Koh Samui News
Koh Samui news, tourism, business, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, local events, and expat insights from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted island news source.
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Thailand is a popular destination for digital nomads, known for its affordable living, lively culture, and modern facilities. With its warm climate, great food, and friendly communities, it's an ideal place for remote workers to balance work and travel. However,...
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Israeli who escaped with Covid-19 now in custody in Koh Samui
After a national manhunt was launched to track him down, a 29 year old Israeli tourist who escaped his arrival hotel before his positive Covid-19 test results came back has turned himself in on the island of Koh Samui. The man had landed in Bangkok December 17 and had left before his test results arrived confirming that he had the…
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Koh Samui tourism officials, businesses call on government to open Sandbox registration
The Phuket Sandbox is now the only quarantine substitution programme open for registration, but those on the Gulf of Thailand island Koh Samui are calling on the government to allow the Samui Sandbox scheme to continue as usual. Since the government’s announcement yesterday on closing registration for the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme and the Sandbox scheme, with the…
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3 passengers test positive for Omicron when they arrive on Koh Samui
Three recent arrivals on the Gulf island of Koh Samui have been detected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 – 2 British citizens and 1 Belgian. The 3 include a 54 year old British woman, a 55 year old Belgian man and a 56 year old British man. The 3 new cases are the first, not only for the holiday…
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The Christmas scene on shiny, sparkly Samui
Are you looking to celebrate Christmas in Koh Samui? The magical Gulf of Thailand island features an expat community that makes sure to bring a slice of home with them, especially during the holidays. Here, we have a list of venues that are offering Christmas celebrations that may include fine dining and Santa’s grotto for the little ones. At The…
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Koh Tao death from 2004 getting attention on social media
A sad case of a foreigner found dead on Koh Tao 17 years ago has resurfaced after a recent post on Facebook has brought attention to it again. But is the post an attempt by the Facebook account to get attention and hits by capitalising off of tragedy, or are they calling to light suspicious circumstances in the death of…
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Heavy rain and landslide cause villas at Koh Samui resort to collapse
Heavy rain and landslides caused several villas at a resort on Koh Samui to collapse on Saturday. Torrential rain over the past several days flooded several areas on the island and, according to weather reports, rain is expected to continue for the next few days. The landslide hit the Merit Resort Samui early Saturday morning. The resort’s general manager described…
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Flooding rains hamper Koh Samui for 2 days
The rain has stopped in Koh Samui… For a few minutes. On the island, there has been at least a drizzle nonstop for the past 2 days, with fits of torrential downpour pelting anyone who braves the weather.A popular Facebook group, Thunder Road Reporters, is a community group that members snap photos and post live updates of road conditions they…
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Full Moon Party attempt Saturday muted by Covid-19 restrictions
A cautious step at restarting Koh Phangan’s famous Full Moon Party has met with some hurdles in the interest of Covid-19 safety. The world-renowned monthly party has been on hiatus since the onset of Covid-19 with many questioning if the party, and Haad Rin, the town that hosts the massive event, will be able to bounce back after the pandemic.…
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Phuket, Samui to ease entry restrictions for domestic tourists from this weekend
From this weekend, entry restrictions for the islands of Phuket and Samui are being eased for fully vaccinated domestic tourists. Local travellers who can show proof of being fully vaccinated will no longer need to submit to Covid-19 testing to enter Phuket and will no longer have to quarantine after arriving on Samui. The move comes as the government launches…
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Koh Samui sees surge in sandbox bookings for October
Tourism officials on Koh Samui say its sandbox programme has received a boost following the lifting of its 3-day quarantine. According to a Bangkok Post report, new bookings in the first 10 days of October have already surpassed the total number of bookings since the island re-opened on July 15. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee from the Tourism Association of Koh Samui adds…
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Koh Samui to ease domestic entry restrictions
It’s going to be a little bit easier for domestic travellers to enter Koh Samui… at least for those with the vaccine. Starting Friday, those who are fully vaccinated and arriving to the island off the Surat Thani coast domestically will not need to undergo a Covid-19 test. Koh Samui Governor announced the easing of the domestic entry requirements. The…
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Koh Samui Plus simplified: 7 days on Samui, Phangan or Tao
As part of the widely expanded Sandbox programmes launched or revised yesterday, the Samui Plus Sandbox has simplified and diversified its rules as well. While previously the entry to Koh Samui and the nearby islands was a 14-day programme with the first few days in full quarantine and the first week staying only on Koh Samui, the new rules allow…
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Around 20 people arrested at Koh Samui restaurant for drinking alcohol, gambling, playing pool
A mixture of Thais and foreigners were arrested at a restaurant in Koh Samui over the weekend for allegedly drinking alcohol and gambling. They were also allegedly witnessed playing pool. The bar patrons were in violation of Surat Thani’s Provincial Orders that forbids gatherings, notably gatherings that include drinking alcohol. Around 20 customers were busted for drinking alcohol when police…
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Koh Samui partiers fined 10,000 baht, commuted 15-day sentence
In an update to our story yesterday regarding an illegal birthday party on Koh Samui that saw 48 partiers taken into custody, charges have apparently been filed against 44 party attendees. A report in Thai media said 44 of the 48 partiers at Maithy Pool Lounge & Restaurant inside a luxury resort in the hills behind Bangrak on the northeast…
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48 arrested at Covid-19 violating luxury Koh Samui birthday party
Yet another illegal gathering, a party on Koh Samui, was busted by police for breaking the Covid-19 emergency restrictions. Early this morning, police raided Maithy Pool Lounge & Restaurant at a luxury resort in the hills behind Bangrak on the northeast corner of the island and arrested 48 people having a birthday party in defiance of Covid-19 rules. 27 foreigners…
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Island of rubbish: Koh Samui’s pollution problem remains unsolved
No one can argue with the appeal of visiting Thailand’s exotic, tropical islands. With their glistening palm trees, crystal-clear waters, and powdery, white sands, a trip down south is what many yearn to cross off their bucket lists. One of Thailand’s most iconic islands is that of Koh Samui. As the largest and most developed island in the Gulf of…
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Survey shows over half of Thai hotels are considering closing due to low demand
A survey conducted by the Bank of Thailand and the Thai Hotels Association shows that 52% of hotels are considering closing temporarily and 9% want to shut down for good. 62% plan to reduce their workforce costs as a result of the financial fallout from Covid-19, while 61% say they will cut expenditure elsewhere. The Bangkok Post reports that the…
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Koh Samui to switch from “Samui Plus Model” to Sandbox programme
Next month, Koh Samui will switch from their “Samui Plus Model” to the looser “sandbox” programme. The Koh Samui district chief estimates that there will be over 10,000 nights booked in hotels as a result of this change. The current model has seen Koh Samui opened for fully vaccinated tourists since July 15. District Chief Teerapong Chuaychoo says since July…
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Samui Plus programme rakes in nearly 40 million baht
The Samui Plus Programme has raked in nearly 40 million baht in revenue following its launch in July, according to the governor of Surat Thani, Witchawut Jinto. Witchawut says the plan, which includes Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, has brought in 918 visitors, 347 of which came through Phuket Sandbox. Despite the governor’s enthusiastic review, the programme has…
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Phuket-Samui flights on Bangkok Airways resume from today
Flights between Phuket and Koh Samui that had originally been cancelled until the end of the month have now resumed nearly a week early as Bangkok Airways relaunched the flight route with limited service. From today, the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus schemes will be reconnected as part of the Sandbox 7+7 Extension, allowing people to arrive in Phuket, spend…
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Koh Samui flights resume Wednesday despite Covid-19
The Samui Plus international reopening plan has seen a fraction of the success of the Phuket Sandbox reopening and were hampered by the grounding of nearly all domestic flights in Thailand, despite an exception for Sandbox flights. Now the province that’s home to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao will continue the Samui Plus programme and expects flights to…
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24 arrested at illegal party in Koh Samui luxury villa
Perhaps people are getting fed up with Covid-19 restrictions keeping them isolated and unable to socialize and party. Or maybe the police are cracking down more on the illegal parties that often become Covid-19 clusters or superspreader events. Either way, stories of private parties in violation of Covid-19 Emergency Decree restrictions being busted seem to be cropping up more and…
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Samui Covid-19: 14 new Black Club infections, 2nd cluster
[UPDATE 9 pm: Information on Black Club staff with Covid-19 has been updated, as well as Bangkok Airways Samui flight cancellations and Bangkok Hospital bed shortage details.] The emergence of Covid-19 in Koh Samui has caused some upheaval for the residents as more infections and more details are revealed each day. 14 new infections were diagnosed today on the island,…
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Koh Samui unaccustomed to Covid-19, many act in dismay
Koh Samui is not accustomed to Covid-19 worries and has been rocked by the outbreak this week as many locals struggle to cope with the first significant cluster on the island. So far 40 Covid-19 infections have been identified from the Black Bamboo Club cluster, and several other seemingly unrelated infections had popped up also. A few more bars have…
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Black Club Covid-19 outbreak on Koh Samui widens
After announcing a Covid-19 cluster outbreak at Black Bamboo Club in Koh Samui with 16 infections, many more people were found to have the virus. Over 600 people were tested yesterday in connection with the outbreak now sourced most likely to a fitness instructor in Lamai and reports of up to 90 additional cases are circulating with 38 infections currently…
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Surge in new Covid infections on Koh Samui
Koh Samui has recorded its highest 1-day jump in Covid-19 infections since the southern island re-opened to international tourism. According to a Bangkok Post report, officials have confirmed 20 new cases but insist the development will not affect the island’s Samui Plus re-opening programme. 16 of the new infections are a cluster linked to a cashier at a local gym.…
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Koh Samui bar and club finds 16 Covid-19 infections
The Thaiger recently reported that some bars and clubs in Koh Samui continue to operate seemingly indifferent to Covid-19 restrictions in place without any masks or social distancing and during periods that nightlife was shut down nationally. Now the freedom from regulation on the island has come back to bite as 16 Covid-19 infections were found traced to one of…
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Domestic flights added to Phuket/Samui, CAAT says be careful
Yesterday, additional, domestic flights, were added going to and from Phuket. Bangkok Airways also confirmed it was bringing back its Phuket to Samui route. Nok Air resumed its Phuket to U-Tapao route. The announcement comes on the heels of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand issuing a reminder to airlines/passengers to adhere to all conditions for safe travel. The CAAT…
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Koh Samui’s tourism hopes pinned on international travellers
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com It’s baby steps at the moment as Thailand’s Robinson Crusoe-inspired, island-focused, international travel reopening plan rolls out in Koh Samui from July 15. Unlike the Phuket Sandbox program for vaccinated travellers, the Samui Plus sealed-route will test the water with a hybrid approach of 3 days in a hotel quarantine scenario and then allows visitor’s island-wide free…
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No foreign tourists to arrive tomorrow, the first day of “Samui Plus” reopening
No tourists will arrive in Koh Samui tomorrow, the first day of the island’s reopening under the “Samui Plus” travel scheme, similar to the “Phuket Sandbox.” Only 4 foreign tourists are expected on Friday. Tourism officials say it will be a slow start and they expect that an influx of travellers to the trio of islands in the Gulf of…
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