Rare Experience in the Koh Samui Triathlon

Enjoy the Triathlon in Samui. It's one of the only ones held in Thailand annually
Photo Courtesy samuiindex.com

As any sports aficionado would know, joining a triathlon is a gruelling experience that can somehow be lightened in a competition held amid a fascinating venue like the island of Koh Samui in Thailand.  You need not be a competitor though to enjoy this annual event, which is usually, scheduled each April as yet another addition to the things to do in Koh Samui. 

Just watching the triathletes, many of which are also tourists, take up the challenge would be as exciting, with the series of sports discipline they had to undergo en route to the finish.  Seeing competitors huff and puff along the way would be enough for some spectators to wonder how these intrepid souls managed the will to get up in a fine morning and pursue a race that would surely faze the uninitiated.

Test of will and endurance

Conceivably, not a few of these triathletes are billeted at posh accommodations like the ShaSa Resort at Samui southern tip where they could have taken a more leisurely stroll along the beach. Yet, they have chosen to test themselves in a gauntlet of sports undertaking which starts with a four-kilometre swim, followed by a cycling leg for 122.6 kilometres. 

And to cap these all, there’s still a 30-kilometre marathon run to tackle, thereby compiling a total distance of 156.65 kilometres for the entire triathlon race. Given the triathlon’s incomparable test in athletic ability, it comes as no wonder that each finisher of this race, regardless of placings in the order of finish, are typically given the honorary title “Iron Man” (or “Iron Lady” for the females).

Fat purse for champions

The top finisher of the Koh Samui triathlon this year, Australia’s Courtney Atkinson, finished the race with a six-hour clocking and earned the 800,000 baht top prize. In the distaff side, Melissa Hauschildt was only 10 minutes behind Atkinson and pocketed half a million baht in prize money. With such a generous purse, it comes as no surprise that this Koh Samui event continuously draws the elite in the world of triathlon. This year, the world’s top ten of these competitors were among the total of 200 participants in the race.

The support of local and authorities has contributed much to the success and popularity of this race. The Samui municipal government along with the support of Department of Tourism–Ministry of Tourism and Sport, Thai Airways, and the Tourism Association of Koh Samui organizes the triathlon itself. 

Koh Samui: A Tropical Paradise to Discover

 

One of the best tropical paradises in the world is located in Koh Samui, Thailand

The island of Koh Samui in Thailand has a character so diverse that just a single visit is unlikely to be enough to fully unravel everything that this tropical paradise has to offer. For this reason, a great number of tourists return to this third largest among Thai islands. What they seek are repeated interludes with the storied Koh Samui attractions, which seem to be a continuing source of unending delights and surprises.

It isn’t uncommon too that many travellers have chosen to make a permanent home in Koh Samui and weave their life to this island offering more than just delight to the senses. Some stayed for good in Koh Samui because the living here is relatively easy and the way of life not only less expensive but also rich with the laid-back lifestyle not likely to be found in bustling metropolitan centers. Koh Samui offers a natural splendor that perfectly creates a setting conducive to a tempo so unhurried that life can be enjoyed each tick of the minute.

Where the island weaves magic

Moreover, visitors need not look hard at places by which to partake of the magical spell of Koh Samui. Splendid accommodations in the island are plenty, an epitome of which is the ShaSa Resort cradled by lush forests and greeneries at Koh Samui’s southern tip. Essentially, the island amazes with its combination of an agreeable climate, stunning panorama of mountains and seas, quaint local flora and fauna, as well as the ubiquitous pristine white beaches.

Then there’s the hospitality of the local residents, vaunted for their friendliness even to strangers. Partaking of their cuisine and charming local customs likewise can be a memorable experience. For those Westerners who chose to tarry a bit longer, the availability of expert but inexpensive medical care locally counts as yet another reason for an extended stay at Koh Samui. As appreciable, there are international institutions of learning in the island, facilities that helped convince many expatriates and foreigners that the island is indeed worth having as their permanent base.

An amazing fusion

But for the tourists at large, Koh Samui’s beckoning call will be the island’s many natural wonders and the leisure activities so deftly woven into it without sacrificing modern-day conveniences. Taking a trip to Koh Samui means the joy of swimming in crystal clear waters or diving its coral reels teeming with colorful marine life and other amazing sea denizens. A sojourn in the island likewise opens relaxing choices such as the spa treatments, which too have become a trademark to the generous offerings of Koh Samui.

Mapping Out Koh Samui Destinations

The easiest way to get around Koh Samui is by boat

Tourists or travellers arriving in Koh Samui can pretty much easily orient themselves to the various attractions in this island located at the east coast of Thailand. Those coming in by ferryboat will make their landfall at Koh Samui’s Nathon pier on the island’s west coast. Flying in, on the other hand, will mean landing at the Koh Samui international airport at the island’s northeastern peninsula.

Arrival by boat, hence, will mean immediately having a glimpse of the Lamai and Chaweng beaches located at the west coast of Koh Samui. Airline passengers, for their part, will have a bird’s eye view of a neighbouring island Koh Pangan which can be reached either by ferry from Nathon or shuttle boats from the Koh Samui northern beaches of Maenam and Bophut.

Moving around the island

Locating a Koh Samui hotel for accommodations or where an advanced reservation has been made won’t be much of a problem. There’s only one major circumferential road around the island. Tourists who prefer more luxurious lodging facilities will be pleased to note of the many options available, among which is ShaSa Resort at the southern end of Koh Samui.

Visitors arriving by plane will surely notice that the central part of Koh Samui is comprised of a mountainous tropical jungle, which sure is an inviting proposition for nature trekkers. However, this area is military land, and for those truly determined hikers, some prior clearance from authorities should be the first step to take. As a more convenient alternative, the nearby Koh Pangan Island also has forested areas for trekking, in addition to its beaches as equally fabulous as Koh Samui’s.

Mix of local transport modes

There are several modes of transport in moving around Koh Samui. Taxicabs are available, but the tourists should better be prepared to do some haggling on fares. As in many popular travel destinations, taxi drivers in the island are wont to charge tourists higher. They can ask between 200 and 300 baht for a single trip and forego using their taximeters, a practice frowned upon by local authorities yet it persists.

The less expensive option would be taking the local songthaews, modified pickup trucks with benches at the back. The fares charged in these public transport vehicles ranges from 50 to 60 baht. Renting a car or a motorcycle are also added options. Notably, traffic in the island flows on the left side, requiring extra caution for those accustomed to driving right-hand side.

Koh Samui Tourism Picks Up

 

Amazingly awesome Sunset in Koh Samui
Photo Courtesy thailandislandtravel.blogspot.com

Propelled by additional international flights and upgraded aircraft coming in, the travel industry in Koh Samui island, a popular tourist destination in Thailand, showed substantial improvement last year, as per indicators from C9 Hotelworks, a consulting firm. Its analysis of tourist bookings in 2012 revealed that the island’s hotel occupancy rate stood at a record high of 68% which is significantly above the 59% clip recorded in 2011.

According to Bill Barnett, C9 managing director, the uptick in Koh Samui hotel occupancy is traceable to the ongoing fleet upgrade of Bangkok Airways for its flights bound for the island. With this move, over 189,000 airline seats annually are being made available for island-bound tourists.

New urban offerings

There are other factors which can further stimulate tourist inflow into Koh Samui, Barnett added. Local tourist facilities, like the ShaSa Resort at the island’s southern tip, will likely derive benefit from the 48,000-square-metre shopping complex being developed by the Central Group. Island projects such as these will bring in more urban offerings and, in the process, draw more Asian middle class visitors.

At present, the pristine white beaches of Koh Samui and water-based leisure activities are the primary drivers to its tourism industry in. Its profile of visitors is generally of European origin, principally Germany and the UK. Domestic tourists or those from other parts of Thailand constitute another important segment of the island’s travel industry market. These locals, combined with the Germans and the British, account for 27% of tourist arrivals in Koh Samui in 2012.

Notably, the island’s guests from the Russian Federation are also poised to grow in significance too. Last year, these tourists accounted for 15% of the total visitors in Phu Ket, another Thai tourist hub.

Meeting power demand

It is likewise notable that tourist industry players are laying the groundwork for the further influx of foreign visitors. For accommodations, 459 new rooms are set to be added to the current 17,479 rooms in the next two years.

Also, a new power distribution station has been opened, thereby addressing the issue of power blackouts which hit Koh Samui late last year to the detriment of the travel trade. This new station will be served by a 54-kilometre power cable from a generator in the mainland. All in all, this project costs 4.2 billion baht and will not only benefit Koh Samui but also its neighboring Koh Phangan. This facility can reportedly provide the power capacity sufficient enough to meet the local demand for the next ten years. 

Hike Looms in Koh Samui Hotel Rates

Pleasing view from the ShaSa hotel 

The durability of recent gains of the tourism industry in Koh Samui, one of the major travel destinations in Thailand, is expected to be tested in the coming months. The rates of Koh Samui hotel accommodations have remained relatively flat in previous years, but this will soon change. Notably, between 16,000 and18,000 tourism guest rooms are available in the island. The occupancy rate during the 2013 first quarter was estimated at 85–90%, up 10 percentage points from the same period last year.

Plans are afoot among upscale tourist establishments, like the popular ShaSa Resort at the island’s southern district, to increase their charges this year. Hotels with five- and four-star ratings intend to raise their rates by between 8% and 12% to cope with rising operating costs, mainly brought about by higher minimum wage of their workers.

Effect of baht value gains

The island’s lower-end hotels, on the other hand, are stymied from increasing their rates following the recent value appreciation of Thailand baht currency. Upscale hotels are currently charging room rates of from 4,500 to 7,500 baht. With the looming rate increases, tourism industry players in Koh Samui fear that the price level may lower their competitiveness in the international travel industry.

The president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, Tanongsak Somwong, is one of those most apprehensive about the rising value of the baht. It’s his hope, he said, that the uptrend of Thai currency won’t last too long as it erodes the purchasing power of visiting tourists upon their funds’ conversion.

Power supply issue resolved

In the past, local hotels are very much wary of raising their rates for fear of losing much of the inflow of tourists coming from the U.S. and Europe, countries of origin which have been experiencing financial difficulties. The recent rise in the value of the baht, hence, is a source of genuine concern, particularly for those hotels serving the lower-end of the market.

Unlike the four- and five-star hotels, these tourist-lodging establishments cannot increase room rates, as their prospective guests are more price-sensitive. High-end hotels, in contrast, have a well-to-do clientele more likely able to absorb the impact of the hike in room rates.

Fortunately, the concern on power outages, which hounded Koh Samui, is now being addressed. Last year, a significant number of tourists left the island with an unexpected failure in the local power grid. Electric supply has normalized and measures are being mapped out for any contingency occurring later.