The conversations happening around Phuket’s property market and the data underpinning them are not always the same conversation. Presenting at the Phuket Property Exchange, C9 Sessions, Michael Kenner, Managing Director and Co-founder of FazWaz, put nearly 60,000 online enquiries on the table and let the numbers argue. The demand intelligence dataset, drawn from the FazWaz platform network spanning FazWaz, Thailand-Property, Dot Property, and Hipflat over the December 2025 to May 2026 period, covers 54,628 online enquiries across 141 countries and 1,258 tracked projects, representing THB 272 billion (USD 8.4 billion) in stated buyer demand. What the data reveals beneath that number is more instructive than the number itself.
Of the 54,628 total online enquiries recorded, 39,042, or 71%, were rental in nature. The sales market generated 15,586 online enquiries. This ratio matters because it defines where liquidity, yield, and transaction volume actually sit in the Phuket market. The median monthly rental budget across all online enquiries is THB 35,000 (USD 1,077), with demand concentrated in the sub-THB 40,000 (USD 1,231) band. Condominiums and apartments account for the largest share of rental online enquiries at 20,882, followed by houses and villas at 14,946. Cherngtalay leads all locations at 6,628 online enquiries, nearly 30% more than second-placed Rawai at 5,108.
The sales market tells a more nuanced story. The median purchase budget across 15,586 sales online enquiries is THB 7.5 million (USD 231,000). Demand thins sharply above THB 20 million (USD 615,000), and the luxury tail, while present, distorts average figures significantly. Developers and agents judging market appetite by mean rather than median budgets are reading the wrong signal. Condominiums again lead product demand at 8,094 online enquiries against 4,920 for houses and villas. Cherngtalay commands the highest median price per square metre at THB 126,600 (USD 3,895) for condominiums, compared to THB 32,669 (USD 1,005) in Si Sunthon, a fourfold gap that maps the island’s value gradient with precision.
The March 2026 spike drew attention across the development community. Online enquiries peaked with the sales share of monthly demand reaching 45%, against 18% in December 2025. The median buyer budget jumped from THB 6 million (USD 185,000) to THB 14 million (USD 431,000) during the same period, driven by the 10 to 20 million baht segment rather than ultra-high-net-worth buyers. By April the market had reverted to baseline. Developers who interpreted March as a structural shift rather than a seasonal concentration of demand will have drawn the wrong conclusions.
The more significant trend ran quietly alongside the sales spike. Median rental prices moved from THB 33,000 (USD 1,015) in December 2025 to THB 40,000 (USD 1,231) in April 2026 and held at THB 38,000 (USD 1,169) in May. That is a sustained upward movement across a segment representing 71% of total market demand. A strengthening rental market historically underpins sales market confidence. In Phuket’s case, the data suggests that foundation is being built.
Across both rental and sales segments, Cherngtalay dominates. It leads online enquiry volume, commands the highest price per square metre, and attracts the broadest mix of bedroom configurations. Rawai is a consistent second. The west coast corridor, from Kamala through Cherngtalay to Rawai, accounts for the overwhelming majority of qualified demand. Operators and developers looking for demand outside this corridor will find it, but at meaningfully lower price points and volumes.
The Phuket property market is large, international, and genuinely diversified across 141 source countries. It is also more concentrated geographically, more rental-driven, and more mid-market in its sales profile than the prevailing narrative suggests. The data is available. The question is whether the market reads it.
To read and download the full FazWaz presentation CLICK
You can also watch a short video of Michael Kenner speaking on the current Phuket data CLICK
Asia’s branded residences sector recorded a total market value of USD 40 billion in 2026, a 30.3% year-on-year increase from USD 30.7 billion in 2025, as the pipeline expanded to 64,581 units across 268 properties in 14 countries, according to the C9 Hotelworks Asia Branded Residences Market Review 2026.
Vietnam leads Asia by market value at USD 8 billion, followed by Thailand (USD 6.4 billion), South Korea (USD 5.8 billion), India (USD 4.2 billion), and the Philippines (USD 3.8 billion). By unit count, Vietnam again dominates with 15,763 units across 47 properties, with Thailand second at 13,947 units across 63 properties and the Philippines third at 12,299 units across 38 properties.
Resort-dominant markets account for 55% of total supply against 45% urban, reflecting the sector’s continued orientation toward leisure destinations across Southeast and South Asia. Condominiums remain the dominant product type at 94% of total supply, with landed property at 4% and hybrid product at 2%.
The C9 Hotelworks Asia Branded Residences Market Review 2026 is the most comprehensive independent analysis of the branded residences sector across the region, covering supply, pipeline, market value, product type, and urban-resort distribution across 14 countries.
Download and read the full report: CLICK
Phuket’s international school market has expanded 51% in three years and will reach 18 schools by August 2026, enrolling 5,075 students from more than 50 nationalities. Combined annual tuition is forecast at THB2.5 billion (USD76.2 million). What was once a secondary amenity for expatriate families has become a structural driver of the island’s residential economy. (Source: C9 Hotelworks Market Research)
The connection between school enrollment and real estate demand is direct and measurable. Each enrolled child generates one renewable year of ED Guardian Visa residency for a parent, converting tourist families into long-stay residents with multi-year housing commitments. C9 Hotelworks Market Research estimates that school-driven family migration feeds directly into Phuket’s THB454.8 billion (USD14.1 billion) residential market, locking in demand from high-income households that would otherwise remain transient.
Phuket’s economic weight amplifies the effect. The island accounts for 0.7% of Thailand’s population but contributes 1.4% of national GDP, performing at 2.2 times the national productivity multiplier. International schools sit alongside branded residences, healthcare, and lifestyle retail as the four premium infrastructure pillars that define the island’s investment proposition.
The geographic concentration of this growth points firmly toward Bangtao and Cherngtalay, which hold 54% of Phuket’s residential supply and 30% of the 2026 to 2030 hotel pipeline. The North London Collegiate School (NLCS), scheduled to open in 2028 and phasing to 1,500 students, anchors the district’s emergence as Phuket’s leading international lifestyle community.
Six school openings or expansions between 2023 and 2026 have drawn significant capital commitments in a market that investors are increasingly reading as structurally resilient. Phuket is no longer developing as a resort island with schools. It is developing as an education hub with a resort economy attached.
A decade ago, Bangtao was a stretch of beach hotels and low-rise villas on Phuket’s northwest coast. By 2030, it will be one of Southeast Asia’s most concentrated corridors of branded hospitality and residential development, carrying a pipeline that spans nine hotels, nine branded residence projects, one international community mall, and an international school phasing to 1,500 students.
According to C9 Hotelworks Market Research, the corridor will deliver 1,640 hotel keys and 1,649 branded residence units between 2026 and 2030, tracking to a near 1:1 ratio of hotel keys to residence units. Seven global brands are active across the pipeline: IHG, Marriott International, Hyatt, Hilton, Banyan Group, Dusit International, and ETRO. IHG carries the largest single-brand commitment at 869 hotel keys by 2028. Delivery concentrates in 2028, when five projects open within a single calendar year, coinciding with the phased expansion of Phuket International Airport.
The pipeline extends well beyond hospitality. Central Group’s POP Phuket Community Mall at 5,490 sq.m. and the North London Collegiate School represent the retail and education anchors of a district repositioning itself as a functioning international community, not a resort zone. That distinction matters for investors, developers, and operators calibrating long-term asset performance against residential absorption and family-driven demand.
At the northern end of the corridor, the story is still being written. North Bangtao Bay and the Layan area carry two large-scale mixed-use developments at early-stage planning, combining hotels and branded residences on a sizable undeveloped land bank. With the southern and mid-corridor pipeline now largely committed, the northern end represents the last significant development opportunity in the Bangtao district, positioned to absorb the next wave of brand and capital interest as the broader corridor matures.
The Bangtao Effect is not a single project story. It is a structural shift in how Phuket’s most active development corridor is being positioned, financed, and delivered at scale.
Asia’s branded residences sector has expanded to USD40 billion across more than 50,000 units, and the developers and owners driving that growth are converging on two events this year where C9 Hotelworks will deliver dedicated sector content.
C9 Hotelworks, Asia’s most experienced branded residences development advisor, has been appointed as the branded residences content partner for SEAHIS 2026 in Bangkok and JHIS 2026 in Tokyo, both part of the HOFTEL Summit Series organised by HOFTEL. Both events attract the owners, developers, and investors who are actively making capital decisions in this sector.
SEAHIS, Asia’s most developer and owner-focused event, takes place on 15 and 16 June 2026 in Bangkok. Four dedicated branded residences sessions will cover the market intelligence, deal structures, and development dynamics shaping the sector across the region. For owners and developers with Asia-wide exposure, this is the most concentrated briefing on branded residences available this year.
JHIS takes place on 24 and 25 September 2026 in Tokyo, addressing a market at an earlier and particularly significant inflection point. Japan’s branded residences sector is drawing sustained attention from international capital as the country’s hospitality fundamentals, inbound tourism growth, and regulatory environment converge to create conditions for accelerated sector entry. For developers and investors considering Japan, JHIS represents a direct entry point into that conversation.
C9 Hotelworks brings to both events a research base that spans more than two decades of branded residences advisory across Asia Pacific, covering feasibility, operator selection, brand negotiations and market positioning.
For more information on SEAHIS 2026, CLICK and JHIS 2026 CLICK
Welcome to the Phuket Property Exchange by the C9 Sessions – Mapping the New Demand Drivers of Phuket Real Estate, Powered by FazWaz, with Delivering Asia. This special edition is a two-and-a-half-hour event taking place on Thursday, 11th June 2026, at the SAii Laguna Phuket, Similan Ballroom.
Attendance is free, to register CLICK
Phuket’s real estate market is entering a new phase—shaped less by location alone and increasingly by the forces that drive demand: lifestyle, policy, investment structures, education, wellness, luxury positioning, and placemaking.
As buyer expectations evolve and competition intensifies, success in today’s market depends on understanding these deeper demand drivers and responding with greater sophistication, clarity, and adaptability.
The Phuket Property Exchange is a focused industry forum designed to map these shifts. Through curated conversations and real-world perspectives, it also provides a rare opportunity to hear directly from leading developers—sharing their stories, insights, and what they see coming next for the market. It is a chance to explore new ideas, emerging developments, and innovative product concepts shaping the next cycle of growth.
A key feature of the program is The Bangtao Effect, which examines the transformation of one of Phuket’s most dynamic coastal corridors into a benchmark for integrated, luxury-led development and lifestyle living.
From rentals and visa-led demand to wellness, international education, and the rise of integrated communities, the program examines the structural forces redefining value creation in real estate today.
Organized by:
C9 Hotelworks Powered by FazWaz, with Delivering Asia.
About the C9 Sessions:
An initiative by C9 Hotelworks, C9 Sessions brings together insight, innovation, and entrepreneurship to inspire new thinking across hospitality and real estate.
Who Should Attend:
This event brings together professionals driving the real estate ecosystem—from development, brokerage, and sales and marketing to property and rental management, hospitality, and investment and financial services.
Event Schedule and Program
Date: Thursday 11th June 2026
Venue: SAii Laguna Phuket, Similan Ballroom
Registration: 2:00 pm onwards
Event: 3:00 to 5:30 pm
Program
The Bangtao Effect: Redefining Phuket’s Integrated Coastal Hub
From Beachfront to Benchmark: Bangtao’s Ongoing Transformation
Boon Yongsakul, Founder, Boat Pattana
Charles Rubin, Managing Director, CG Capital Advisory
Titiwat Kuvijitsuwan, Chief Executive Officer, Capstone Asset
Stuart Reading, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Laguna Resorts and Hotels PCL
Jules Kay, Director, PropertyGuru International (Thailand)
Blue Mind Lifestyle: The Luxury Shift Shaping Coastal Living
Micah Tamthai, Chief Operating Officer – Minor Lifestyle and Real Estate, Minor International
James Thackray, Head of Western & International Agency Relations, Gardens of Eden/ETRO Residences
David Johnson (Moderator), CEO, Delivering Asia
Demand Redefined: Lifestyle, Policy, and Place in Focus
Data vs. Dogma: What Phuket’s Property Market Is Really Telling Us
Michael Kenner, Managing Director, Co-founder, FazWaz
Development Spotlight: Phuket Centre Park — Community Vision, Real Estate Opportunity
Montavee (Tommy) Hongsyok, CEO, Phuket Piwat
Bill Barnett (Moderator), Managing Director, C9 Hotelworks
Income Layer: How Rentals Are Reshaping Real Estate Strategy
Nattha Kahapana, Managing Director, Knight Frank Thailand
Milos Kosanovic, General Manager, The Luxe Nomad
Lay Sodarat (Moderator), General Counsel and Strategic Operations Director, FazWaz
Education as Infrastructure: International Schools Reshaping Communities
Carl Lewis, Vice Principal – Academic, North London Collegiate School (NLCS)
Third Place Shift: From Retail Spaces to Community Places
Panisa “Toey” Koaysomboon, Business Development Director, Limelight Phuket
Barama “BT” Tephabutra, Director, Thai P.A.J. Company Limited
Paul Sachdev, Managing Partner, Public House
Cream Sunthornpalin, Managing Director, FazWaz Phuket
Unlocking Khao Lak: The Matalay Integrated Resort Community Model
Mike Batchelor, Managing Partner, Hospitality Capital Advisors
Anthony Moulton, Founder & Managing Director, Brand & Co.
Visa-Led Demand: Unlocking Real Estate Growth Through Thailand’s DTV
Bo Choomanee, Founder and Managing Director, Phuket Manager Group
Main Event Co-Hosts
Wipada Rattanaphan, Managing Director, Siamese Stone Developments
Sumi Soorian, Chief Marketing Officer, The Headland Cape Yamu
Networking Drinks: 5:30 to 7:00 pm
Attendance is complimentary. Advance registration is required and QR code from Eventbrite is required for entry.
Phuket’s fast-growing international community is set to gain another world-class institution as NLCS International and VLC Group formalize a partnership to develop NLCS Phuket, bringing one of the United Kingdom’s most decorated independent schools to Thailand’s largest island resort destination.
For VLC Group, the Chirayus family-led company behind some of Phuket and Khao Lak’s most recognizable hotel brands — including Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa Merlin Beach, Courtyard by Marriott Patong Beach, and Le Meridien Khao Lak — the agreement marks a deliberate strategic pivot. Having built a premium hospitality portfolio spanning five properties, the group is now channeling its regional expertise and community ties into international education, reflecting a broader confidence in Phuket’s evolution as a long-stay family destination.
NLCS Phuket will be developed in Manik, Cherngtalay as a co-educational day and boarding school serving Early Years through Year 13. Planned facilities are substantial: a 50-meter swimming pool, sports hall, covered tennis courts, football pitches, dedicated junior and senior school spaces, and science and technology labs, with initial capacity for 1,000 students, scaling to 1,500. C9 Hotelworks is proud to have provided market research services for the development.
Boarding is central to the school’s offering, keeping regionally mobile families anchored in Asia rather than sending children overseas. NLCS International already operates schools in Jeju, Korea, Dubai, Singapore, and Kobe, Japan, with Hong Kong opening in 2027 — a proven network underpinning the Phuket venture’s credibility.
Thailand’s international school sector is forecast to grow nearly 10% in 2025, with Phuket identified as a key regional growth market. The Manik area of Phuket is seeing a high level of development, with the master planned Mira Valley nearby set to be a key benefactor of a growing cluster of international schools in the area.
To view the location of the school on Google Maps CLICK
Bali isn’t just a destination—it’s one of the world’s most resilient and in-demand tourism and lifestyle markets.
C9 Hotelworks latest Bali Hotel & Branded Residences Market Update 2026, in collaboration with Horwath HTL, unpacks where the island is heading next—from shifting demand patterns to the evolution of branded living.
As global interest intensifies, understanding the data behind the growth has never been more critical.
For investors, developers, and operators, this is essential insight into one of Asia’s most dynamic markets.
Download the full report at CLICK
