TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT OR LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SERVICES:

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Bearing with the Bears

Category: , Posted:14 Jun 2012 | 06:00 am

Its monsoon season in Phuket and this year the weather has ravaged the coastline like some sort of turbocharged sand-eating killer shark.
My nerves tend to stand on end these days whenever I tune into one of those fluorescent bright business news channel's and wait for the inevitable.
These days the bad news bears are out in full force and stories can be classified into three B – Bad, very bad and yes, it's 9.38 in the morning, and there is a bar open down the road.
Europe is like a Greek tragedy played out by the Three Stooges. Spanish bankers are now looking at second careers in the rink as matadors. Everyone's in the action but is there a consensus? Austerity, belt tightening, inflation-driven spending stimulus…no one has the answers.
I've taken to watching inane comedic movies on iTunes and avoiding any interaction with the news at all. The fear is creeping in, with the hairs standing up on the top of my back; what if there is a fourth B?
Facebook has taught us the path of crazed pricing can often take enterprise from hero to zero in no time at all.
Island property on my beat continues to weave a strange course through the first five months of 2012. Clearly the hands-down winner over the past 18 months is Sansiri.
I've often pondered what if Sansiri ran things, I mean not just a property development firm but the entire country? Send all the politicians home with notes from their teachers for bad behaviour. Sure, the entire country would be living in shoebox condos but at least business would return to normal and things would actually get done.
Or even team up Sansiri and Thai AirAsia. The entire red stigmatism that has been cast far and wide could be reinvented. Everyone could dress in red AirAsia T-shirts so no one would know who's on what side of the political divide.
In case you think I have chosen red in a brash political statement nothing could be more wrong. What I'm advocating here is a return to forward planning instead of gazing into the rear view mirror.
If you want to unite a country's private and public policy, leave it to the people who can get things done.
Sure, I do have my apprehensions, being a rather large fellow, red is not my most flattering color but yes, sacrifices have to be made.
While this year started to see resort grade real estate sales generate some traction the uncertainty in both the world and our own Thailand is creating a market funk.
Yes, there continue to be great expectations about possible capital flight from the over-taxed French regime who will see Phuket as a safe haven. But more worrying is the slowdown in the expected growth markets of China and India.
These remain two of real estate and tourism's great hopes and if they fall out, where is the 'go to market.'
At least while we continue to be hit by thunderstorms both real and imagined there is comfort be had with Euro 2012. And after that the Olympics.
So, yes, the property scene might be relegated to the practice pitch for the moment, a promise of game time keeps us all in the stadium.

Other News

Read more

Gamechanger: Phuket’s 80-Meter Development Height Restriction Repealed

Category: Hotels|Real estate, Posted:31 Dec 2024 | 11:19 am One of the most significant changes to Phuket’s real estate sector this year is the repeal of the 80-meter development height limit. In a recent Government Gazette, the Thai Cabinet approved a re-zoning proposal by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, which now allows development in Zone 6 of Phuket to extend up to […]
Read more

C9 Hotelworks Release Definitive Asia-wide Branded Residences Report

Category: Hotels|Real estate|Tourism, Posted:12 Dec 2024 | 08:30 am C9 Hotelworks Release Definitive Asia-wide Branded Residences Report Branded residences in Asia see record supply worth USD26.6 billion according to C9 Hotelworks new research report. The market shows a rising proportion of standalone and mixed-use developments, with a growing presence of brands beyond hospitality. The branded residences sector in Asia has achieved a record-breaking supply […]
Read more

From Spas to Longevity: Phuket Evolves into a Global Wellness Tourism Leader

Category: Hotels|Real estate|Tourism, Posted:29 Nov 2024 | 08:10 am Wellness tourism is in great shape. One of the fastest growing areas of the tourism industry, the sector has grown from a niche market for committed health seekers to become a THB 219 trillion (USD 6.3 trillion) global powerhouse. At the heart of this revolution is Asia Pacific, which accounts for 30% of the worldwide […]
SiaJai logo

Thailand's Leading Homecare Marketplace