The tropical island of Koh Samui as a tourist destination, just Twenty years ago, was only visited by a few intrepid backpackers. Koh Samui today is a developed island getaway attracting both budget travelers (staying in simple beachside bungalows) to the mega rich island goers dropping in for a weekend at a luxury resort or villa up in the hills.

Until 1940, there were no roads nor vehicles on Koh Samui. Its inhabitants lived there very modestly and almost without contact to the outside world. 

People moved on the island on foot or by boat by following the coast lines. Back then, to go from Maenam to Lamai, it took several hours of walking through the mountainous jungle. And going there and back in the same day was impossible. Tourism back then was virtually unknown, mainly because there was simply no convenient means to get to the island. 

Samui was discovered several hundred years ago as a place for fishermen and sea traders sailing through the Gulf of Thailand to gain shelter from the seasonal storms. Early Chinese and Malay settlers marveled at the island’s beauty and abundance, and there are those that believe the name is derived from word ‘Saboey’, which means ‘safe haven’ in the Chinese tongue. Maps of the island date as far back as the seventeenth century, but there is very little documented history of the island since most of the knowledge was passed down through the generations only by word of mouth.  

Coconut harvesting was the economic mainstay for centuries. The first communities that developed here survived mainly from what they could catch from the sea, then later planted crops, which flourished in the warm tropical climate. Tropical fruit became an important export industry and even today Samui is known throughout Thailand for succulent fruits such as ‘Lang Sat’ (a small round fruit similar to a lychee), and the infamous ‘durian’ with its pungent yellow flesh. 

Although the palm tree has come to be known as the symbol of Koh Samui, it wasn’t until relatively recently that coconuts became the most prolific fruit on the island. Over the years, farmers slowly turned the island into a huge coconut and rubber plantation. And with the crops fetching a good price, Thai people from the mainland began to arrive in numbers to prosper from the island’s economy. Samui now boasts more varieties of coconut palms than anywhere else in the world, although sadly an infestation of beetles now threatens many of these majestic tropical trees.  

In the early days it could take seven or eight hours to reach Koh Samui by boat from Surat Thani. So many of those that came to the island decided to stay and build a home, while living alongside their foreign neighbors in what was to become a strong and independent community.

Although Buddhism established itself as the principle religion, a small Muslim population also flourished and local spirits are still worshipped today in a tolerant blend of beliefs that adds to the island’s unique cultural appeal. 

The earliest tourists were backpackers in the 1970s when accommodation was more humble. Agriculture remained the main source of income for Samui people until the first real foreign travelers began to arrive in the early 1980s. Young, adventurous backpackers from Europe then established Samui as a favorite location, and before long the local people were providing basic accommodation, food and services to their newfound friends and customers. Samui became something of a hippy paradise during the late seventies and eighties, the laid-back lifestyle and natural surroundings attracting those in search of a real escape. Bungalows sprang up all over the island, and slowly the infrastructure began to develop with a more regular ferry service from the mainland and then finally, a private airport.

The last ten years have brought the biggest changes in the entire history of the island. When Thai and International investors began arriving to build five star resorts Koh Samui was quickly transformed from a sleepy fisherman’s island into a full-scale tourist destination. Once an airport was built (financed and owned privately by Bangkok Air) Samui’s future as a jetset island was sealed and property development has big business on the island. The range of facilities and services continually expands and already includes everything from international chain stores to wireless broadband Internet. Yet despite the fast pace of development, the island manages to retain much of its charm. Quaint local villages and coconut plantations are still very much evident, especially in the south of the island where most people continue to live by ‘island time’. This may not be the virgin paradise it once was, but Samui is still a great place to go to escape the bustle and stress of the modern world.