Positive trend in Samui tourism | Bangkok Post: travel

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Record 2012 hotel occupancy in Samui

Published: 13 Mar 2013 at 12.05
Online news: Travel Update

Hotel occupancy in Koh Samui was at an all-time high of 68% overall for 2012, compared with 59% in 2011, thanks to new direct international flights and aircraft upgrades, according to consulting firm C9 Hotelworks.

View from Ba Ku Bung Coffee Bar on Bo Bhut in Koh Samui. Bangkok Post file photo

One leading economic indicator on the island is the development by Thai-listed Central Group of a massive retail shopping complex on 48,000 square metres of land in the tourism area of Chaweng.

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mrexpat
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Discussion 4 : 13 Mar 2013 at 20.564
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yes agree kasper
they have been saying for a long time something will be done re taxis but nothing ever is or will be nobody has the guts, oh well they might learn with the price of petrol rising and them driving round and round chaweng in their merc or bmw with aircon full on tazi's!
Same with BKKairways their prices are far too high! No wonder they dont want an airport on phangan serving airasia! (although i am totally against aiport on phangan I would imagine if they keep building the beaches will start to get smaller and smaller and soon dissapear as alot on canary island have to over construction.Oh well they will only learn the hard w
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kasper
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Discussion 3 : 13 Mar 2013 at 20.083
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@mrexpat, d2.

Unfortunately the family who runs the taxi mafia also runs the island, so nothing will ever change in that department. You are right though, Chaweng beachroad is essentially a "train" of almost connected empty taxis and songthaews driving appx. 5 km/h, honking their horn at everyone and blocking the whole town.
The Thais are tired of them, hotels and other business owners are tired of them and the expats and tourists are tired of them - all hotel customer surveys name taxis as the #1 problem (by far) ruining their holiday!
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mrexpat
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Discussion 2 : 13 Mar 2013 at 19.282
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Funny the flights to samui from bkk was not full, funny how only long term cheap expat type accomodation was full, funny how many hotels gave away free holidays this year on samui to fill up and get abit of free advertising, to disc 1 - yes the traffic is hell, but most are empty taxi's!! not many people pay 300bt to go 500m when you can hire a bike for 100bt a day, madness!
The new hotels being built are empty, the villas in the hills are empty.
Where do they get these figures from? (i know for a fact one of the most popular beach bars on chaweng had rooms over farang new year!!) maybe compared to a year when the airports were closed?
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borrocks
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Discussion 1 : 13 Mar 2013 at 15.121
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Chewang needs bulldozing and rebuilding..the road system is idiotic for such a large tourist population, the parking lot known as beach road and the rat runs thro to the main by pass road are just not up to the volume of traffic (finally after 30 odd years they have black tar macadam being more visible in repairs)

While the huge shopping mall is being built and finally finished just how is anyone going to drive anywhere...I have just spent 1 week there and the traffic was just ridicules, I saw numerous people hit by motorbikes while walking on the beach road (the footpaths are a joke)
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