Luxury cruise brings 5 million baht to Samui

Koh Samui recently welcomed the high-end liner Mein Schiff 5, marking the arrival of the first luxury cruise ship to the island this year. Over 3,000 tourists from Europe disembarked from the boat for a day of sightseeing and shopping, bringing in an estimated 5 million baht in tourism revenue for the island. The vessel arrived from Vietnam and docked at Nathon Pier on the west side of Koh Samui on January 14.

The Mayor of Koh Samui, Chayapon Intarasupa, stated that local businesses welcomed the cruisers from the Mein Schiff 5, excited to have a slew of new customers, if only for the day. But the passengers arrived on a special day as spirits were high for locals celebrating Children’s Day.

During their visit, the tourists could experience local communities and attractions. The mayor emphasized the importance of taking good care of the tourists with good services and looking out for everyone’s safety. He stressed that operators and businesses must not take advantage of guests from the cruise ship and harm the reputation of Samui and Thailand.

The influx of tourists is estimated to have brought in an additional 5 million baht of tourism revenue in a single-day excursion for the cruise passengers, according to the National News Bureau of Thailand.

European visitor numbers have been steadily increasing in Koh Samui in recent months and authorities are making efforts to improve services and public safety. They are eying the expected and eagerly anticipated arrival of Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year.

Public transportation is being spot-checked to meet safety standards by local authorities at newly created checkpoints. On the health side, most of the residents have long been vaccinated for Covid-19 and received booster doses to increase the confidence of international visitors.

With the arrival of the Mein Schiff 5, Koh Samui is poised to continue welcoming tourists and generating revenue for the island.