BANGKOK, 21 August 2013 The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is actively working on a marketing strategy aimed at attracting local and international tourists to Koh Samet. Although the island’s beaches have been cleaned up after the recent devastating oil slick that closed Phrao Bay, the number of tourists has substantially declined. Therefore, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been entrusted by the ministry to step up efforts to regain tourists’ trust and confidence that there are still plenty of safe beaches to travel to around Koh Samet. The TAT will also have to promote Koh Samet as a great holiday destination prior to the high season.
Minister of Tourism and Sports, Mr.Somsak Pureesrisak said that the ministry has prepared several marketing plans to bring back Thai and international visitors to Koh Samet. For example, a party concert under the theme “Samet we love” will be organized on Sai Kaew beach in order to show that there are other beaches on the island which are still clean and safe to travel to.
As for the international market, the TAT Rayong office and representatives of the Koh Samet tourism sector will travel to Japan, to take part in the “Jatar Tradeworld Showcase”, which is the biggest promotional event in Japan to be held from the 12-15 September 2013. Then, the TAT office and tour agents from Koh Samet will travel to Russia for the ‘Leisure Moscow’ event and will later attend the PATA Travel Mart at Chengdu in China to portray a fresh image for Koh Samet. Minister Somsak termed the planned visits to those events as very crucial as Thailand’s high tourist season is coming within a month. The minister added that he will raise the plan with the PTT Public Company Limited which will be the sponsor of this project, as has been approved by the cabinet.
Surveys show that there has been a reduction in the number of tourists to Koh Samet by 60-70 percent. The reduction have forced hotels and resorts to slash their accommodation charges by over 50 percent but the number of tourist have not improved. The situation has also affected the overall tourism in Rayong province. The weekend’s earnings from tourism in Rayong province have reduced by up to 60 percent.
