Real estate and tourism operators are hoping the potential of Nakhon Si Thammarat can draw tourists who prefer tranquillity over bustling beach cities, as the province welcomes its first branded residence, Banyan Tree, in Sichon.
Ravi Chandran, executive director of Urasaya Property, said Sichon district is well located for tourism, with beautiful beaches and a tranquillity similar to Phuket 30 years ago.
Apart from convenient transport via Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani airports, the province also has an international school, large hospitals, universities and shopping malls.
According to hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks, the number of hotels in the province tallied 357 in 2024, an increase of 11% year-on-year, mostly concentrated in Sichon, Khanom, Thung Song, Tha Sala, Lan Saka and Muang districts.
Mr Chandran said competition is not intense in the premium real estate sector in Sichon district.
Urasaya Property launched Banyan Tree Residences Sichon, a luxury villa project valued at 800 million baht and comprising 15 four- and five-bedroom pool villas, which is the first branded residence in the province.
The project has two options: single-storey beachfront pool villas priced from 85 million baht and two-storey ocean-view villas priced from 65 million baht.
He said the property prices are 25% of those in the same class in Phuket.
The company expects 15 villas to be purchased by the end of this year, as three have sold to Chinese and Thai investors, said Mr Chandran.
The villas target wealthy buyers, both Thais and foreigners, especially expatriates living in Thailand looking for a second home.
Last year Urasaya sold out its six villa projects in Sichon, where land prices rose by 15-30%, he said.
Owners of Banyan Tree Residences can also use discounts on hotels, spas and golf course listed under the Banyan Group worldwide and rent out their assets for additional income, said Stuart Reading, managing director of Banyan Group Property Development.
To facilitate the tourism industry, Mr Chandran said the government should encourage airlines to add domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi airport, making connections more convenient for tourists to reach Nakhon Si Thammarat. There are currently only flights operating from Don Mueang airport.
Big infrastructure projects such as the proposed Land Bridge and a bridge connecting Koh Samui to the mainland would also benefit the province’s development, but they are long-term efforts, he said.
Urasaya Property plans to develop another branded residential project in Sichon in the short-term, while it is planning for a branded international hotel in the mid-term.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Nakhon Si Thammarat earned 15.1 billion baht from 4.28 million tourists in 2024, of which 4.22 million were domestic travellers.
Montri Manator, director of the TAT’s Nakhon Si Thammarat office, said the agency is targeting the premium segment and young travellers who prefer nature and cultural activities.
The agency plans to encourage airlines to add flights from the Northeast to Nakhon Si Thammarat to attract more tourists from Laos and China.
