A severe drought and the peak travel season have left Koh Samui facing a water shortage that is affecting businesses, prompting tourism operators to call for greater investment in water infrastructure to keep pace with rising visitor numbers.
Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, vice-president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said tourism in Samui this year is performing better than usual despite the Middle East conflict, as the resumption of flights has encouraged tourists to plan their trips.
Unlike the low season in the Andaman provinces, June and July are considered the island's peak season, attracting robust occupancy rates, he said.
However, Samui is facing extremely dry weather caused by the El Niño phenomenon, resulting in a prolonged drought and reducing the volume of raw water available for consumption.
Demand for water increases annually, and even during off-peak months, visitor arrivals exceed those recorded before the pandemic, said Mr Ratchaporn.
The island is estimated to require 34,000 cubic metres of water per day, but the mainland can supply only 16,000 cu m daily via pipelines.
He said the Koh Samui branch of the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) is coordinating with PWA Surat Thani to increase water supplies to the island.
The authority is also repairing the island's damaged water production plants, which use a reverse osmosis process to convert seawater into freshwater.
The water distribution plan is being adjusted to ensure supplies are distributed efficiently to residents across all zones, said Mr Ratchaporn.
In addition, deputy interior minister Jeseth Thaiseth asked the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation to carry out artificial rainmaking operations when weather conditions permit.
According to the PWA, it plans to implement a seven-day strategy to distribute water alternately across three zones from Aug 3.
The northeastern zone, comprising Choeng Mon, Mad Lang and the airport departure area, receives water on Wednesdays, while neighbouring areas such as Chaweng Noi, Yaek Bo Phut, Fisherman's Village and the airport arrival area receive water on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. The remaining areas, covering the central and western parts of the island, receive water on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The authority advised operators and residents to conserve water and store adequate supplies during the scheduled water distribution periods.
Mr Ratchaporn said some hotel operators bought groundwater from private suppliers at a cost of 150-300 baht per cu m, compared with an average of 20-30 baht per cu m for tap water. The move creates a cost burden for operators, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which have chosen to absorb the additional expense to avoid affecting tourists.
He said there have been no significant booking cancellations linked to the water shortage.
"This problem is not simply a management failure, but rather the inability of infrastructure to keep pace with tourism growth," said Mr Ratchaporn.
Samui has a registered population of roughly 70,000, plus 400,000-500,000 workers and tourists during the high season, he noted.
The island has at least 600 licensed hotels with 24,000 rooms, excluding numerous homestays and pool villas.
Samui has more investment in the pipeline, including property developments, restaurants and airport expansion projects, which means the government needs to plan for long-term water security, including additional raw water storage facilities, reverse osmosis plants and underwater pipelines, in line with long-term tourism projections, said Mr Ratchaporn.
For the remainder of this year, Samui's forward bookings look robust, and visitor arrivals are expected to surpass the 4 million recorded last year, he said.