Lanta thriving as a break from busy Phuket

Business News - Thursday December 20, 2007

Lanta thriving as a break from busy Phuket

CHADAMAS CHINMANEEVONG

Excessive development on Phuket has proved a blessing for nearby Lanta island, which offers quiet, back-to-nature surroundings. For Pimalai, one of the few luxury hotel properties on the island, this means higher occupancy and a bright future.

The Pimalai Resort & Spa posted 70% occupancy this year, up from 30% in the six months after the December 2004 tsunami.

Today, Koh Lanta is well-known as a diving destination and the island's rainforest park is attractive to western visitors.

''I believe that Koh Lanta will be a world-class destination like Phuket and Samui island soon,'' said Paninart Tiyaphorn, the managing director of Pimalai.

Most hotels on Koh Lanta are guest houses and mid-scale hotels with room rates ranging from 500 to 2,500 baht per night. The pices are often below those of Phuket or Samui, said Ms Paninart.

Even before the hotel was built, she saw the island's strong tourism potential. Its small size means that it is unlikely to become overcrowded with buildings or hotels.

The lack of luxury hotels on Koh Lanta means more business for Pimalai.

''I want to make this resort heaven on earth,'' Ms Paninart said with a smile.

The resort is worth 850 million baht and is located on a 200-rai plot on Ba Kan Tiang Beach. Established in 1999, it offers 118 units or 140 rooms, two restaurants, a fitness centre and a Thai spa. Unit sizes range from 48 to 650 sq m and room rates are 15,000 to 90,000 baht per night in the high season. Low-season rates range from 8,500 to 90,000 baht. Nearly 80% of its guests are foreigners and the rest are Thai.

Ms Paninart expects the resort will break even within eight years.

The rooms are sold through travel agents and its website. The latter offers a package of three days and two nights for 21,900 baht for Thais and a package of five days and four nights for foreigners at 30,000 baht.

This year, the resort received the World Travel Award 2007, which designated it Thailand's leading resort. She believes the award will help promote Koh Lanta as a world-class destination and thus benefit local people.

''More than 70% of the land is a natural garden. The resort's focus is on natural surroundings,'' Ms Paninart said.

Krabi province, where Koh Lanta is located, had 10,962 rooms in 2006, or 11% more than the year before. Last year, 1.73 million tourists visited Krabi, including 940,530 foreigners.

Tourists usually stayed in Krabi for three to four days and spent about 3,000 baht per day. Tourist-related businesses generated revenue of 19.8 billion baht for the province.

Bangkok Post