• NEWS
    • PODCASTS
    • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • EVENTS
    • EVENT PHOTOS
    • EVENT VIDEOS
    • THIRSTY THURSDAYS
    • CONFERENCES
    • NETWORKING
    • TRAINING & WORKSHOPS
  • JOBS
    • FOR JOB SEEKER
    • FOR EMPLOYER
  • COMMUNITY
    • SEARCH PEOPLE
      • Create a profile now
    • SEARCH COMPANIES
      • Create a profile now
  • EVERYTHING TD
    • About TD
    • What is Native Content?
    • Advertise with TD
    • Connect with Tory (Director of Sales)
    • Connect with Anthony (Sales -AU/NZ/SP)
    • Connect with Paul (BDM-Global)
    • Connect with Crystal (BDM-Singapore)
    • Connect with Washira (BDM-Thailand)
  • SELF SERVICE
    • ONLINE SERVICES
    • POST A TRAVEL BLOG
    • UPLOAD YOUR EVENT

Travel Daily Travel Daily - Informing, connecting and developing the world’s travel industry professionals.

  • MARKETS
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Vietnam
      • Australia
    • Thailand
    • China
    • India
    • Middle East
    • UK & Europe
    • USA
  • SECTORS
    • Air
    • Appointments
    • Business Travel
    • Cruise
    • Hospitality
    • HR & Careers
    • Luxury Travel
    • MICE
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Travel Agents
  • FEATURES
    • Sponsored
    • Travel Guides
    • Interviews
    • Podcasts
    • Guest writers
    • Competitions
    • Incentives
    • Reviews
    • By the Way
    • PR Newswire
    • BusinessWire
    • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
      • Hotel & Travel businesses for sale
  • TRAVEL GUIDES
    • Ponant Yacht Cruises and Expeditions
    • South Australia Tourism Guide
    • The Residence by Etihad Airways
    • Encore Tickets (Chinese Guide)
    • Affordable Luxury in Thailand by Centara Hotels
    • Rising Above the Oridinary by Conrad Bangkok
    • The Best of Thailand
  • FREE TRAINING COURSES
    • Traveluni Online Courses
Travel Daily
TourismVaccination UpdatesGlobal

Koh Samui wants to welcome vaccinated travellers soon

By Joe Cusmano On Feb 16, 2021
Guest Writer
Share
Angthong national marine park, koh Samui

Tourism operators in Koh Samui are urging the government to speed up mass vaccination programmes to improve hopes for a tourism recovery by the third quarter according to a report in the Bangkok Post.

“Even though domestic cases are not that numerous, the slow start of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Thailand will affect the confidence of tourists,” said Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui.

As the domestic market alone cannot support the industry, recovery depends on vaccine administration and efficacy to allow borders to reopen.

Last year Koh Samui welcomed 400,000 tourists, with the number pre-pandemic peaking in 2019 at 2.5 million, of which 17% were locals.

The outlook is looking positive, Mr Ratchaporn said hotels on Samui have already received full bookings in advance for September and October from long-haul markets, such as Germany and the UK, where vaccination programmes have already started.

Like the most island Phuket, Koh Samui has worked on health and safety measures for international travellers, including additional screening points run by officials of sub-district hospitals and provincial public health offices.

He said the association also plans to launch the Samui Journey campaign next month to introduce new tourism sites and activities apart from beaches to increase tourism expenditure and length of stay.

In addition to faster vaccination distribution, the government should offer financial support such as a debt holiday for 6-12 months and reduce water and electricity bills, said Mr Ratchaporn.

Less than 200 hotels out of a total 1,000 are still operating on the island, while the occupancy rate fell to 10% after a fresh wave of the virus spread. These numbers are indeed reflective of how serious the situation is, particularly for places like Koh Samui which is dependent on tourism.

Travel sentiment for holidays throughout February is stagnant, attributed to lower confidence, although the province lifted travel restrictions on Feb 1, he said.

Forward bookings gradually increased for March, but the volume is not enough to exhaust supply, said Mr Ratchaporn.

Some 5% of hoteliers have decided to sell their properties to foreign investors and most operators won’t reopen unless there is enough demand from the international market, he said.

Ruengnam Chaikwang, president of the Thai Hotels Association’s southern chapter for the east coast, said operators are looking forward to bringing back tourists who were vaccinated and can forgo a quarantine.

Hoteliers on the island will start to prepare their marketing campaigns for international arrivals in the third quarter, he said.

“We are more optimistic that tourists can visit the country by the third quarter,” Mr Ruengnam said.

He said the country has to show readiness by securing sufficient vaccines and inoculating the population because both foreigners and locals must have immunity to ensure safety for all.

Share
You might also like
Reopening updates

Australia extends international travel ban for three more months until 17 June

Global

Morocco sets stage for first UNWTO general assembly after pandemic

Reopening updates

Turkey gears up to welcome Brit travellers by June

Vaccination Updates

Madeira opens up to vaccinated tourists with ‘green corridor’

Prev Next

Comments are closed.

LATEST STORIES

  • Australia extends international travel ban for three more months until 17 June

    Morocco sets stage for first UNWTO general assembly after pandemic

    Turkey gears up to welcome Brit travellers by June

    Madeira opens up to vaccinated tourists with ‘green corridor’

  • UK travellers support continuing social distance measures on planes even after being vaccinated

    Of women and wanderlust! Thomas Cook India and SOTC unveil special flight inclusive women-only tours

    Boeing 777s grounded by airlines following Denver incident

    Thailand may waive quarantine for COVID-19 vaccinated tourists

  • MG Group announces direct connectivity integration with OYO Group

    Stakeholders push Malaysia reopening borders to vaccinate travellers

    Number of global new Covid-19 cases continues to fall - WHO reports

    What’s in store if you travel to Israel now. Tracking bracelet instead of hotel quarantine

Vaccination Updates

Madeira opens up to vaccinated tourists with ‘green…

Thailand may waive quarantine for COVID-19 vaccinated…

Bali’s reopening within reach as island ramps up vaccination…

Emirates operates first fully vaccinated flight

Prev Next 1 of 26

Re-opening updates

Australia extends international travel ban for three more…

Turkey gears up to welcome Brit travellers by June

UK travellers support continuing social distance measures on…

Of women and wanderlust! Thomas Cook India and SOTC unveil…

Prev Next 1 of 7
STAY UPDATED WITH THE LATEST TRAVEL NEWS, JOBS & EVENTS!
Join over 180,000 travel agents, professionals and executives subscribed to our daily newsletter.
You can unsubscribe at any time

Popular Posts

Australia extends international travel ban for three more…

Tripadvisor launches live sentiment dashboard to support…

Haikou receives over one million travellers during Chinese…

How Dubai is implementing digital verification of traveller…

Prev Next 1 of 14
Search
Follow Us

Menu
  • News
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Community
  • Subscribe
About
  • About Travel Daily (TD)
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
© 2021 - Travel Daily. All Rights Reserved.
X
Travel Daily
GET THE LATEST TRAVEL INDUSTRY NEWS, JOBS AND EVENTS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX!
Join over 180,000 travel agents, professionals and executives subscribed to our daily newsletter.
You can unsubscribe at any time
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up here to get the latest news, updates and special offers delivered directly to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe at any time
Close

Welcome, Login to your account.

Forget password?
No account? Sign Up
Sign in

Recover your password.

A password will be e-mailed to you.

LOG IN

Welcome back, Log in to your account.

Continue with Facebook
Continue with Google
Continue with Twitter
Continue with LinkedIn

OR
Log in using your email
Forgot password?
Not a member yet? SIGN UP FOR FREE
Sign in

Recover your password.

Sign in

SIGN UP FOR FREE

(New User)

Be part of our community of seasoned travel and hospitality industry professionals from all over the world.

Continue with Facebook
Continue with Google
Continue with Twitter
Continue with LinkedIn
I want to
Only letters and numbers are allowed
Please enter a valid email address
Must be between 6-8 characters
Must be the same with Password
Already have an account? LOG IN
  • LOGIN / SIGN UP
  • NEWS
    • MARKETS
      • Asia
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Malaysia
        • Myanmar
        • Philippines
        • Laos
        • Singapore
        • Vietnam
        • Australia
      • Thailand
      • China
      • India
      • Middle East
      • UK & Europe
      • USA
    • SECTORS
      • Air
      • Appointments
      • Business Travel
      • Cruise
      • Hospitality
      • HR & Careers
      • Luxury Travel
      • MICE
      • Technology
      • Tourism
      • Travel Agents
    • FEATURES
      • Sponsored
      • Travel Guides
      • Interviews
      • Podcasts
      • Guest writers
      • Reviews
      • Competitions
      • By the Way
      • PR Newswire
      • BusinessWire
      • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
        • Hotel & Travel businesses for sale
  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Thirsty Thursdays
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Conferences
    • Networking
    • Training & Workshops
  • JOBS
    • For Job Seeker
      • Create a profile now
    • For Employer
      • Create a profile now
  • COMMUNITY
    • Search community profiles
    • Search Companies
  • TRAVEL GUIDES
    • Ponant Yacht Cruises and Expeditions
    • South Australia Tourism Guide
    • The Residence by Etihad Airways
    • Encore Tickets (Chinese Guide)
    • Affordable Luxury in Thailand by Centara Hotels
    • Rising Above the Oridinary by Conrad Bangkok
    • The Best of Thailand
  • FREE TRAINING COURSES
    • Traveluni Online Courses