changing Samuikoh samui was discove

changing Samui
koh samui was discovered around 1500 years ago when fishermen and traders sailing through the gulf of Thailand would take shelter on the island from storms. in these early days it could take seven or eight hours to reach samui by boat from the mainland capital,surat thani,which is why so many decided to stay and build a home. though fishing has always been an important part of local culture,agriculture has been the main source of income for samui's local. That is until the first group of foreign travellers set foot on the island in the early 1970 s. These were young adventurous backpackers from Europe who fell in love with " island time " and the exotic beaches. soon the local people were providing basic accommodation,food and sevices to their newfound friends and customers.and so samui became a hippy paradise during the 70s and 80s .bungalows were built all over the island , and slowly the roads began to develop with a more regular ferry service from the mainland , followed by the airport. The last ten years have brought big changes. Thai and international investors began arriving to build five-star resorts,and so koh samui changed from a sleepy fisherman's island to a busy tourist destination. And the numbers speak for themselves. Koh samui's local population is between 40,000 and 45,000 , and during peak tourist season this figure can easily reach 500,000!