KOH Samui nowadays is experiencing many problems related to maintaining a sustainable tourism industry.
From an idyllic tropical island paradise that attracted hordes of backpackers some two decades ago, Samui metamorphosed into a bustling tourist town that to this day continues to see a rise in the number of resorts and other tourism-oriented establishments.

A few years ago, high-end tourists also took notice of the island’s irresistible charm and began trekking to this paradise. Property developers and other profit-minded people saw in this a great opportunity to cash in on them.

After all, they had oodles of euros, dollars and other denominations to spend in order to experience Samui’s unique charm.

A good number of expats chose to stay permanently; the consequent increase in business and economic activity attracted a huge population of transient Thais from neighboring and faraway provinces who found jobs aplenty.

The rush of constructions taking place here and there and the rather chaotic and reckless development hardly enabled government resources to cope with the increasing demand for power, water and other basic needs.

Population growth and the continuing rise of structures in almost every beachfront and even the mountainsides have contributed to the disarray that Samui finds itself in.

All kinds of problems from lack of basic services and inadequate infrastructure to damage to the environment caused headache to the local executives burdened with so many complaints on an array of things.

To the credit of the local government, however, it has tried since the last few months to minimize the effect, if not totally eliminate, the problems hounding the island community.

The local government, under the leadership of Mayor Ramnet Jaikwang, has been taking concrete steps to address most of these problems and we have been witnessing improvements that we hope will continue.
The municipality has shown it is responsive to the needs of the residents, the expats and, of course, the tourists, on whom the island is dependent for its economic survival.

It is definitely a tough job they are doing, and every little success and accomplishment made is an effort worth commending.