The Minister of Tourism has received proposals from the Koh Samui Tourism Promotion Association to make the archipelago a pilot territory for quality, safety and sustainability.
The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Surasak Pantchareonvorakul, met with the Koh Samui Tourism Promotion Association to examine ways to strengthen visitor safety on the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, in Surat Thani province.
Koh Samui remains a major destination in Thailand, particularly popular with European, Australian, Middle Eastern and Asian clients with high purchasing power. Faced with increased international competition, the association believes that service quality, safety and trust are now the decisive criteria for travellers.
To meet these requirements, the association presented the « Samui Model » project, intended to make the island a national pilot destination for quality, safe and sustainable tourism, as part of a « High Value Tourism » strategy.
This model is based on three main pillars: raising service standards to an international level, creating a "SAMUI QUALITY & SAFETY CERTIFIED" certification system and promoting tourism focused on quality rather than quantity. The fight against illegal constructions of the previous « Samui Model » (the one managed by the authorities of Surat Thani) is no longer relevant since the last elections…
In terms of safety, the association proposes the creation of a Tourist Safety Center Samui, an integrated coordination centre linking tourist police, hospitals, emergency services and local authorities. It also recommends deploying an intelligent surveillance camera network and launching the Samui Road Safety Initiative 2026 programme, which includes the Safe Rental Samui project to regulate vehicle rentals and improve road safety.
The association calls on the government to designate Koh Samui as a pilot zone, to fund safety measures and to develop the infrastructure needed for high-end tourism.
