International hotel chains that was eager to arrive at, or expand their presence in Samui are having doubts because the island limited airlift capabilities.
Mr. Seni Phuwasethaoworn, head of the Office of the Council of tourism of the Thailand suratthani, said the combined number of flights to Samui from Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways 36 per day. These flights were only 2 000 to 3 000 passengers per day.
To fill the current number of hotel on the island, the required total airline seat capacity would be 4 000 to 5 000 a day, said Mr. Seni.
Air capacity at height, hotels have frozen or delayed their expansion plans. Mr. Seni said that before talking about other expansion plans, they wanted assurance from the Government that something would on the airport and the airlines limited capacity.
He said potential Samui as an international tourism destination remains high. The current inventory of 17,000 rooms is not enough to meet the projected growth in tourism on the island for him.
Four and five-star hotel chains had been eager to add more rooms on the island. But if there is not enough flights to service tourists, more expansions hotel would be unworkable, he added.
He said that 80% of foreign tourists come to the island by air, with only 20% of the ferry. The solution, he said, is for the Government to build a second airport or convince Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways to add more flights.
Samui hotel owners and other stakeholders of the tourism industry, said, planned to take the problem at the national level after the elections of July 3. Mr. Seni that they would take the issue with the new Prime Minister, to put an end to the current uncertainty in the tourism industry of the island. He said that travel operators could not launch aggressive marketing plans, because they were not certain that they have seats on the airline that they should be expected when the time comes. -CHAT ANUPAN
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