Koh Samui

When it comes to Thailand property market trends, in the last five years Koh Samui has followed a similar development path to some of Thailand's more established resort destinations - most notably, Phuket. In the early days, raw land purchases dominated the market while the housing sector mostly consisted of modest developments aimed at long-term travelers rather than those looking for high investment returns.

Today a different scenario can be found. The fast-paced developments now underway throughout Koh Samui that mushroomed after the millennium can be attributed to international security issues and regional natural disasters that prompted a popularity boom that quickly made the island one of Southeast Asia's more lucrative investment options. Success in the tourism sector led to an explosion in the construction of medium- and top-end hotels, as well as the emergence of an impressive range of fine dining choices around the island. Such services began to attract a new breed of visitor, and little by little luxury properties started to spring up around the island, closely followed by gated residential developments and more recently, large-scale commercial projects. This diversification has opened up new choices for investors and one of the more recent trends on Koh Samui has led private investors away from raw land purchases, with buyer focus shifting more towards finished, residential villa properties.