Koh Samui set for tourism boost with influx of cruise liner visits

Surat Thani province’s popular resort island Koh Samui is expecting a significant boost in tourism this year, with 47 cruise liners set to dock and unload around 25,000 international travellers, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

As stated by Kanokkittika Kritwuthikorn, TAT’s director for Koh Samui, the majority of these tourists will be hailing from the United States, Europe, and Australia. With 10 cruise liners scheduled to arrive in just January, the island is bracing for a busy start to the year.

Over the weekend, Koh Samui played host to two cruise liners. The first, Celebrity Solstice, carried 2,852 tourists, predominantly from Asia, who had travelled from Hong Kong via Vietnam. Following their one-day excursion on the island, the liner was set to continue its journey towards Singapore, reported Bangkok Post.

The second liner, Mein Schiff 5, arrived from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur with 2,543 mostly German tourists on board, who would later continue to Vietnam.

During their short stay on Koh Samui, tourists from both liners were expected to inject approximately 20 million baht (US$573,066) into the local economy, according to Kanokkittika.

The director also shared that last year, nearly 50,000 visitors arrived at Koh Samui on cruise liners, contributing an estimated total of 150 million baht in spending. With the increase in liner visits scheduled for this year, this number is projected to rise, signalling promising growth for the island’s tourism sector.

In related news, Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani is rejoicing at the return of tourism levels reminiscent of the pre-pandemic era, as confirmed by the provincial governor, Wichawut Jinto.

The popular holiday island of Koh Samui, arguably the tourism highlight of Surat Thani, experienced an upsurge in both flight frequencies and tourist footfalls during the month of July, aligning with the figures observed before the Covid-19 outbreak.