More on Koh Samui

with magnificent trees, even in Central Chaweng the tourist and commercial centre of the island. The beach is always close to your door.

The registered Thai population of Samui is just under 50,000 considerably out numbered by recent arrivals, mainly from Isaan in NE Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) Cambodia and Laos mostly working in the hospitality industries and building the many new hotels, resorts, expensive villas and retirement villas for Western and Asian retirees.

About 1,000 Westerners ( farang ) live permanently and work on Samui in tourism and hospitality, marketing, real estate, alternative medicine and education.

The local economy once based on a successful coconut industry, is now focused on recreational tourism, spas, long term retirement and medical tourism while traditional fishing and rice farming still make important contributions to the economy.

There are four major international standard hospitals on Samui catering for the lucrative Western and Middle Eastern medical tourism markets. Growing numbers of Thai, Asian and Western long stay retirees spend part or the whole year here while a major growth industry in Thailand , spas - health and wellness tourism - has seen Samui become the market leader in the region.