Officials beautifying Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village, hoping to catch more tourists

Officials are giving Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village a makeover to help businesses catch more tourists. Yesterday, officials started sprucing up Beach Road in Bo Phut with landscape improvements, and general cleaning.

The goal of the makeover is to reel in up to 5 million baht of cash for local street vendors.

Tourism operators hope to bring out the old charm of Beach Road by presenting an authentic fishing village lifestyle in a clean setting.

One hotel operator on Walking Street said local businesses have also asked authorities to ban traffic and parking on the street from 6pm to midnight. This is to ensure tourist safety and maximise vending areas, Nation Thailand reported today.

The operator, Suwaphak Wongthanapornsil, said he was confident this would encourage tourism, and turn Fisherman’s Village into a grand attraction.

The Fishman’s Village is also hosting fire baton displays at night.

Fisherman’s Village has been described by one British travel vlogger as “a beautiful walking street of hipster cafes and boutique shops.”

Bo Phut, located on Koh Samui’s northern coast, has a history of fishermen migrating there from the island of Hainan in southern China. The fishermen established themselves in the area with families building wooden houses and shops on the island.

Last month, it was reported that the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan had seen 2.3 million tourists arrive on their shores in the past 10 months, according to the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s office for the islands. This generated over 40 billion baht in revenue.

In 2022, 10.9 million foreign tourists arrived in Thailand as of December 20. The top international travellers were from Malaysia, India, Laos, Cambodia, and Singapore.

Phuket was the number one destination for tourism returns to Thailand. The top three provinces for international arrivals were Phuket, Chon Buri, and Surat Thani.