Fishing has been the major source of income on Samui Island and later the islanders started to make money on their coconut business. During WWII, Samui was occupied by Japanese soldiers. Tourists started to come to Samui in early 70s. There were neither roads nor vehicles on the island until 1940 when the islanders came up with the first construction plans of a ring road. Later, the plans were abandoned because the terrain made it impossible to bring on to the island suitable construction machines. The first visitors were hippie backpackers but as tourist increased and the world woke up to Thailand’s tropical beauty, Samui gradually become a plush location. Still, it was difficult to get to until regular air services opened up in the late 1980s following the building of an airport financed by Bangkok Airways. Throughout the 1990s the island’s fortunes grew rapidly, first at Chaweng and Lamai and then spreading northwards to other beaches. The rapid transformation hasn’t entirely been good for the island, and many locals lament being left out as mafia types took control of land transactions and outside speculators made fortunes selling land to developers who eyed the foreign market. At the urging of honest local business people and the large ex-pat community, the island’s administration has begun cleaning up it’s act, while the many tourist seldom notice these shenanigans behind the scenes. What they experience is a modern and plush experience in line with the island’s self styled ‘Boutique Island’ image. Samui today is very different from Samui in the old days. The island is well-connected by road network and many types of transports are plentiful on the island. Now, Samui is one of the world-renowned tourist destinations alongside its success in coconut and rubber production. The island is easily accessible by plane and ferry and welcomes more than a million tourists from all over the world. | 
