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| hide away on charming yao noi |
| Long inhabited by Muslim seafarers, Koh Yao Noi - a 45-minute boat ride from Phuket or Krabi in southern Thailand - is slowly becoming one of the most charming tourist destinations in Asia. |
 Tourism on Koh Yao Noi began in 1995 when villagers looked to preserve their livelihood and fend off illegal big-vessel fishing through an eco-friendly homestay project.
Their efforts paid off. Commercial trawlers were barred from entering Koh Yao archipelago and the community gained global recognition after receiving the World Legacy Awards by Conservation International and National Geographic Traveller in 2002. The first international-standard property, the 15-key Koyao Island Resort, opened in 2001 and is managed by Bangkok-based Germing Frey Hotels and Resorts. Two months before the December 2004 tsunami tragedy, four Thai tourism experts - Mr Luzi Matzig,
Mr Suparerk Surangura, Mr Henry Widler and Mr Josef Raess - opened the island’s first four-and-a-half-star accommodation, the 70-key The Paradise Koh Yao Boutique Beach Resort & Spa.
Architect Mr George Cortez opened the island's first b&b, Koyao Bay Pavilions, in November 2005 with three one-bedroom pavilion suites and two two-bedroom cottages.
Then in December last year, Six Senses Resorts and Spas brought discerning travellers into Koh Yao Noi with the opening of the island’s first five-star resort, the 56-pool villa Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi.
All four properties are built to reflect the local environment and preserve the pristine nature of the island.
More investment is pouring in and the island’s tourism operators predict more upscale rooms will be opened within the next few years. Koh Yao Property Developers — the only property developer on the 50km2 island - is selling more than seven plots of land and has a number of residential villas for rent.
The Paradise Koh Yao Boutique Beach Resort & Spa is building a two-bedroom residential pool villa on its hillside area, facing the sea. It will be available for short- and long-term rental once construction is completed this year.
Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi is targeted to run at 55 per cent occupancy in the first year of operations at prices ranging from 32,000 baht (US$991) for a one-bedroom pool villa, to 400,000 baht for a three-bedroom pool villa.
Meanwhile, The Paradise Koh Yao Boutique Beach Resort & Spa is expected to run at 70 per cent occupancy for the next high season from October 2008 to April 2009, and around 45 to 50 per cent occupancy between May and September this year. Its prices range from 7,500 baht for a superior studio, to 17,000 baht for a pool villa.
To support the inevitable increase of both high-end and backpacking visitors - the majority of whom are spillovers from crowded Phuket - the local community has stepped up efforts on infrastructure development.
To date, electricity has been cabled in from Phuket, replacing the island’s former electrical generating plant, and water is obtained from wells and reservoirs.
The upgrading of the 18km road circling the island has also been speeded up.
However, only some parts are newly paved concrete road while the rest are still dirt paths.
Koh Yao Noi is one of the largest islands in the Koh Yao archipelago of 44 islands and has a population of about 4,000. The island is mountainous in the centre with beaches on the east coast. Rubber plantations, rice fields and mangrove forests are abundant on the west coast.
The island has three schools, a hospital, post office, three automatic teller machines, Internet access and mobile phone connections.
About 85 per cent of the population is Muslim, and villagers strictly preserve their traditional way of life.
Tourists are recommended to dress modestly when touring the island and refrain from drinking alcohol outside of restaurants and resorts.
Beside a limited number of local restaurants and bars along the coastline and near the pier, the island has no disco or shopping mall.
The recently opened 7-Eleven is the island’s only modern mart.
Many of the areas on and around the island are still left untouched, and villagers firmly reinforce rules and regulations to ensure their traditional livelihood - fishing, rice farming and rubber planting - remains despite the growing tourism wave. |
| Posted on 20 May, 2008, Resource from Sirima Eamtako |
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