years, with the last six being in Thailand, split between Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui.

I think that people don’t recognize the success story that Samui has become: the much acclaimed regional wellness/detox center, a magnet for tourism, . While Phuket is clearly THE Thai island, with multiples of tourists and locals as well as services and amenities when compared to Samui, Samui is clearly the island of choice for Thai tourists (and many others) looking for a true island feeling, which is absent in Phuket with its main highway being down the middle of the island (in contrast to Samui’s ring road, with its near constant glimpses of the sea) and even being connected to the mainland via a bridge.

The air links, while obscenely expensive, have had the effect of keeping the island from overheating, as the infrastructure can’t even keep up with the current population. Although certain services are overpriced, like Taxis, the problem is miniscule when compared to these problems in Phuket.

With Asia set to remain the global engine of economic (and perhaps cultural) growth, there seems no doubt that Samui will continue to grow. The eyesores of half built real estate projects are disappearing as forward-thinking buyers grab them before the next boom. Bali and Phuket are growing at such an incredible pace that Samui is likely to find itself in an enviable and unique position, as an island that has a strong backbone (I’m referring to the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) that has stood the test of time and has a huge legion of returning tourists, but is still green, exotic, and uncrowded. There are a large number of Malaysian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian (even Burmese) island destinations that are still quite unspoiled, but none that I know of, which also boast several international hospitals, several international schools, an easy to use, convenient airport, excellent ferry and boat links, as well as world-class hotels and restaurants.

So, what can we look forward to in the future? As soon as March, we will see a new electric cable from the mainland, which should stop the power-outages, at least in the near-term. One can assume that the re-elected mayor will continue his drive to improve the infrastructure, with a focus on the very dangerous roadways (and hopefully a stronger campaign for helmets to be worn on motor bikes). Bangkok Air has confirmed that they are thinking of increasing the number of flights to the island by over 30%, which would be a huge positive from the hospitality and tourism standpoints.

Going further into the future, it seems very likely that Samui will follow some of the Phuket success stories and put an increased emphasis on athletic and medical tourism, add at least one full-fledged marina, and even bring in a Central Department Store. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new country club/golf course in the coming years and I would certainly expect to see more top name hotels, continuing the gradual move from lower-priced lodgings to the higher-end. Certainly the less densely populated Southern areas of the island will see much development with this providing a very positive impact on those who live there, as it won’t become crowded, but more conveniences and variety will be available.

Will we see a new airport, perhaps near Donsak? My guess is no. Phangan is getting an airport and I would imagine that the Donsak Airport/Fast Ferry service story will continue to be used to push Bangkok Air to increase flights, lengthen the runway, and lower prices. Will Samui itself get a second airport? I would be very surprised. No, my view is that Samui will grow in a predictable, positive way, with property owners and business owners prospering, while tourism numbers gradually grow.

You don't live on Samui if you say "but without the traffic, prostitution, crowds, pollution, and blatant corruption seen elsewhere '

[carmine]

Some great comments in this string, I thought I’d give the view of a professional real estate agent who has lived in Asia for twenty odd years, with the last six being in Thailand, split between Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui.

I think that people don’t recognize the success story that Samui has become: the much acclaimed regional wellness/detox center, a magnet for tourism, . While Phuket is clearly THE Thai island, with multiples of tourists and locals as well as services and amenities when compared to Samui, Samui is clearly the island of choice for Thai tourists (and many others) looking for a true island feeling, which is absent in Phuket with its main highway being down the middle of the island (in contrast to Samui’s ring road, with its near constant glimpses of the sea) and even being connected to the mainland via a bridge.

The air links, while obscenely expensive, have had the effect of keeping the island from overheating, as the infrastructure can’t even keep up with the current population. Although certain services are overpriced, like Taxis, the problem is miniscule when compared to these problems in Phuket.

With Asia set to remain the global engine of economic (and perhaps cultural) growth, there seems no doubt that Samui will continue to grow. The eyesores of half built real estate projects are disappearing as forward-thinking buyers grab them before the next boom. Bali and Phuket are growing at such an incredible pace that Samui is likely to find itself in an enviable and unique position, as an island that has a strong backbone (I’m referring to the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) that has stood the test of time and has a huge legion of returning tourists, but is still green, exotic, and uncrowded. There are a large number of Malaysian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian (even Burmese) island destinations that are still quite unspoiled, but none that I know of, which also boast several international hospitals, several international schools, an easy to use, convenient airport, excellent ferry and boat links, as well as world-class hotels and restaurants.

So, what can we look forward to in the future? As soon as March, we will see a new electric cable from the mainland, which should stop the power-outages, at least in the near-term. One can assume that the re-elected mayor will continue his drive to improve the infrastructure, with a focus on the very dangerous roadways (and hopefully a stronger campaign for helmets to be worn on motor bikes). Bangkok Air has confirmed that they are thinking of increasing the number of flights to the island by over 30%, which would be a huge positive from the hospitality and tourism standpoints.

Going further into the future, it seems very likely that Samui will follow some of the Phuket success stories and put an increased emphasis on athletic and medical tourism, add at least one full-fledged marina, and even bring in a Central Department Store. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new country club/golf course in the coming years and I would certainly expect to see more top name hotels, continuing the gradual move from lower-priced lodgings to the higher-end. Certainly the less densely populated Southern areas of the island will see much development with this providing a very positive impact on those who live there, as it won’t become crowded, but more conveniences and variety will be available.

Will we see a new airport, perhaps near Donsak? My guess is no. Phangan is getting an airport and I would imagine that the Donsak Airport/Fast Ferry service story will continue to be used to push Bangkok Air to increase flights, lengthen the runway, and lower prices. Will Samui itself get a second airport? I would be very surprised. No, my view is that Samui will grow in a predictable, positive way, with property owners and business owners prospering, while tourism numbers gradually grow.

You don't live on Samui if you say "but without the traffic, prostitution, crowds, pollution, and blatant corruption seen elsewhere '

He didn't say he lived here, he said he had split his time between.

I think its a sound review of the island and whats happening.

[Tropicalevo]

He didn't say he lived here, he said he had split his time between.

I think its a sound review of the island and whats happening.

[BeachGuySamui]

Actually, i do live in Samui and of course there is prostitution, corruption, traffic and pollution, but not to the extent seen in Phuket or Pattaya. That's all I was trying to say.

[samuibeachcomber]

Actually, i do live in Samui and of course there is prostitution, corruption, traffic and pollution, but not to the extent seen in Phuket or Pattaya. That's all I was trying to say.

a good positive outlook(referring to original post of course)

[crazygreg44]

Some great comments in this string, I thought I’d give the view of a professional real estate agent who has lived in Asia for twenty odd years, with the last six being in Thailand, split between Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui.

I think that people don’t recognize the success story that Samui has become: the much acclaimed regional wellness/detox center, a magnet for tourism, but without the traffic, prostitution, crowds, pollution, and blatant corruption seen elsewhere. While Phuket is clearly THE Thai island, with multiples of tourists and locals as well as services and amenities when compared to Samui, Samui is clearly the island of choice for Thai tourists (and many others) looking for a true island feeling, which is absent in Phuket with its main highway being down the middle of the island (in contrast to Samui’s ring road, with its near constant glimpses of the sea) and even being connected to the mainland via a bridge.

The air links, while obscenely expensive, have had the effect of keeping the island from overheating, as the infrastructure can’t even keep up with the current population. Although certain services are overpriced, like Taxis, the problem is miniscule when compared to these problems in Phuket.

With Asia set to remain the global engine of economic (and perhaps cultural) growth, there seems no doubt that Samui will continue to grow. The eyesores of half built real estate projects are disappearing as forward-thinking buyers grab them before the next boom. Bali and Phuket are growing at such an incredible pace that Samui is likely to find itself in an enviable and unique position, as an island that has a strong backbone (I’m referring to the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) that has stood the test of time and has a huge legion of returning tourists, but is still green, exotic, and uncrowded. There are a large number of Malaysian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian (even Burmese) island destinations that are still quite unspoiled, but none that I know of, which also boast several international hospitals, several international schools, an easy to use, convenient airport, excellent ferry and boat links, as well as world-class hotels and restaurants.

So, what can we look forward to in the future? As soon as March, we will see a new electric cable from the mainland, which should stop the power-outages, at least in the near-term. One can assume that the re-elected mayor will continue his drive to improve the infrastructure, with a focus on the very dangerous roadways (and hopefully a stronger campaign for helmets to be worn on motor bikes). Bangkok Air has confirmed that they are thinking of increasing the number of flights to the island by over 30%, which would be a huge positive from the hospitality and tourism standpoints.

Going further into the future, it seems very likely that Samui will follow some of the Phuket success stories and put an increased emphasis on athletic and medical tourism, add at least one full-fledged marina, and even bring in a Central Department Store. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new country club/golf course in the coming years and I would certainly expect to see more top name hotels, continuing the gradual move from lower-priced lodgings to the higher-end. Certainly the less densely populated Southern areas of the island will see much development with this providing a very positive impact on those who live there, as it won’t become crowded, but more conveniences and variety will be available.

Will we see a new airport, perhaps near Donsak? My guess is no. Phangan is getting an airport and I would imagine that the Donsak Airport/Fast Ferry service story will continue to be used to push Bangkok Air to increase flights, lengthen the runway, and lower prices. Will Samui itself get a second airport? I would be very surprised. No, my view is that Samui will grow in a predictable, positive way, with property owners and business owners prospering, while tourism numbers gradually grow.

in other words, with all the "positive"growth there will of course be the same amount of "negative" growth. That is, infrastructure collapsing, more stinking garbage, more illegal dumps, bad water quality, i.e. all the things that will automatically come with growth.

...and I am not speaking about corruption, taxi mafai, extortions, scams, risng room rates for less quality.

Of course all of this you don't see when you lodge in a 5-star hotel with a private beach, like in a zoo.

All the positiveness that speaks from the poster must clearly be b(i)ased on his profession !

[maccaroni man]

Some great comments in this string, I thought I’d give the view of a professional real estate agent who has lived in Asia for twenty odd years, with the last six being in Thailand, split between Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui.

I think that people don’t recognize the success story that Samui has become: the much acclaimed regional wellness/detox center, a magnet for tourism, but without the traffic, prostitution, crowds, pollution, and blatant corruption seen elsewhere. While Phuket is clearly THE Thai island, with multiples of tourists and locals as well as services and amenities when compared to Samui, Samui is clearly the island of choice for Thai tourists (and many others) looking for a true island feeling, which is absent in Phuket with its main highway being down the middle of the island (in contrast to Samui’s ring road, with its near constant glimpses of the sea) and even being connected to the mainland via a bridge.

The air links, while obscenely expensive, have had the effect of keeping the island from overheating, as the infrastructure can’t even keep up with the current population. Although certain services are overpriced, like Taxis, the problem is miniscule when compared to these problems in Phuket.

With Asia set to remain the global engine of economic (and perhaps cultural) growth, there seems no doubt that Samui will continue to grow. The eyesores of half built real estate projects are disappearing as forward-thinking buyers grab them before the next boom. Bali and Phuket are growing at such an incredible pace that Samui is likely to find itself in an enviable and unique position, as an island that has a strong backbone (I’m referring to the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) that has stood the test of time and has a huge legion of returning tourists, but is still green, exotic, and uncrowded. There are a large number of Malaysian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian (even Burmese) island destinations that are still quite unspoiled, but none that I know of, which also boast several international hospitals, several international schools, an easy to use, convenient airport, excellent ferry and boat links, as well as world-class hotels and restaurants.

So, what can we look forward to in the future? As soon as March, we will see a new electric cable from the mainland, which should stop the power-outages, at least in the near-term. One can assume that the re-elected mayor will continue his drive to improve the infrastructure, with a focus on the very dangerous roadways (and hopefully a stronger campaign for helmets to be worn on motor bikes). Bangkok Air has confirmed that they are thinking of increasing the number of flights to the island by over 30%, which would be a huge positive from the hospitality and tourism standpoints.

Going further into the future, it seems very likely that Samui will follow some of the Phuket success stories and put an increased emphasis on athletic and medical tourism, add at least one full-fledged marina, and even bring in a Central Department Store. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new country club/golf course in the coming years and I would certainly expect to see more top name hotels, continuing the gradual move from lower-priced lodgings to the higher-end. Certainly the less densely populated Southern areas of the island will see much development with this providing a very positive impact on those who live there, as it won’t become crowded, but more conveniences and variety will be available.

Will we see a new airport, perhaps near Donsak? My guess is no. Phangan is getting an airport and I would imagine that the Donsak Airport/Fast Ferry service story will continue to be used to push Bangkok Air to increase flights, lengthen the runway, and lower prices. Will Samui itself get a second airport? I would be very surprised. No, my view is that Samui will grow in a predictable, positive way, with property owners and business owners prospering, while tourism numbers gradually grow.

in other words, with all the "positive"growth there will of course be the same amount of "negative" growth. That is, infrastructure collapsing, more stinking garbage, more illegal dumps, bad water quality, i.e. all the things that will automatically come with growth.

...and I am not speaking about corruption, taxi mafai, extortions, scams, risng room rates for less quality.

Of course all of this you don't see when you lodge in a 5-star hotel with a private beach, like in a zoo.

All the positiveness that speaks from the poster must clearly be b(i)ased on his profession !

This read like it was written by a back packer missing the days of 50 baht rooms

[Tropicalevo]

in other words, with all the "positive"growth there will of course be the same amount of "negative" growth. That is, infrastructure collapsing, more stinking garbage, more illegal dumps, bad water quality, i.e. all the things that will automatically come with growth.

...and I am not speaking about corruption, taxi mafai, extortions, scams, risng room rates for less quality.

Of course all of this you don't see when you lodge in a 5-star hotel with a private beach, like in a zoo.

All the positiveness that speaks from the poster must clearly be b(i)ased on his profession !

I suspect that you do not live on Samui and that you believe everything that you read on the internet.

Infrastructure collapsing - not really, it is better now than it has ever been with plans and budgets in place to improve more.

Stinking garbage - sorry that one is down to the residents. Dumping things like garden waste, styrofoam packaging etc etc.

Bad water quality - my tap water is still the same after 12 years. The sea - most new developments do not pump directly into the sea anymore.

the rest of your little rant - everywhere in the world. Why blame Samui?

PS - there are no private beaches on Samui

Edited January 8, 2013 by Tropicalevo

[samuibeachcomber]

yes some good posts,but the reality will be an over populated island,over crazy development,and over for most of us and time to move on and find a less spoilt place.It happens everywhere in the world,paradises go down the tube on a regular basis.not a negative post just the truth.

Edited January 8, 2013 by samuibeachcomber