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| samui rising |
| THAI Airways International's (THAI) twice-daily flights between Bangkok and Koh Samui, which started on February 15, have ended long-standing criticism of Bangkok Airways' monopoly on the lucrative route. |
 THAI executive vice-president for commercial, Mr Pandit Chanapai, said: "We are aiming for a load factor of more than 71 per cent in the first full year of operation, with up to 70 per cent of passengers expected to be overseas visitors."
Tourism Association of Koh Samui (TAKS) president, Mr Seni Puwasetthawon, lauded the move, describing it as significant. He added the island badly needed more capacity, particularly during the high season when 10 to 20 per cent of room inventory was unoccupied.
He said THAI's 298 seats a day might not be too high, but at least it helped inject some capacity. "Most importantly, Koh Samui will be promoted globally as one of THAI's destinations."
Tour operators sending tourists to Koh Samui echoed the same view on the insufficient air seat capacity.
Asian Trails CEO, Mr Luzi Matzig, said: "We often have difficulties securing the flights to and from Koh Samui requested by
our clients, and have to book them on other flights with less-than-convenient times."
Exotissimo Travel Group business development director, Mr Hamish Keith, added: "It is clear the increase in hotel rooms on the island has outpaced air seat capacity and inevitably, the hotel industry and tour operators will need a corresponding increase in air seats in order to satisfy client demand to travel to Koh Samui."
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said Koh Samui ended 2007 with 403 accommodation establishments and 14,405 rooms, a substantial increase on 360 hotels with 13,290 rooms in 2006. Of the total supply, TAT's statistics showed around 10,000 rooms in the first three "good" categories, from 2,500 baht (US$79) for the first category to from 1,000 baht in the third.
TAKS' Mr Seni said the island was expected to close 2008 with 15,500 rooms.
'3,600 seats needed’'
Mr Matzig said: "If you assume Koh Samui offers 10,000 good rooms with an average occupancy rate of 1.8 people per room, this will mean that around 18,000 clients stay in good accommodation. If you assume the 18,000 clients stay an average of seven nights, then about 2,570 seats are needed each day. However, Asian tourists stay an average of five nights, so 18,000 Asians means 3,600 seats needed daily."
Bangkok Airways spokesperson, Ms Nandhika Varavan, confirmed the airline provided more than 3,600 seats daily to Koh Samui from domestic and international destinations, including Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Krabi, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya (U-Tapao).
"Our average load factor is 85 per cent, which means Bangkok Airways brings in more than 3,200 passengers per day."
On the Bangkok-Samui route alone, she said the airline operated 21 daily flights with 2,058 seats last year at an average cabin factor of 90 per cent.
Capacity on this route is slated to increase this year with Bangkok Airways' plan slowly to replace its 125-seat Boeing 717 aircraft with 144-seat Airbus 319. THAI uses 149-seat B737 aircraft
A more immediate concern among tour operators and hoteliers, however, is infrastructure is not keeping up with the fast pace of new hotel developments.
Mr Matzig said local government authorities were eager to cash in on taxes from the hotels, but were extremely slow in upgrading the infrastructure in line with the hotel developments.
"Drainage along the roads, rubbish disposal, water treatment plants, roads and the like have been insufficient for years.
"The best would be for Koh Samui to be separated from Surat Thani province and run instead like the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, with an efficient governor who can take action where needed," Mr Matzig said.
Amari Palm Reef Resort general manager, Mr Viranat Silananda, said more than 1,000 rooms in the high-end accommodation category, comprising mostly suites and pool villas, would be added within the next few years. He added the growth was too much for the island to handle in terms of infrastructure.
Exotissimo’s Mr Keith said the real problem was in poor or unrestricted planning that had allowed the construction of new hotels and private housing to outstrip the necessary infrastructure in place to support the increase in arrivals.
Mr Matzig said the rush in new hotel developments on Koh Samui was caused by higher room rates, which were double those in Pattaya. He added international hotel groups saw this and wanted to have a piece of the cake, so everybody started to build on any parcel of land that was available on the beach or a hillside. |
| Posted on 20 May, 2008, Resource from TTG |
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