| Low fare airliners have changed the tourism | | | | some tourists are prepared to pay the price, but |
| industry significantly in the recent years. Holiday | | | | still, the vast majority chooses to save their |
| destinations across the globe are now reachable | | | | money and somewhere else. |
| at affordable cost. In Asia, the largest low fare | | | | Providing private villa accommodation for high-end |
| airliner AirAsia connects South-East Asian hubs to | | | | tourists to whom money is not really an issue, |
| numerous holiday destinations in the region. | | | | Wisna Wedhana, the Managing Director of Private |
| Now everybody can get cheap flight ticket from | | | | Leisure International saw the airfare as a |
| Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, or Bangkok to | | | | significant barrier even to her wealthy clients. "We |
| Bali, Phuket, Penang, Hainan, Macau, even less | | | | have many interested clients who decide to go |
| popular new emerging destinations like Krabi in | | | | somewhere else as son as they know the ticket |
| Thailand, Guilin in China, or Bandung in Indonesia. | | | | price", she complained. "It may be okay if you are |
| Unfortunately it is not the case with Koh Samui, | | | | traveling alone, but if you are a family of 10, it is |
| the newly emerging tropical island in the southern | | | | a significant amount of money", she added. |
| part of Thailand. Flights to Koh Samui are rather | | | | Actually there is a few other ways to get to Koh |
| limited and expensive. A flight from Phuket to Koh | | | | Samui. You can drive from either Phuket or Krabi |
| Samui - which is only about half an hour - costs a | | | | to the pier at Khanom and take a short ferry trip |
| lot more than two hours long flight from Kuala | | | | to Koh Samui. Air-conditioned coaches and train |
| Lumpur to Phuket. | | | | are available from Bangkok to the southern |
| AirAsia flies to much less visited Krabi, so if we | | | | provice of Suratthani where you can take a short |
| are looking into airliner's readiness, I believe they | | | | drive to Khanom pier. The super luxurious Orient |
| are much more than ready. Residents of Koh | | | | Express train also stops at Suratthani. Another |
| Samui explained that the situation is caused by | | | | alternative is to take a yacht from Bangkok |
| absence of airport. The only airport in Koh Samui | | | | directly to Koh Samui. "Yes, but no one is |
| is owned and operated by Bangkok Air only to | | | | comparable with a flight, how do you expect |
| serve their own flight with an exception for Thai | | | | people to take a 10 hours land trip after a long |
| Airways. Without competition Bangkok Air retains | | | | haul trip from Europe", Wisna commented about |
| the power to dictate any price they want. | | | | the alternatives. |
| From tourism development point of view, it is | | | | Before the authority finds affordable |
| quite a bad situation, especially because Koh | | | | transportation solution, maybe we should see it |
| Samui is a very potential island destination. In | | | | from the positive point of view, being only |
| addition to beautiful calm white-sandy beaches it is | | | | available to those who are prepared to pay more |
| also serves as gate to its surrounding smaller | | | | or take the pain, Koh Samui is kept as a peaceful |
| islands including Koh Phangan. So attractive that | | | | tropical paradise. |