POWER was reportedly back in Samui at 4am today, with major hotels heaving a sigh of relief as many were worried their back-up generators could not keep up much longer due to a fuel shortage on the island.
Tour operators and hoteliers said though the debacle was disappointing, no cancellations had been received for the imminent peak holiday season.
The three-day black-out was caused when a section of an underground high-voltage cable out to sea, which provides electricity to Samui and Phangan, ruptured. Surat Thani Governor Chatpong Chatphut declared the two islands a disaster zone after engineers failed to restore electricity on Thursday. The Bangkok Post reported on Wednesday that “tourists were rushing to leave the island”.
Said Chris Bailey, senior vice president, sales & marketing, Centara Hotels and Resorts: “It was very disappointing, especially as both of our units (hotels) were impacted and running high occupancy. Fortunately we had back-up generators at both units and were able to supply most of the services at the resorts.”
“Overall customers had been very understanding as they knew that it was beyond the control of individual resorts. However the length of time to resolve was frustrating and disappointing to all concerned, guests and business operators on the island alike.
“We have not seen any cancellations for the upcoming peak season.”
Exotissimo Thailand’s general manager Michael Lynden-Bell said: “A small number of agents contacted us to check on their clients but there was little panic. I believe this will not have any major impact on the image of Samui and we haven’t seen any cancellations.”
Said Martin Kunzmann, resident manager of Amari Palm Reef Koh Samui: “From our side there wasn’t much of an impact as the hotel had a full generator back-up, meaning all services were available as normal. The only real effect to guests were, not being able to use ATMs and other outside services not powered by a generator. Fortunately most people I spoke to were in a forgiving frame of mind – the weather is fabulous and they are just getting on with enjoying their holiday.”
The incident however has renewed calls for Samui to develop a stronger infrastructure that will support its growth and maintain its image as a world-class resort.
Utilities, both water and electricity, are deemed insufficient to meet population growth and
