Samui Plus: Only about 10 foreigners per day are visiting island. The Tourism Authority of Thailand said there would be just 1,000 visitors in the first month. These foreigners would spend 180 million baht, was the call. But even this has proved to be pie-in-the-sky with less than a third of their estimate. ASEAN NOW

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Officials in Surat Thani in southern Thailand always cautioned that the Samui Plus Model reopening of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao would be a pilot with low numbers.

 

It started on July 15th and has now completed nearly a month. 

 

The Tourism Authority of Thailand said there would be just 1,000 visitors in the first month. These foreigners would spend 180 million baht, was the call. 

 

But even this has proved to be pie-in-the-sky with less than a third of their estimate.

 

So far just 279 tourists have gone directly to Samui and 11 to Phangan and 13 to Koh Tao. A total of 302 from July 15th to August 11th. 

 

Just a few more than ten a day. 

 

Fifteen arrived on a Bangkok Airways flight on Wednesday.

 

No foreign tourists at all arrived from the Phuket Sandbox with the total remaining at 257. 

 

Thai media reported that a change in EU advisories on July 17th that affected Thailand and Rwanda had dealt a blow to the Samui Plus Model. 

 

In reality foreign tourists are not coming even in the modest numbers predicted. 

 

Consequently with the pandemic still raging in Thailand further TAT predictions that everything will pick up in the fourth quarter (from October) and early next year must be treated with a large dose of skepticism, notes ASEAN NOW.