Koh Samui welcomes its first European cruise ship in 3 years

The tourists were met with much fanfare, activities and performances organised by the locals.

Also waiting to welcome them were Vice Adm Charaskiart Chaiyaphan, commander of the Thai Maritime Enforcement Commander Centre’s Naval Area 2, Koh Samui district chief Chayapol Intarasupha and Supakarn Yodchoon, director of the Koh Samui Tourism Office.

Local police officers were also at hand to provide protection.

The MV Viking is the first European cruise ship to arrive in Thailand since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out three years ago, Supakarn said. She added that more cruise ships can be expected to dock at Koh Samui from December to early next year.

She also said that the tourism industry in popular islands like Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao has started picking up.

She added that the number of foreign tourists visiting Koh Tao is very close to the numbers in 2019, while Koh Samui and Koh Pha-ngan are at 60% of pre-Covid levels.

The MV Viking Mars, which also has 470 crew members, departed from Athens, Greece on October 25 and stopped off in Israel, Egypt, Jordon, Oman, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore before docking on the resort island of Koh Samui.