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Property News
Koh Samui’s property pivot: Luxury living, rising condos, and smart investments
Koh Samui is undergoing a quiet revolution in its residential property market. While the headlines often focus on Thailand’s better-known destinations, this island in the Gulf of Thailand is steadily drawing the attention of lifestyle buyers and investors—especially those eyeing luxury villas at competitive prices. With the total value of Samui’s real estate market for sale currently reaching approximately 30.3…
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Events
RISE 2025 to empower women in hospitality with full-day learning event in Phuket
A powerful new initiative to elevate and empower women in hospitality is set to launch in Phuket this August. RISE 2025 – Reshaping Hospitality by Empowering Women is a full-day learning experience focused on career growth, skill-building, and inclusive leadership. The event is co-organised by C9 Hotelworks, Mrs B Group, and Delivering Asia. Created especially for professionals across the hospitality,…
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Property
Branded residences gain ground in Asia’s Property Market with Thailand taking the lead
A quiet transformation has been shaping Asia’s residential landscape for over a decade: the rise of branded residences. Once a niche offering, this category has grown into a significant segment of the region’s property market. Blending high-end real estate with the services and credibility of globally recognised brands, branded residences are increasingly appealing to discerning buyers, and Thailand is at…
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Koh Samui Travel
Koh Samui shines as Thailand challenged: Positive tourism performance drives island growth
The Koh Samui hotel and tourism market is demonstrating solid growth through the first four months of 2025, supported by strong air and cruise arrivals, stable hotel performance metrics, and impressive European market engagement. From January to April of this year, Koh Samui International Airport recorded 1,127,832 passenger arrivals, representing a 9% increase over the same period in 2024. This…
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Tourism News
Thailand’s spiritual tourism surge: A new journey beyond the usual
As global stress levels soar and wellness becomes the new luxury, travellers are seeking more than sandy beaches and nightlife. They are craving meaning, mindfulness, and a reconnection with themselves. Enter Thailand’s newest tourism trend: spiritual travel. According to a groundbreaking report titled Spiritual Travel Thailand: Exploring the Journey Beyond Destination 2025 recently released by C9 Hotelworks in collaboration with Guestasy,…
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Phuket Travel
Being Thailand 2025 highlights Thailand’s evolving role as a global wellness economy leader
As the global wellness landscape continues to shift alongside changing consumer demands and travel behaviour, Thailand is increasingly recognised as a model of adaptive leadership in the wellness economy. And it was at the new industry strategic touchpoint, Being Thailand 2025 in Phuket, where the country’s role in shaping wellness-oriented tourism, hospitality, healthcare, and consumer markets, was assessed. Over the…
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Property News
Khao Lak and Phang Nga tourism sector gains momentum with infrastructure and hospitality investment
phuket touriTourism in Khao Lak and the wider Phang Nga province is demonstrating robust post-pandemic growth, underpinned by rising international arrivals, increasing hotel performance metrics, and new project developments across the hospitality and infrastructure sectors. According to C9 Hotelworks’ Khao Lak and Phang Nga Hotel & Tourism Market Review 2025, Phang Nga recorded over 4.1 million guest arrivals last year,…
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Property
A pivot to lifestyle as Phuket’s property market continues to surge
Phuket’s property market is continuing to thrive despite global economic volatility as the sector moves increasingly towards condominiums as lifestyle becomes the new luxury on the island, as delegates heard at the Asia Connect: Phuket Property Pulse event. Held at Andara Resort & Villas, in conjunction with Property Guru Thailand and C9 Hotelworks, the top-level industry gathering further heard speakers…
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Property News
Phuket property market in 2025: Evolving with demand and diversification
Phuket’s real estate market is undergoing a significant transformation in 2025, marked by growing inventory, shifting buyer preferences, and intensifying competition. The latest Phuket Property Market Update by C9 Hotelworks reveals a dynamic landscape shaped by lifestyle migration, maturing development ecosystems, and rising price premiums, particularly in branded and well-located properties. Performance in early 2024 and emerging trends The first…
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Phuket Travel
Phuket’s new lifestyle communities: Embracing nature and wellness
Phuket is known for its beautiful landscapes and stunning beaches, making it a popular spot for tourists and people looking for tropical living. Recently, though, there’s been a shift in the type of communities in Phuket that is quickly gaining traction. More and more, people are looking for homes that are connected to nature, sustainable, and focused on wellness and…
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Events
BEING Thailand 2025: An event for connection and collaboration in wellness
Thailand’s wellness industry will take centre-stage this May in Phuket with BEING Thailand 2025, a new B2B event designed to unite professionals across the wellness, hospitality, and tourism sectors. The inaugural gathering, expected to draw 400 industry leaders, aims to drive key conversations and innovation, bringing together a traditionally fragmented sector for an exchange of ideas and strategies. As travel…
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Property
Khao Lak’s new surf town and exciting developments
The newly launched Matalay Integrated Resort Town is an ambitious 1,000-rai (400-acre) development project aimed at transforming Khao Lak in Phang Nga Province into a premier tourism destination. The name “Matalay,” meaning “come to the sea,” reflects the resort’s vision of creating a comprehensive town featuring luxury accommodations, recreational facilities, and entertainment options designed to attract both domestic and international…
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Phuket Travel
Tourism boom drives residential-led hospitality investments in Phuket
Thailand’s tourism boom is driving lifestyle investments as traveller traffic morphs into a desire to stay longer in the country. The number one beneficiary is Phuket, where arrivals continue to soar with a 23% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year for a total of 8.65 million arrivals registered at Phuket International Airport. The key trend emerging, according to…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Phuket Travel
Phuket transforms into a global luxury hub for the elite
Phuket has changed dramatically in recent years. Fringed by the Andaman Sea, the tropical oasis has evolved from a popular beach resort destination into one of the world’s most attractive luxury residential markets, with elite luxury consumer brands, Michelin dining and international quality education and medical care fuelling the interest. The Phuket Luxury Report, unveiled at a recent event and…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Events
Leading international and Thai green advocates headline Asia’s leading sustainability tourism event, PHIST 2024
One of the world’s most inspirational green advocates will headline PHIST this year as Asia’s pioneering sustainability event enters its 8th year. You can register to join the event that advocates for sustainability through the Eventbrite registration website. Unsung hero of sustainability Andrew Dixon, a former banker turned green activist, owner and operator of two private island resorts in Indonesian…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Travel
Phuket Hotels Association goes live with ‘absolutely fabulous travel sale’ to raise funds for Thai hospltality students
Phuket Hotels Association, the non-profit organisation of hoteliers focused on creating a sustainable future for Phuket, has announced that its “Absolutely Fabulous Travel Sale” is back with an amazing array of prizes, including heavenly hotel stays and aspirational travel experiences all around the globe. The annual online auction is a charitable initiative, with all the proceeds being donated to the…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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Property News
Accor partners with Tytans Properties Development to unveil world’s largest Pullman in Cebu
Accor, one of the world’s leading hospitality groups, continues its rapid expansion in the Philippines with the signing of Pullman Mactan Cebu Hotel & Residences, which is set to become the world’s largest Pullman property. The signing of the beachfront destination represents a milestone for mixed-use lifestyle real estate in the Philippines, as a new generation of integrated resorts emerges…
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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…
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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).…
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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…
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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…