SAMUI ISLAND, 10 September 2018: While most of Thailand’s resorts struggle with an onslaught of mass tourism, Samui has remained a ‘calm in the middle of a gathering storm’ the latest C9 Hotelworks market update asserts.
Noting that low-cost airlines have tapped into Asia’s soaring consumer class in most destinations, creating dizzying growth numbers, the island’s privately-owned airport has allowed for a controlled and sustained development over the past five years.
According to C9 Hotelworks’ report ‘Samui Hotel Market Update 2018’, released at the weekend, international passenger arrivals at Samui’s airport doubled over five years ending 2016.
Last year it rose another 15%. Two factors that came into play in the airlift storyline was Bangkok Airways proliferation of code-share agreements along with a multiplication of regional direct routes.
Accessing the domino effect on hotel performance, according to leading hospitality data provider STR, there has been a defined uptick in Samui’s hotel performance over the past three years.
Thai Hotels Association data reflects a market-wide 7% increase in RevPAR as of the end of June, compared with year-on-year figures.
C9 Hotelworks’ managing director, Bill Barnett said: “Clearly the island’s appeal for upscale travellers stems from both intrinsic barefoot luxury that is complemented by global brands such as Four Seasons, W, Conrad, InterContinental and the recently opened Ritz-Carlton, but also a rising tide of wellness focused resorts.”
He added that further to the company’s market research, wellness properties such as Kamalaya, Samahita and Vikasa attracted year-round visits and have strong appeal overseas, trading far less seasonally than many of the legacy properties.
“Not only is occupancy a strong point, but also a longer average length of stay, loyalty in terms of returning guests and direct booking are key attributes.”
Looking ahead, C9’s research points out the growing influence of mainland China, which is linked to Bangkok Airways’ plan to expand airlift to that region.
This trend can be seen in airport international passenger arrivals that by the end of June saw Chinese visits to Samui grow by 58%.
Though, taking a step back, one of the traditional geographic source markets Germany also saw a year-on-year spike of 35% for the same period.
“At the end of the day, airlift, a strong brand offering and developing wellness sector bode well for a sustainable growth profile for Samui island,” said Barnett.
To download the full report, click on the following link:
https://www.c9hotelworks.com/downloads/samui-hotel-market-update-2018-09.pdf
(Source: C9 Hotelworks)
