The captivating Thai district of Koh Kut experienced a surprising 50% decrease in traffic from European travelers this year, as reported by Dechathon Chan-ob, the chairman of tambon Koh Kut administrative organization. An owner of a popular resort on the island, Chan-ob grappled with the decrease in tourism that used to teem the paradisiacal terrains of Koh Kut, slashing their previous year’s visitors from a whopping figure of 160,000-170,000 to nearly half.
The serene and bewitching abode of Koh Kut along with its sister island Koh Mak, boast of a beauty that could only be imagined. Yet, their allure managed to entice nearly 100,000 globe trotters this year, reaching an all-time high count since the dreaded blow of the Covid-19 pandemic. Chan-ob attributed this unexpected increase to the lifted travel restrictions that used to hinder the Bachanalian voyagers from reaching these beautiful islands.
Unfortunately, an unanticipated slump befell on this sea-enclosed paradise as it experienced a massive drop of half of its usual foreign visitors, majorly those hailing from Europe, this year. Even the ordinarily increased flourish of activity throughout October did little to lift the languishing sector. “The sprawling island, usually a major hot spot for foreign tourists especially around October and November, is facing a downswing. This can be discerned from the low turnover reported by local restaurants and vehicle rental services,” Chan-ob recounted, genuine worry tainting his voice.
Digging into the plummeting figures, Chan-ob laid bare the suspected causes – the boiling Ukraine-Russia conflict, the fresh memories of the horrific Bangkok shopping mall shooting and the ever-rising tension related to the Hamas-Israel clashes. He lamented the fact that even during the cooler seasons when foreign tourists flock to Trat while locals usually prefer to travel further north, the rising temperature in December failed to significantly boost the domestic visitor count.
Striking a hopeful chord, Chan-ob urged the Srettha government to take a leaf from the Prayut administration and implement similar tourism promotion schemes. He believes the sparkling lure of visa exemption might not be sufficient to roll out the red carpet for foreign tourists, especially considering the current global scenario.
Contrasting the gloom over Koh Kut, Koh Mak seems to bask in the glory of its increased visitor count, rose by a remarkable 20% this year. Accredited to its recent recognition by the prestigious Green Destinations Foundation and its partners, Koh Mak made it to its Top 100 Destination Sustainability Stories 2022, according to Non Suwatnanon, the chairman of Koh Mak TAO. Adding to its laurels, the island won the coveted second place in the category of Governance, Reset & Recovery, at the Green Destinations Story Awards held at ITB Berlin 2023 in Germany, trailing behind only Normandy in France.
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