Koh Samui current priced

#4 Let's celebrate then

I'll celerate when the last beach front concrete hotel is demolished, but I'm not holding my breath.

If I wanted high rise concrete buildings along the beach, I'd go to Spain.

• I'll celerate when the last beach front concrete hotel is demolished

How about the hundreds if not thousands of people that work in those hotels and make a living for them and their families?
Should they celebrate too?

When was the last time you visited Samui thaibeachlovers. As of today, there's a 12 meter max height allowance to build around the island. Maybe you confuse Samui with Hua Hin, Phuket or Pattaya?

#11 When I first visited Samui in the early 90s there was a good mix of accomodation from upmarket resorts to backpacker places like Charlie's. I stayed at JR Palace which was a beautiful place with a large open air restaurant made from natural materials.
However, the common thread of all the accomodation was that it was virtually invisible from the beach, and nothing was over the tree level.
So they were employing thousands of people back then without destroying the environment.

Then came the greedies and the trees went away, Charlie's went away, the prices went up and up and the buildings were completely in your face horrible concrete monstrosities.

It is possible to employ people in the tourism business without destroying the very thing that made the beach popular in the first place.

#12 Sorry about the confusion and I'll rephrase my comment to
"If I wanted concrete buildings along the beach I'd go to Spain ( or Hua Hin, Patong, Pattaya ).

Fair enough, greed has indeed damaged a lot around Thailand, not only Samui. At least the height restriction is still in place, although right now that may be going to be jeopardized.

QUOTE - "How about the hundreds if not thousands of people that work in those hotels and make a living for them and their families?
Should they celebrate too? "
------------------
A lot of them are not locals , what about the hundeds of locals that used to work and make a living running ordinary bungalows and restaurants who couldn't afford to upgrade , or who were pushed out by high rents . There are winners and losers , its simplistic to suggest its all progress and all the locals benefit . I can't count the number of times I have said that to Tools4Fools.
To take an example from Bali , the Govenor of Bali once said that upmarket tourism was in some ways killing Bali .

Dave, I'm confident that there are more locals profiting from tourism now than 1980. Plus a whole bunch of workers from other provinces.
Only a few got rich but many many more make a living and I doubt they want to loose their jobs.

Now go ahead and talk to yourself.

No response about all those who got forced off by high rents and land prices.

There was a guy selling beer in downtown Singapore in 1911 for 10 cents.
There's two scenarios to what happened to him.
Maybe you can work them out.