Muted Chinese traveler demand pushes hotels to diversify source markets and adapt to a changing landscape Samui’s tourism legacy was previously influenced by its limited gateway and reliance on Bangkok Airways, leading to higher travel costs compared to regional counterparts.

Nevertheless, the limitations have also allowed the island to attract high-spending tourists which are favorable for hotel operators and maintain its position as a premium beach resort destination.

However, the cycle is expected to gradually shift as the government and Samui International Airport plan for expansion of the airport and adding a cruise terminal to increase traffic to the island. The entry of Scoot Airlines from Singapore and new routes promise further growth in the near future with an increased number of regional upscale travelers.

Looking at the current momentum, the island-wide 2024 Q1 hotel RevPAR has already outperformed 2023 and may close at a 5-year historical high.”

In 2023, Samui hosted 3,541,821 visitors, evenly split between domestic and foreign travelers, marking a shift from the pre-COVID dominance of overseas tourists. The gap between airport arrivals and visitors at registered tourist accommodations reflects that many visitors came by ferry from the mainland.

A domestic influx has been crucial in driving the recovery, with the total number of registered hotel guests surpassing 2019 levels by 1.5 times. Airport passenger arrivals trailed, closing the year at 94% of preCOVID level, with a total of 1,208,364 passenger arrivals.

Diving into the international sources markets, lower volume of Chinese travelers, previously one of the key source markets, now constitute less than 4% market share. This has been replaced by increased travelers from Europe, USA and a re-emerging Israeli market. The new mix of foreign travelers has resulted in a longer average length of stay.

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