Real estate in Phuket continues to be highly sought
PHUKET: Sopon Pornchokchai of the Thai Real Estate Research and Valuation Centre, Agency for Real Estate Affairs Co Ltd ( AREA), lamented that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find land in Phuket due to the ever-rising cost of land.

Pornchokchai was speaking at a seminar titled “Investment Opportunities in Phuket Real Estate – Latest Market Trends” held on June 14 at a hotel on the resort island.

“Based on a survey of market land prices from 2004 to 2024, we see that land prices have increased on average by 7.47 times, or 10.7% annually, which is quite high compared with other areas in Thailand,” he said.

The highest price increase was in Rawai Beach, where prices rose by 14 times, followed by Bang Tao Beach with an increase of 10.67 times and Mai Khao Beach with an increase of nine times.

Areas with slower increases include Sapam Bay, Karon Beach, and Sirey Island.

Currently, the highest market price is on Patong Beach, with AREA estimating this year’s price at 350 million baht per rai (1,600sq m or 17,222sq ft).

Other high-priced areas include Bang Tao Beach, Surin Beach, and Karon Beach, with prices estimated at 80 million baht per rai.

Market prices are significantly higher than government appraisals.

Going on to speak of new project launches in the first quarter of 2024, he said some 25 projects had come onto the market, totalling 4,000 units with a combined value of 54 billion baht, averaging 13 million baht per unit.

Most of the new launches, valued at 45 billion baht or 83% of the total, were for vacation condominiums, nearly all of which were in Thalang District.

Over the past year, about 10,000 real estate units have been sold in Phuket, totalling 90 billion baht or an average of nine million baht per unit, with most sales again occurring in Thalang District.

Vacation condominiums and villas sold very quickly, while properties for Thai residents went more slowly.

In the first quarter of 2024, there were around 500 real estate projects for sale in Phuket, comprising approximately 72,000 units with a development value of 460 billion baht. Of these, 62,000 units have been sold, leaving about 10,000 units available.

Overall, Phuket’s gross provincial product is 110.65 billion baht, with real estate activities valued at 6.28 billion baht or 5.7%.

However, in reality, the value of real estate development in Phuket is much higher, close to the case of Florida in the United States, where the real estate accounts for 24% of gross state product.

In 2023, Phuket attracted 8.38 million tourists, an increase of 152.29% from the previous year.

Russian nationals were the No. 1 source of tourists to the island this year, according to the Phuket Tourist Association.

The influx of tourists has also led to a surge in demand for holiday homes, especially Russians.

The Tourism Ministry said 767,210 Russians arrived in Thailand in the first four months of this year, and last year, 1.61 million Russians visited.

Compared with Bali, which had 5.27 million tourists, an increase of 144.61%, and the Maldives with only 1.8 million tourists, Phuket is the most popular tourist destination in the region and one of the leading tourist destinations in the world. — The Nation/ANN
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Sopon Pornchokchai of the Thai Real Estate Research and Valuation Centre, Agency for Real Estate Affairs Co Ltd ( AREA), lamented that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find land in Phuket due to the ever-rising cost of land.