Samui
- Tourism News
Accelerated vaccination plan for Phuket, Koh Samui recommended by tourism sector
Those in Thailand’s tourism and airline industries are pushing for an accelerated vaccination plan for Phuket and Koh Samui as well as for those in those in the tourism sector. With Phuket set to reopen under the “sandbox” model in July, tourism and airline representatives also ask for a clear timeline for reopening the country to foreign travellers. In a…
- Covid-19 News
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…
- Tourism News
The Thai government threw a tourist party (sound of crickets) | VIDEO
The Thai Government, flushed with the success of their containment of Covid-19, decided to market the Land of Smiles to the world as the safe place to travel. With the annual wet season starting to weaken the tourists would flock back to the S E Asian country that had such a remarkable success containing, then almost eradicating itself, of the…
- Tourism News
Phuket & Koh Samui face financial ruin in the short to medium term – VIDEO
Phuket and Samui are both islands, fed mostly by arrivals at their international airports. Of course, both remain closed and the islands are trying to survive on a dribble of domestic tourists. And there’s no sign of hope any time soon for the future. Bill Barnett is ‘Mr Hotel & Hospitality’ for Thailand and the region. What does he see…
- South Thailand News
Government to consider rescue packages for tourism businesses in South
The government will hold a mobile Cabinet meeting in Phuket today to consider potential rescue packages for tourism-related businesses that have been ravaged by the closure of international borders. The proposals, which include soft loans for airlines and other businesses, come after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha met with Phuket business representatives and local officials yesterday. The Bangkok Post reports that the…
- Covid-19 News
15 people considered “high risk” following positive Covid test for 57 year old Samui resident
A 57 year old French woman, visiting the Gulf island of Koh Samui with her husband and son, has tested positive for Covid-19, five days after finishing the mandatory 14 day quarantine. The Division of Communicable Diseases director Sophon Iamsirithavorn told the media yesterday about the case which is baffling medical officials to understand where she had been exposed to…
- Covid-19 News
57 year old woman tests positive for Covid on Samui
A 57 year old Frenchwoman has baffled Thai medical officials with her quarantine-defying positive test for Covid-19. The woman had been living on Koh Samui since returning from 14 days of quarantine. Whilst her positive status had become a hot topic on Samui over the past 24 hours, it took until this afternoon for Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, Director of the…
- Tourism News
Bangkok Airways add 3 new local routes to their schedule
Some domestic routes are being added as local routes continue to expand. This time Bangkok Airways has announced it’s resuming its Samui-Phuket, Phuket-Hat Yai and Phuket-Pattaya/Rayong (U-Tapao) flights. The first additions to the schedule will be the Phuket-Samui flights resuming this Sunday, October 25, and the Phuket-Pattaya flights start again next Tuesday, October 27. The Phuket-Samui flights will be operating…
- Koh Samui News
The Raja 4 salvage operations completed after the ferry sank off Koh Samui on August 1
Salvage operations have been completed for the Raja 4 car and passenger ferry which sank off the coast of Surat Thani, heading back from Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, on August 1. 12 people drowned as a result of the sinking. The ferry foundered and sank in a sudden weather front about 2 nautical miles from Koh Samui…
- Tourism News
Despite delay, Tourism ministry says travellers are coming this month
Despite a delay in the first group of long-stay travellers arriving under the newly-formed Special Tourist Visa, the Tourism and Sports Ministry says it is vowing to bring in 1,200 tourists this month. The Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the slight delay was due to some entry processes being muddled. “The first two groups from China had a prospective schedule of…
- Tourism News
Heavyweight doctors oppose Phuket plan to admit tourists
A number of prominent physicians, some advisors to the Ministry of Public Health and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, have posted on social media this weekend that they strongly oppose opening Thailand to tourists in any way, shape or form. Their concerns follow the government’s announcement yesterday of its plan to cautiously reopen the southern resort island of Phuket…
- Koh Samui News
4 people still missing from the Koh Samui ferry sinking
Rescue workers and recovery teams are still searching for 4 missing people following the capsize and sinking of a car ferry off the coast of Surat Thani last Saturday night. The ferry, the Raja 4, was on its way back from Koh Samui, loaded with garbage trucks and was about 2 kilometres off Don Sak Pier, when the incident happened.…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s tourist magnets deserted and desperate
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, bird flu, SARS, political upheavals, passenger boats sinking. None of these have had anywhere near the effect of this year’s Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand. Visitor numbers, even from the usually enthusiastic Tourism Authority of Thailand, are expected to plummet up to 80% for the year. The other 20% mostly visited the Kingdom in the first…
- Covid-19 News
The transformation of Thai hotels under the ‘new normal’ – CBRE
The full impact from Covid-19 could be prolonged, even after the actual virus is finally brought under control. CBRE, an international property consultant, expects Thailand’s hotel industry will undergo inevitable changes as part of the ‘new normal’. A new report says there will be an added emphasis on hygiene, a redefined restaurant concept, new partnerships and design alterations in line…
- Koh Samui News
Murder investigation launched as body of Ukrainian woman found on Koh Samui
Two weeks after she went missing, the body of a 32 year old Ukrainian woman has been found in a wooded area of Koh Samui. The discovery has prompted local police to launch a full murder investigation. A report in Coconuts says the unnamed woman’s body was found off Soi Pracharat Pattana by hotel employee Uten Wiangnon. In a statement…
- Koh Samui News
24 people arrested after police raid on Samui bar
22 foreigners and 2 Thai nationals have been arrested at a bar called La Bohemia on the Gulf island of Koh Samui last night. All were charged with breaking the emergency decree, which prohibits restaurants selling alcohol and gatherings of people. Acting on a tip off from local residents, police from the Bo Phut police station raided the La Bohemia…
- Environment News
Rare pink dolphins spotted off Koh Phangan – VIDEO
Pink dolphins are extremely rare, mainly found in only a few spots in the world, including parts of China, Hong Kong waters and sections of the Amazon river. So it was a surprise for fishermen in the Gulf of Thailand to have a rare encounter with pink dolphins, which scientists say are becoming bolder in the absence of tourists The…
- Environment News
200 baby turtles born at beach in front of Banyan Tree Samui
The birth of more than 200 green turtles has brought some much-needed joy to staff at one of Thailand’s top hotels on Koh Samui. Between April 4 and 24, three nests hatched on the secluded beach at Banyan Tree Samui resort, and a total of around 200 baby turtles emerged under the watchful gaze of the hotel’s resident marine biologist,…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok Airways to resume Samui flights
Bangkok Airways is set to head back to the skies starting May 15, resuming their monopoly on the Bangkok-Samui route. There will be two flights a day from the capital to Koh Samui, and back. The airline last year disclosed that the flights into Samui are its most profitable services. The operator says that flights will strictly comply with the…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok Airways cancels all domestic flights from April 7
Bangkok Airways has announced today that they will cancel all it domestic flights from April 7 – 30. The company’s vice president, Tresarum Sitakalin says the flights that are being cancelled are… Bangkok – Chiang Mai Bangkok – Phuket Bangkok – Trat Bangkok – Sukhothai Bangkok – Samui Samui – Phuket “The company had previously decreased flight frequencies on these…
- Crime News
Bouncer allegedly kills 1, wounds 2 in Koh Samui
A security guard at a pub in Koh Samui has allegedly opened fire on guests yesterday, killing one and injuring two. The shooting was the result of an argument over a group of men who were allegedly bringing in drinks from outside. 42 year old Kongkiatkorn, also called “Yant”, died at the scene. He had been shot in the head…
- Tourism News
Mono airlift remains key barrier to Koh Samui’s tourism success
PHOTO: Koh Samui Sunset Bill Barnett and c9hotelworks.com analyse the current hotel and tourism challenges on Koh Samui. Bill says that in the past year the Gulf island has been shaken by declining demand and reduced airlift to the island. (graphics below) “The China slowdown is widely cited as a key factor, together with high airfares. According to Bangkok Airways, half of…
- Expats
Russian nabbed for 7 year overstay in Samui
PHOTO: Matichon Online A Russian man has been arrested for overstaying his visa by 2,861 days, 7 years and 9 months. The man was arrested on Koh Samui. In a completely serendipitous inspection, immigration and tourist police were doing spot inspections on the island hen they were checking a man on Soi 3, off Maenam Road, in the north of…
- Tourism News
Bangkok Airways announces ‘sale’ for fares to Samui
Bangkok Airways has announced its ‘Samui Year-End Sale’ promotion, which commenced at the start of the November, offering discounted fares on its domestic and international routes to and from Samui. The flights to Samui cover Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and U-Tapao in Pattaya. We’ll do them the courtesy of reporting that they’ve announced one-way fares start from 1,990 baht…
- Crime News
“How did my son die in Thailand?” A British father seeks answers.
PHOTO: Facebook/David Cornock The father of a 37 year old British man who died in mysterious circumstances in Koh Samui in May this year, has called in a former detective to sort out what happened. The British Foreign Office has already raised the case with both the Royal Thai Police and Interpol. The body of 37 year old David Cornock,…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui is looking to the skies, an island tethered to an airline
by Bill Barnett “I’m looking to the sky to save me. Looking for a sign of life” There is much to be said about the Thailand’s phenomenal rise in tourism over the past decade and that trend has eclipsed the borders of the Kingdom into other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Fueled by a rising Asian consumer…
- Tourism News
Bangkok Airways posts losses, Samui routes performing badly
Following the opening of its swanky new passenger lounges at the Phuket Airport last week, Bangkok Airways has just posted a net loss of 190 million baht for the first half of 2019. In posting the figures yesterday the company’s President promised to turn results around in the second half of the year to ensure an annual profit. The Koh…
- Expats
Koh Samui tourists rounded up on year long overstay
PHOTO: Naewna.com Immigration and tourist police in Koh Samui have arrested a Turkmenistan couple on overstay. They had overstayed their visas by 366 days They were acting on the orders of the Koh Samui immigration chief Pol Col Supharik Phankoson. Naewna.com has named the couple as 30 year old Mekan Nazarov and 28 year old Alina Loginova. Police headed to a house…
- Road deaths
Koh Samui taxi driver killed, two tourists taken to hospital
PHOTO: Sanook.com Police have now filed a full report on an an incident back on July 19 when a taxi driver was killed and two tourists critically injured driving on the Khao Laem Yai Hill, Koh Samui. Sanook.com reports that a taxi, a yellow and brown Toyota Fortuner SUV, hit the footpath on the Khao Laem Yai hill in the northwest…
- Crime News
Police receive reports of Ponzi scene affecting 200 on Koh Samui
PHOTO: Manager Online 200 Thai wives of foreigners have reportedly lost up to 120 million baht in a Ponze scheme on Koh Samui. A group of 20 affected victims were represented by ‘Praew’ who reported to the Bophut Police Station to register a formal complaint. Bophut Police are trying to interview 30 victims each day since the complaint was registered…
