Tourist arrivals on Koh Samui top 200,000 in January

SURAT THANI: More than 200,000 tourists visited Koh Samui in January, giving a welcome boost to the tourist island's economy.

Surat Thani governor Wichawut Jinto said on Tuesday that from Jan 1-23 a total of 178,077 tourists arrived on the island by air (86,507) and by ferry boats (91,570).

When trips ashore by passengers on cruise ships were included, four tours for a one-day visit and two for an overnight stay, this raised the number of tourist arrivals in January to over 200,000, Mr Wichawut said.

The number of foreigners visiting other tourist attractions in January such as Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Ratchaprapa dam reservoir and Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thai also increased, the governor said.

"Tourism was given a boost and this enables enterpreneurs to recover faster. Tourist arrivals help generate income to communities. This is a good start for the tourism sector at the beginning of the year," he said. "This also shows that attractions in Surat Thani have high potential and remain top choices for tourists.’’