The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has unveiled plans to attract Thai travelers to Koh Samui. The island will be transformed from an expensive upmarket destination for foreign visitors to an affordable getaway appealing to local holiday-makers, the Bangkok Post reports.
TAT and Bangkok Airways jointly developed several packages for tourists who want to experience the high-end tourism products and services Koh Samui has to offer.
Domestic tourists account for only 15% of all visitors to Samui, says Narin Tijayang, assistant director of TAT's Koh Samui office. The remaining 85% are foreigners, mostly Germans and Chinese. Tijayang hopes that the new tour packages and promotional campaigns to be launched later in the year will help to increase the proportion of Thai travelers to Samui to 25%. Or 3 million people a year.
Experts see the TAT plans as an attempt to enhance the domestic market and reduce the industry’s reliance on foreign visitors.