06/01/2013
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The other day I stumbled across a forum questioning where Samui will be in 10 years’ time. The comments from the respondents were insightful in some cases, yet mixed with the expected large number of skeptics and doubters. I joined in by providing my two baht’s worth, which we reprint here for our friends.
Some great comments in this string, I thought I’d give the view of a professional real estate agent who has lived in Asia for twenty odd years, with the last six being in Thailand, split between Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui.
I think that people don’t recognize the success story that Samui has become: the much acclaimed regional wellness/detox center, a magnet for tourism, but without the traffic, prostitution, crowds, pollution, and blatant corruption seen elsewhere. While Phuket is clearly THE Thai island, with multiples of tourists and locals as well as services and amenities when compared to Samui, Samui is clearly the island of choice for Thai tourists (and many others) looking for a true island feeling, which is absent in Phuket with its main highway being down the middle of the island (in contrast to Samui’s ring road, with its near constant glimpses of the sea) and even being connected to the mainland via a bridge.
The air links, while obscenely expensive, have had the effect of keeping the island from overheating, as the infrastructure can’t even keep up with the current population. Although certain services are overpriced, like Taxis, the problem is miniscule when compared to these problems in Phuket.
With Asia set to remain the global engine of economic (and perhaps cultural) growth, there seems no doubt that Samui will continue to grow. The eyesores of half built real estate projects are disappearing as forward-thinking buyers grab them before the next boom. Bali and Phuket are growing at such an incredible pace that Samui is likely to find itself in an enviable and unique position, as an island that has a strong backbone (I’m referring to the hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) that has stood the test of time and has a huge legion of returning tourists, but is still green, exotic, and uncrowded. There are a large number of Malaysian, Philippine, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian (even Burmese) island destinations that are still quite unspoiled, but none that I know of, which also boast several international hospitals, several international schools, an easy to use, convenient airport, excellent ferry and boat links, as well as world-class hotels and restaurants.
So, what can we look forward to in the future? As soon as March, we will see a new electric cable from the mainland, which should stop the power-outages, at least in the near-term. One can assume that the re-elected mayor will continue his drive to improve the infrastructure, with a focus on the very dangerous roadways (and hopefully a stronger campaign for helmets to be worn on motor bikes). Bangkok Air has confirmed that they are thinking of increasing the number of flights to the island by over 30%, which would be a huge positive from the hospitality and tourism standpoints.
Going further into the future, it seems very likely that Samui will follow some of the Phuket success stories and put an increased emphasis on athletic and medical tourism, add at least one full-fledged marina, and even bring in a Central Department Store. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new country club/golf course in the coming years and I would certainly expect to see more top name hotels, continuing the gradual move from lower-priced lodgings to the higher-end. Certainly the less densely populated Southern areas of the island will see much development with this providing a very positive impact on those who live there, as it won’t become crowded, but more conveniences and variety will be available.
Will we see a new airport, perhaps near Donsak? My guess is no. Phangan is getting an airport and I would imagine that the Donsak Airport/Fast Ferry service story will continue to be used to push Bangkok Air to increase flights, lengthen the runway, and lower prices. Will Samui itself get a second airport? I would be very surprised. No, my view is that Samui will grow in a predictable, positive way, with property owners and business owners prospering, while tourism numbers gradually grow.
