Long weekend draws thousands to Koh Kut and Koh Mak

TRAT — Thailand’s first three-day holiday weekend of the 2026 high season has brought a surge of tourists to Koh Kut and Koh Mak, with ferry operators expecting between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors to travel to the two islands over the three-day break.

At 09:30 on 10 October, hundreds of Thai and foreign tourists gathered at Ban Laem Sok pier in Trat’s Mueang district to board the first boats operated by three companies: Boonsiri High Speed Ferries, Seudam Go and Koh Kut Express.

The holiday runs from 11 to 13 October, with 13 October marking the anniversary of the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great. The long weekend coincides with the school break and marks the first major holiday period of Trat’s high season.

At 09:45, speedboats began carrying visitors to Koh Kut. A second group of more than 600 passengers departed at 10:45 for Koh Kut and Koh Mak, with Boonsiri also operating services to Koh Mak.

Hundreds more passengers were waiting for later departures, prompting Boonsiri to add an extra sailing to meet demand.

Atthaphon Klinthap, manager of Boonsiri High Speed Ferries, said bookings and passenger numbers had risen noticeably as the high season began. He estimated that 3,000–4,000 tourists would visit Koh Kut and Koh Mak during the three-day holiday, with Thai visitors making up the majority.

He said the increase was an encouraging sign after some businesses on the islands suspended operations during the green season and were now reopening for visitors. The school break had also made it easier for Thai families to take holidays.

Bookings for the year-end period and New Year holidays were already coming in from both domestic and international travellers. Atthaphon expected tourism to become busier from late October, although the extent of the recovery would partly depend on continued government support for tourism.

He also noted an increase in tourists returning from the islands on weekdays, suggesting that travel demand was spreading beyond weekends.

Meanwhile, tourism on Koh Chang remained relatively quiet.

Thawisak Wongwilas, owner of Sahngad Koh Chang hotel and restaurant and vice-president of the Trat Tourism Business Association, said visitor numbers had yet to pick up significantly. Recent flooding in eastern Thailand and reports of flooded roads leading to Trat may have discouraged some travellers, even though the flooding had subsided.

Some tourists may have chosen other destinations instead, he said, while Russian visitors had continued arriving in substantial numbers.

Thawisak expected visitor numbers to increase after the Loy Krathong festival and predicted that the year-end period could be stronger than last year, with hotel rooms likely to be fully booked. Businesses on Koh Chang have also prepared activities to attract more visitors during the high season.