Industry experts believe that investment will flock to the island of Koh Samui due to increased domestic and international flights heading there among other reasons. Thailand’s Civil Aviation Department recently expanded the volume of daily flights at the Samui Airport from 36 to 50.
There are five airlines that operate direct flights to Samui, with China being the only destination based outside of Southeast Asia. Most flights to Samui are from regional hubs including Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
Further domestic and international travel is expected to come to Samui by JLL Thailand which believes that heightened accessibility combined with the calming of the 2014 political issues in Thailand will have positive effects for the real estate market.
Andrew Langdon, the executive vice president of the hotels and hospitality group at JLL, recently addressed the new developments. “Increasing air capacity will improve connectivity and strengthen Samui’s position as one of Thailand’s prominent tourist destinations. This is good news for hotels on the island as we expect an improvement in tourist demand and hence hotel occupancies.”
JLL estimates that by 2018 a further 680 hotel rooms will be added to the present amount and demand for Samui’s real estate will further expand. Growth is expected in the burgeoning luxury apartment hotel that is almost exclusively high-end developments. Foreign investors are able to lease properties on a 30-year leasehold basis and can then exercise a 30-year renewal option.
Many of these properties have a management company on-site who assist renting out the units during the year for property owners. Known as a place for couples and families, an increase in visitors will help occupancies rates in Samui rise throughout the year Thailand and abroad.
One of the new high-end luxury apartment hotel developments on the island is X2 Vibe Samui Nautilus. The property consists of 40 apartments with views towards Kho Phangen, Koh Som, Choeng Mon Beach and Neighborhood Hills. BHMA Hotels Group oversees property management at X2 Samui Nautilus.
