- Property News
Thailand’s new luxury lies in wellbeing, culinary tourism, and brands
For Thailand to seize the potential of luxury tourism and hospitality in 2025, the country needs to go deeper with high-equity branded residences, regenerative wellness and culinary tourism set to determine the destiny of the country becoming Asia’s luxury tourism hub. The importance of brands in Thailand is turning Bangkok into a global playground city while the shift in values…
- Property News
Some like it hot: Phuket property market in 2024
As we stepped into 2025, it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at the hottest property trends in Thailand’s largest leisure destination—Phuket. One of the most notable developments is the increasing presence of major Thai-listed property groups on the island, following an oversupply of properties in Bangkok. At the same time, banks are tightening credit to domestic real…
- Property News
The Phuket southern shift: More than just real estate
Over the past two years, Phuket’s real estate market has experienced a remarkable surge, with rising prices and growing demand. As tropical islands evolve over time, certain areas mature and develop, and much of the recent focus has been on the northwest, particularly the Bangtao area. For property buyers, location is often influenced by proximity to key amenities such as…
- Phuket Travel
Phuket evolves into a global wellness tourism leader
Wellness tourism is in great shape. One of the fastest growing areas of the wellness tourism industry, the sector has grown from a niche market for committed health seekers to become a 219 trillion baht (US$6.3 trillion) global powerhouse. At the heart of this revolution is Asia Pacific, which accounts for 30% of the worldwide market and where pioneering destinations…
- Property
Driving sales: Thai real estate shifts gears with fashion and wellness brands
Thailand’s real estate developers are expanding beyond familiar hotel brands into the realms of iconic automotive, fashion, and wellness labels, as they seek identities that resonate with luxury property buyers. Listed property group Ananda made global headlines with their ultra-luxury offering, Porsche Design Tower Bangkok, with eye-catching prices reaching 1 million Thai baht per square metre (approximately US$33,000 per square…
- International Education
Why Asia’s resort destinations are tapping into the growth of international schools
A key indicator of Bangkok’s growing economic maturity is the rapid rise in international schools both in the city and across Thailand and the region. It’s no longer limited to wealthy local families and expatriates, these schools are now drawing in a diverse student body, fueled by the surge in global migration. Branded education is highly prioritised by Thais, contributing…
- Thailand Hotels
PHIST 2024 calls for sustainable development in Thailand
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” Joni Mitchell once sang—a line that now eerily echoes the over-development plaguing Thailand’s top tourist hotspots. With the recent catastrophic floods in Phuket raising alarm bells, are these disasters a grim glimpse of the future? And is anyone paying attention to the growing environmental crisis? These questions took centre stage at…
- Events
Mind the Gap: Diversity leaders confirmed to speak at hospitality’s biggest gender equality event
Phuket Hotels Association, the non-profit organisation of hoteliers focused on creating a positive future for Phuket, and C9 Hotelworks, the award-winning hospitality consultancy, has confirmed the final line-up of speakers and moderators for this year’s edition of Mind the Gap: Women & Diversity in Hospitality, including some of the industry’s most inspiring female executives, entrepreneurs and diversity leaders. It can…
- Events
PHIST strikes again with Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainable tourism event
PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainability event for the travel and hospitality sectors, will return to spark conversation and drive the green agenda this September, with an impressive line-up of key figures and industry innovators led by Peng Sum Choe, CEO of Pan Pacific Hotels Group. Organised by the Phuket Hotels Association, the non-profit organisation…
- Property News
Mind the gap: Gender equality event returns to tackle key issues faced by women in the workplace
Phuket Hotels Association, the non-profit organisation of hoteliers focused on creating a positive future for Phuket, and C9 Hotelworks, the award-winning hospitality consultancy, will continue to drive the agenda for equality, diversity and inclusivity in the hospitality industry as it hosts the second annual edition of Mind the Gap: Women & Diversity in Hospitality, an important and empowering conference that…
- Koh Samui Travel
Koh Samui’s tourism renaissance: An island reawakens
Koh Samui, Thailand’s renowned resort island, is experiencing a remarkable revival in tourism. The island has witnessed a 69% year-on-year increase in visitor numbers during the first four months of 2024, driven by an influx of domestic tourists, the opening of new international markets, and improved air connectivity. In 2023, Samui hosted 3,541,821 visitors, a balanced mix of domestic and…
- Property News
Phuket’s real estate world’s collide as off-plan sales flatten in wake of growing resales
Phuket’s massive influx of new real estate development is witnessing rising competition from the secondary marketplace. The collision between off-plan property sales and resales is inevitable given the sheer number of units being completed and a growing critical mass of older properties. Comparing primary and re-sale transactions on the island from the first four months of the year compared to…
- Phuket Travel
Phuket tourism market edging towards recovery in 2024
Phuket’s tourism industry is undergoing an ongoing rebound, with last year’s airport passenger arrivals edging towards pre-pandemic figures according to a new report from consulting group C9 Hotelworks. While hitting 7 million, it was still short of the 9 million mark set in 2019. This year the trend is continuing with 1.62 million arrivals to date in February, compared to…
- Property News
Updated trends in Phuket’s rental property market
Given the backdrop of a booming Phuket real estate sector, one area that is often overlooked is the rental market. Despite a vibrant vacation short-stay segment, there remains a strong demand for extended and long-stay rentals across the island. Rental demand coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced a sustained uplift and has continued to perform well. Despite a return…
- Property News
Inside the numbers: the potential of a Phuket property bubble
One of the most common questions I am asked these days is about a potential Phuket real estate bubble. While it’s a popular buzz term, so many who ask the question don’t understand what a bubble is. The most notable real estate bubble in recent history was the subprime housing crisis in the United States in 2007. In other sectors,…
- Property News
Phuket’s branded residences supply tops USD2.3 Billion
Phuket has seen an unprecedented onslaught of overseas buyers transform the island into the largest leisure-branded residential real estate market in the world. The current supply of branded properties has now eclipsed a staggering USD2.3 billion and is expected to grow further according to new data from hospitality consulting group C9 Hotelworks. One of the most compelling storylines of Phuket’s…
- Thailand Hotels
Banyan Tree Founder developing USD2 billion international commmunity in Bangtao Phuket’s emerging Thonglor Lifestyle District
The resort island of Phuket which once was highly tourism dependent, has quickly evolved into a global hotspot as an international community for a rising tide of global citizens. Taking flight is a migration megatrend that is being driven not only by geopolitical events worldwide but a series of other emerging segments. Those highlighted in C9 Hotelworks latest research include…
- Property
A record is set with a groundbreaking 11 billion baht investment for Gardens of Eden
In a strategic move that underscores the burgeoning maturity of Phuket as a sought-after multicultural lifestyle destination, Amal Group of Companies has introduced Gardens of Eden on Bangtao Beach. This sprawling 73-rai luxury wellness residential and hospitality community is set to redefine large-scale developments on super prime locations on the island, with an investment capital of THB11 billion (US$315 million).…
- Events
Thailand tourism forum 2024: AI and lifestyle hotels spotlight
Bangkok will once again play host to the upcoming Thailand Tourism Forum 2024. Topping the event whose theme is ‘Time for Growth’ will be Aditip Panupong from Google giving insight into how AI is changing the country’s tourism sector. Featuring the leading stakeholders and speakers from across the industry, including Patrick Both, Area General Manager, Luxury & Lifestyle Thailand, IHG…
- Sponsored
How Phuket’s once tourism-reliant Greater Bangtao is tranforming into an international ‘Gold-Coast’ community
Phuket’s once-quiet beachside west coast community of Bangtao is experiencing an unparalleled surge in real estate development. According to new research from C9 Hotelworks, there are currently 7,842 condominium units (click to see upcoming project map). Added to the supply influx are just over 2,400 upscale and luxury homes, which equate to a pipeline of more than 10,000 residential units…
- Tourism News
South East Asian hotels and resorts urged to grasp the “Green Premium”
Hotels and resorts around Southeast Asia are failing to understand the “green premium” and how to leverage it to attract quality guests, according to leading figures in the region’s hospitality industry. The message that hotels and resorts are falling behind counterparts in other parts of the globe when it comes to capitalizing on the benefits associated with sustainable tourism was…
- Events
Farm-to-table movement takes centre stage at PHIST 2023
The flourishing farm-to-fork movement will take centre stage at PHIST 2023 (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism), as a group of leading chefs demonstrate how Michelin ratings can raise the bar for sustainability and social responsibility in Thailand. PHIST 2023, Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainability event for the travel and hospitality sectors, returns to Phuket on 4th September with an energizing full-day…
- Travel
Exploring Niseko’s outdoor adventures: A sizzling summer getaway for Thai travelers
Amidst the bustling expanse of Bangkok’s mega-malls, an ever-present trend captures the attention of passersby’s, Hokkaido culinary treats. Thais have long had an insatiable appetite for Japanese cuisine, but a closer look reveals a burgeoning fascination with Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. This growing attraction owes much to the favorable Thai baht to Japanese yen exchange rate and the increasing airlift…
- Tourism News
Thriving start-up culture flourishes in Thailand’s surf capital: Khao Lak
As the rainy monsoon season blankets the Southern coast of Thailand’s Andaman Sea, the high-energy surf season springs to life in Khao Lak. At the heart of this burgeoning aqua sports scene is Memories Beach in Pakarang, a magnetic locale that captivates a diverse mix of enthusiastic Thai and foreign travelers. In recent years, Khao Lak’s surf scene has experienced…
- Press Room
Family and folklore define pioneering hotel design at South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery
With craft, community and a deeply held intrinsic value for the cultural mores and history of the island, South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is shaping up to be anything but a cookie-cutter hotel. Six world-class innovation and sustainability leaders in architecture, interior design and green development have gathered to create a hotel like no other – weaving the…
- Thailand Travel
How can Thailand’s super-aged solve the hotel staff crisis?
While Thailand’s hotel and tourism recovery is moving forward at a faster-than-expected pace, the country’s acute hospitality staff shortage continues to worsen by the day. In what can best be termed a ‘people business’, hotel owners and operators and wondering where have all the people gone. It’s a worrisome trend and is only going to get worse as mass tourism…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui: The secret island gem of Southeast Asia’s hospitality scene
Over the past week, we have been compiling our latest hospitality, tourism, and hotel research on Thailand’s second-largest island, Koh Samui. The island remains a bit of a ‘little-big’ anomaly in Southeast Asia’s massive resort island arsenal. Despite hosting famed global hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, W, InterContinental, and Banyan Tree, its smallish private airport capacity has somehow…
- Thailand Travel
Robust Phuket tourism numbers in Q4 last year and high winter season set the stage for recovery by year-end
Press Release PHUKET Thailand’s leading resort island of Phuket’s post-pandemic tourism recovery has been headlined by a surge in Russian travellers in the high season. But the backstory is how a spike in regional visitors from India, Malaysia, and Singapore set the stage in Q4 of last year that pushed hotels and the service sector back into action. Data on…
- Events
Thailand tourism forum pushes innovation centerstage as industry leaders debate the future of hospitality
Press Release Thailand’s largest annual tourism and hospitality event brings 800 delegates together for a fast-paced single-day show at Conrad Bangkok BANGKOK, THAILAND: As Thailand’s tourism industry powers its way into an accelerated period of recovery, with international arrivals pouring in and China poised to create the next big wave, what’s the ensuing step for the Kingdom? The world has…
- Travel
Could Thailand’s Southeast Coastal Gem Khanom Be the Next Koh Samui?
The search for the next big resort destination in Thailand is an absolutely big ask. An expansive country with 77 provinces and an amazing array of diverse geographical locations, Instagram-worthy aspects, and distinctly different nuances. Out of this brazen travel chaos, the endearing term ‘same same, but different’ was born and remains highly relevant. Yet, one of the simple truths…
