The mayor of Koh Samui, Chayapon Intharasupa, said he received information that four Thai visitors were about to drown at Chawaeng Beach. All of them were rescued by local jet ski riders and rescue personnel. Three women and one male were admitted to the hospital in total. The women were all well, but Jakkapan Boonchanya, the male, was thought to be in grave condition and unlikely to survive. According to the holidaymakers’ family members, the group had swum too far from the beach and been hit by a large wave. Four Thai tourists went swimming in heavy waves despite a red flag warning on the beach at Chawaeng Beach on Koh Samui in the southern district of Surat Thani on Wednesday. One of the passengers drowned, but the remaining four were saved. According to staff at a jet ski rental company on the beach, one foreigner was also rescued not long before an incident involving Thai guests. According to employees of a nearby jet ski rental business, several people, both Thai and international, perished at the beach owing to strong gusts and waves, as well as deep water near the beach. Red flag warnings are prevalent, he claims, but many tourists disregard them. They attempted, but failed, to return to land by swimming. As a result, they shouted out for rescue and asked adjacent jet ski riders for assistance, who dispatched a boat to bring them back in.

In addition to the Thai groups, he said there had been another rescue earlier in the day. All tourists should be aware of red flags and other cautions, according to the mayor of Koh Samui. In order to avert repeat accidents, he asked homeowners and store owners along the beach to assist in the care of tourists. A passing jet ski rider saved the unlucky victim, who was a foreigner. He went on to explain that he had also urged visitors not to swim, but that several of them had resisted, insisting that they could swim well enough.

The lack of direct flights is the most significant impediment to Australians visiting the Land of Smiles. Following Thailand’s massive efforts to entice Saudi tourists to the nation, the tourism industry in Phuket is anticipating a surge in Saudi visitors. It also hopes to attract more Australian visitors, who have long been a mainstay of the island’s tourism industry. Australia is currently the second largest market for Phuket, according to Suladda Sarutilavan, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Sydney office. Last month, Indians were reported to be Phuket’s largest group of visitors, a trend that has been expanding since the start of the year and the reintroduction of daily flights from major Indian cities.

There are now only direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Phuket and Bangkok. According to Suladda, TAT encouraged Thai Airways to begin direct flights from Perth, where demand for flights to Phuket is high. He asserted that Bali, Fiji, and Vietnam are all formidable competitors. The Foreign Ministry is working on issuing Saudis visa waivers, according to Chaiwat. As a result of the visa exemptions, he believes that the number of Saudi visitors visiting Thailand might reach 200,000 each year. In the first 18 days of May, 4,951 Australian travelers were reported to have visited Phuket. Meanwhile, TAT’s director for Dubai and the Middle East office projected that from June to August, the number of Middle Eastern visitors visiting Thailand would rise. Between May 1 and May 25, 11,994 Saudi tourists arrived in Thailand for the Eid al-Fitr vacation (the end of Ramadan). Phuket tourism authorities are crossing their fingers for such promises as they prepare to host two big tourism events in the next week. TAT is aiming its marketing efforts towards Australian digital nomads, millennials, wellness tourists, wedding and honeymoon vacations, and sports enthusiasts. On June 6-8, the Thailand Tourism Congress 2022 will be held, followed by the Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2022 on June 8-10. From June to July, TAT is collaborating with Wego, a renowned online travel agency with over one million monthly users, and Saudia on a sales drive.