He carried on by saying that more ferries were on standby and if passenger numbers warranted they would be deployed. The chief port officer noted that the increased ferry services would benefit tourists coming to the island to celebrate Songkran as well as Thai workers returning to their hometowns.
Local police officers have set up tourist assistance booths at the port. Officers are on hand to offer directions or answer any other questions tourists have when they land on the Gulf of Thailand island.
The annual Songkran Festival runs between the 13 and 15 of April. The festival marks the Lanna Thai New Year of olden times. The world-famous water battles that take place over the festival period are a major draw for both Thai and international tourists.
The three-day holiday usually transforms into a whole week and Thais use the opportunity to travel. This puts undue pressure on public transport and tickets on the main routes are extremely hard to come by. 12GO ASIA offers travellers the chance of pre-booking their Samui ferry tickets plus bus or train tickets to locations like Chiang Mai, Phuket, Sukhothai or Pattaya.
Ferry companies lay on extra Koh Samui services for Songkran
News in Asia
The manager of Koh Samui’s main port says ferry operators are increasing the number of daily services for the duration of the Songkran Festival. Sompong Sandee explained that operators were laying on three additional ferries in each direction from the Suratthani mainland port of Donsak.