Tourism operators in Samui will ask the government to help lower tourist flight prices

Tourism operators in Samui are planning to ask the government to help lower tourist flight prices, while more hotels, including a five-star cluster owned by one of the richest families in Thailand, have been approved for alternative local state quarantine (ALSQ) status.

The meeting of the roaming cabinet scheduled for November 2-3 in Koh Samui, Surat Thani and Phuket will concentrate on the tourism stimulation plan for the southern provinces, as Thailand has introduced a reopening plan with a mandatory 14-day quarantine for long-stay travelers.

Vorasit Pongkumpunt, president of the Koh Samui Tourism Organization, said that the industry is ready to take the first step in welcoming foreign tourists with a special tourist visa. For ALSQ, eight hotels have been certified.
 

Of such approvals, as the Thai business starts to expand some steam, some hotels want to catch inbound market prospects again before formally unveiling the package for foreign visitors.

The amount of ALSQs in Samui will remain at this stage, Mr Vorasit said. No new hotels have agreed to apply for the scheme, as the number of ALSQ rooms accessible matches the island 's healthcare potential.

Mr. Vorasit said tourism operators do not expect vacant rooms to fill up in the long-stay market. Samui is only able to tend to hundreds of travelers a month, he said.

Operators need the government to help strengthen local market demand and the potential inbound market by reducing the cost to transport to the province.

"We want the government to find practical solutions to help lower transport costs for travelers visiting Samui," Mr Vorasit said. "Unfortunately, the private sector owns all entry points to the island — both the airport and the pier. It is difficult to negotiate price reductions."

Four Samui luxury hotels owned by Asset World Corp (AWC), a property developer under the TCC Company of Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, are ready to engage in welcoming the first batch of foreign visitors to the islands after the authorities inspected the properties, but also want confirmation on the government's plan and potential demand.

Stephan Vanden Auweele, AWC 's chief hospitality group executive, said all the hotels have undergone the required procedures, such as the acquiring of partner hospitals and the training of staff.

The company has to make a careful decision, particularly for its commercial approach, as the domestic market has begun to grow, with average occupancy reaching 25 percent recently.

If the company decides to let Samui hotels invest in this project, Sheraton Samui can be the first property that can appeal to tourists, since instead, it transferred its bookings to a nearby hotel. 

Mr. Vanden Auweele said that foreign visitors will want to come once Thailand reopens, but it also depends on quarantine conditions. There will not be a substantial demand if a 14-day quarantine is mandatory.
 
Lifting border restrictions is an essential instrument for letting tourism operators survive, which is why, in reaction to the pandemic, European countries have not sealed their territories, Mr. Vanden Auweele said.