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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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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Surat Thani announces new Covid-19 measures for Samui Plus
Less than 10 days after the less-than-thrilling Samui Plus reopening that saw just 31 international arrivals to Samui (with 2 to Koh Phangan and 1 to Koh Tao) so far and 110 people from the Phuket Sandbox, Surat Thani province in which the islands reside has announced immediate Covid-19 measures to curb the spread of the virus. The announcement today…
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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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Slow start for “Samui Plus” reopening, only 33 seats booked for this month
While the “Samui Plus” reopening plan is set to start tomorrow, it might be more of a “soft” reopening. Only 33 airline seats are booked for this month and tourism officials say it will be a few months before the islands see an influx of international arrivals. Similar to the “Phuket Sandbox,” the scheme allows the trio of islands in…
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Strict measures to mitigate virus risk as Surat Thani re-opens tomorrow
The governor of Surat Thani says the measures in place under the “Samui Plus” model will help guard against the spread of Covid-19 as 3 islands re-open to international tourism. Governor Witchawut says foreign visitors to Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phang Ngan will have to adhere to strict rules as part of the Samui Plus model. From tomorrow,…
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Koh Samui opens for bookings from vaccinated foreign tourists
Koh Samui’s sealed route programme, Samui Plus, has opened for business, with vaccinated tourists now able to apply for a certificate of entry. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee from the Tourism Association of Koh Samui says some details need to be ironed out, including determing the cost of a 7-day stay at an alternative state quarantine facility, to include Covid-19 tests and medical…
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Samui and Phangan reopening: bars open, 5,000 baht Covid tests
Koh Samui and the surrounding islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are preparing for their Samui Plus reopening beginning July 15. The rules for the reopening are more stringent, with 3 full days of quarantine required and then 4 days of being allowed to travel only on sealed routes to specific tourist destinations before finally being allowed to travel…
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Koh Samui hopes to attract 2,000 tourists in first month of re-opening
The president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui is paying great attention to how the Phuket sandbox scheme unfolds and hoping it succeeds. According to a Bangkok Post report, Ratchaporn Poolsawadee says the Samui Plus scheme could attract 2,000 guests in its first month if some rules can be eased. “Besides the virus situation on our islands and the…
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Bangkok Airways revises Koh Samui flights ahead of reopening
To prepare for the Samui+ reopening programme launching July 15, Bangkok Airways is revising its schedule to operate 3 inbound flights and 3 outbound flights daily between Koh Samui and Bangkok. The new schedule, released today and promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in a press release this afternoon, will feature a morning, afternoon, and evening flight option beginning…
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Entry registration under “Samui Plus” reopening planned to open this week
The registration for entering Thailand under the slated “Samui Plus” reopening scheme is planned to open this week. Similar to the Phuket “Sandbox,” the programme will allow foreign tourists who are vaccinated against Covid-19 to travel to the trio of islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao are…
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Surat Thani province to launch “Samui Plus” re-opening model
From July 15, the islands of Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan embark on the “Samui Plus Model”, to re-open the Surat Thani tourism destinations to vaccinated tourists. Provincial governor Witchawut Jinto has confirmed that preparations are underway, with over 70% of the islands’ residents now vaccinated. The “Samui Plus Model” will be a local rework of the Phuket…
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Reopening guidelines for Phuket and Samui
In a press release, the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently sought to lay out and clarify guidelines for how Thailand’s reopening will begin. The Phuket Sandbox plan rolls out first on July 1 (awaiting final approval), followed by a proposal for Surat Thani province reopening Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao on a sealed route July 15. Here’s the…
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Koh Samui eyes August 1 reopening, “Samui Sealed Route”
While Phuket’s July 1 reopening is hotly debated, Koh Samui has been quietly vaccinating its population and putting together plans to welcome tourists back, proposing an August 1 reopening. The proposal aims to ease Koh Samui and neighbouring islands Koh Phangan and Koh Tao back into tourism, potentially as a second stop for travellers arriving into Phuket with their Sandbox…
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Koh Samui set to reopen on July 1, 50% of residents vaccinated so far
Koh Samui is hoping to also reopen to vaccinated foreign tourists on July 1. At this stage it’s a proposal that will need to be approved by the CESA and CCSA. So far, 57,000 residents on the popular Gulf of Thailand island have been vaccinated, making up 50% of the population on Koh Samui, according to the president of the…
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Tourism operators pinning hopes on vaccine rollout
Thailand’s tourism operators are pinning all their hopes on the national vaccine rollout, which kicks off today. However, the government’s reputation for vaccine procurement and management has come in for sharp criticism and confidence is not high. Already, a number of provinces have had to postpone their vaccine rollouts after receiving an insufficient number of doses from the Public Health…
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Police in Koh Samui arrest 9 people for gathering and drinking alcohol
Police in Koh Samui arrested 9 people for allegedly gathering and drinking alcohol, a violation of the strict disease control rules put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The island has been working to contain the virus and administer vaccines quickly to prepare for the reopening to vaccinated foreign tourists on July 1 under a travel model similar…
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Covid-19 infected Thai actress Ploy criticised for Koh Pha Ngan holiday
Covid-19 infected Thai actress Ploy Chermarn Boonyasak has drawn a formal complaint from Koh Pha Ngan’s district chief officer after a careless holiday. The Pha Ngan chief officer met with the police superintendent yesterday to file the complaint after Ploy spent 2 weeks on Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan, on holiday from Bangkok. She did not self-quarantine, as is…
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Samui tourism official calls for inter-provincial travel ban to flatten the curve prior to July re-opening
The president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui says the island is still pinning its hopes on a July 1 re-opening for vaccinated foreign tourists. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee remains optimistic, despite Thailand now battling a third wave of Covid-19, with Samui reporting 50 infections. He says vaccines are being rolled out out on Samui, although a number of doses have…
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All foreigners eligible for Covid-19 vaccine under Thailand’s vaccination plan, eventually
All expats living in Thailand are eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, according to deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Natapanu Nopakun. He says Thailand plans to roll out a “massive vaccination plan” to vaccinate all people who are living in Thailand, including foreign residents. “All people residing in Thailand, regardless of nationality, are eligible to receive the…
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25,000 people injected with Covid-19 vaccine this week in Koh Samui
This week, 25,000 people in Koh Samui have been injected with the Covid-19 vaccine. The island plans to vaccinate 70% of its population by July to reach ‘herd immunity’ and reopen the tourist destination to vaccinated travellers, following the Phuket ‘sandbox’ model. The vaccines were offered to the general public, including expats, at Rajabhat University, Bangkok Hospital Samui, Central Festival…
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Has the full moon set on Koh Pha Ngan’s Full Moon Party?
A full moon used to mean a full beach of party-goers along the Haad Rin strip on Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan. But it hasn’t been like that for a year now as the Gulf of Thailand island waits out the restrictions and border closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The crowds of backpackers and revellers aren’t flocking to the monthly…
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Foreigners charged with DUI teach English to Koh Samui probation staff
Foreigners on Koh Samui who have been caught driving while intoxicated are now teaching English to probation officers as part of their community service. Those with a drink driving charge are ordered by the court to complete 24 hours of community service. The foreigners have been teaching probation staff basic greetings and conversational English as well as grammar and legal…
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1,000 foreign tourists expected to travel to Koh Samui in July
Koh Samui may have 1,000 foreign visitors arrive on the island in July. As part of the “sandbox” tourism scheme, also set to launch in Phuket on July 1, allows tourists who are vaccinated against Covid-19 to travel to specific destinations in Thailand that have reached herd immunity. Thailand just launched its vaccination campaign a month ago. Now, both Koh…
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Phuket and Koh Samui request bulk deliveries of AstraZeneca Covid vaccines
Now Thailand’s Covid vaccine roll out has begun, it is starting to gather speed. The southern resort islands of Phuket and Koh Samui have made requests to the Public Health Ministry for enough doses to vaccinate the majority of the islands’ residents in anticipation of an early return to some semblance of tourism. Both holiday islands have a high reliance…
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“Samui Wonder Island” safe and sealed travel scheme to launch in July
Under the new safe and sealed foreign travel campaign “Samui Wonder Island,” foreign visitors will be able to visit Koh Samui under disease control measures starting in July. Travellers will undergo a rapid Covid-19 swab test on their second or third day at the alternative state quarantine hotel or resort. The results will come back within 3 hours. If the…
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Health minister says locals on Phuket and Koh Samui will be vaccinated before tourists return
Thailand’s health minister is reassuring the public that there will be enough vaccines to immunise locals, particularly on the popular holiday islands Phuket and Koh Samui, before Thailand reopens to foreign tourists. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says 800,000 doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine arrived in Thailand over the weekend. He says 100,000 doses will go to Phuket and…
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2 more Bryde’s whales seen off Koh Samui in marine park
2 more Bryde’s whales are gracing the waters off Koh Samui, after tourists spotted the marine mammals in Ang Thong National Marine Park. Wichwut Jinto, the provincial governor says park officials heard about the sightings and went out to confirm them. The whales were swimming near the islands of Hanuman, Thai Plao, Hin Dap, Wua Kantang and Sam Sao. Wichawut…
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Koh Samui lights back up, underwater electricity cable repaired
Electricity is back on Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan after an underwater cable supplying electricity to the islands was damaged. Yesterday, blackouts swept over both islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. Earlier reports say the cable was damaged by a Thai navy ship’s anchor, but now Provincial Electricity Authority district manager Jakkrit Meedet says…
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Blackout on Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan after navy ship anchor damages underwater cable
A widespread blackout swept over Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan after a Thai navy ship anchor dropped on an underwater cable which supplies power to the islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. The 115kv cable runs from Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Khanom district to Koh Samui. The anchor damaged the cable about 2 kilometres out…
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