A cruise brings 600 tourists to the island of Koh Samui

Koh Samui was visited by Viking Cruises as part of their Secrets of Southeast Asia itinerary. Sunday’s port call allowed more than 600 passengers to disembark and enjoy the Thai island location. Nathon Pier, located on the western side of Koh Samui, greeted the big ship with a warm welcome when it docked. Alongside the district chief officer Chayaphol Intarasupha, tourism sector officials were present to meet and greet travelers as they disembarked to begin exploring the island. According to Thai PBS World, the local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized some special gifts for tourists to enjoy while in Thailand. The ship passengers were treated to a variety of cultural acts, including a dance piece done by Nora traditional southern dancers. Tourism-related businesses also made an effort to greet arriving passengers. After a time of relative tranquility caused by the epidemic, Koh Samui recently saw the return of its first large cruise ship. The MV Viking Mars, according to the website of the Switzerland-based company Viking Cruises, is a smaller ship with a passenger capacity of 930. According to the firm, this “allows us to dock where larger ships cannot.” It started in Singapore and traveled to Samui. Phuket, located in southern Thailand, welcomed its first cruise ship following the outbreak in October. Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas carried approximately 4,600 passengers to the island. Phuket is expected to be visited weekly by the ship.

Additional law enforcement officials have been stationed at key locations across the island to ensure that the port call of the cruise ship, which has 600 passengers and 400 crew members on board, proceeds smoothly and without incident. According to the director of the local TAT office, this inaugural cruise ship is a prelude to future developments. Beginning next month and continuing into the following year, it is projected that the number of cruise ships visiting Koh Samui and the nearby islands of Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao will increase.