泰國尋求房地產投資者和高端遊客的“ Covid-19反彈”

                      泰國因其應對大流行病而贏得讚譽，並在動蕩的時代將自己推銷為安全，穩定的避風港。它希望吸引有經驗的買家和旅行者，因為大量低收入遊客的銀行業務時代已經過去了。

隨著來自美國，香港和印度的視頻通話中了解海景公寓和高爾夫球場項目，泰國的房地產市場將希望寄託在外國買家的“ Covid-19反彈”上，此期間人們流行在不確定的世界中尋找安全的避風港。

泰國因處理公共衛生危機而贏得讚譽。儘管發現了中國境外的首例冠狀病毒病例，但它迅速關閉了邊界，僅記錄了3,156例病例和58例死亡，並且近一個月沒有本地傳播的病例。

衛生部長Anutin Charnvirakul在最近的Facebook Live採訪中說：“我們向世界展示了這是人們最安全的生活，投資和旅行的地方，”這提高了醫療遊客和商人即將注入生命的前景。泰國陷入困境的經濟。

目的是在數週之內重新開放來自日本，香港和越南等國的入境口岸，在亞洲感染率同樣較低的地區形成“旅行泡沫”。有了清晰的Covid-19測試，這些訪客將無需忍受14天的隔離。

泰國的房地產經紀人已經準備就緒。“我們都在等待解除旅行禁令，以便買家可以完成交易，”芭堤雅精英地產銷售主管斯科特·坦納（Scott Tanner）說。他補充說，最近幾週，對打折公寓的詢盤激增，而一位印度投資者正尋求購買一個160公頃的高爾夫球場。

在大流行之前，堅挺的泰銖和中美貿易戰削減了中國買家的消費，這些買家此前在曼谷，普吉島和芭堤雅各地徘徊著公寓。

CBRE泰國董事總經理Aliwassa Pathnadabutr表示，雖然那些希望出售廉價公寓的人不會很快回來，但他們表示，奢侈品買家正在尋找“第二套房子，以及位置，文化，物有所值和生活方式的安全港”。

在首都以東兩個小時的海灘度假勝地芭堤雅，公寓的折扣價為15％至20％，一室公寓和一居室公寓的價格低至6萬美元。

“我不想去美國大城市。這很危險，”這位32歲的非裔美國人IT顧問說，他解釋說，席捲他的國家的動盪已使他不願對它進行長期押注。“我只需要空間，並在必要時能夠逃脫，是一個藏身處……我在泰國購買自我保護。”

儘管飛往東南亞國家的航班尚未恢復，但在政治動盪時期，香港投資者也在尋找避風港。

“人們現在想在穩定性上進行投資，”芭堤雅Elite Properties的Tanner說。

泰國整體經濟受到旅遊業崩潰的打擊而下降，由於陷入家庭債務和失業，預計今年泰國經濟將萎縮高達6％。

但是，芭堤雅是泰國有史以來規模最大的基礎設施計劃（耗資430億美元的東方經濟走廊）的核心，其土地價格飛漲。

長期投資者正在計劃該項目的供應鏈業務的激增中的公寓，酒店和倉庫。該項目計劃通過為中國公司提供具有海上，鐵路和空中通道的工業區而與北京的“一帶一路”倡議相連接。

然而，泰國仍對開放大門感到緊張。亞洲病毒病例的任何反彈都可能打破“旅行泡沫”的概念，最近的北京集群顯示出大流行期間開放邊境計劃的脆弱性。

衛生官員警告說，在可預見的未來，前往一個去年接待3900萬人的國家進行未經過濾的旅行將是不可能的。沙特王國沒有大量入境，包括來自中國大陸的“零美元”旅遊大團，以及尋求刺激但節儉的西方背包客，而是為國內游客推出了7.22億美元的獎勵計劃，他們的消費更少。

酒店的目標客戶是高檔國際遊客，例如高爾夫球手以及可以在度假村和島嶼上進行瑜伽和冥想靜修的遊客。

The Spa Koh Chang的養生勝地Piranuch Orn-in說：“我是第一次使用博客和影響者來結識新朋友。”該養生勝地計劃在關閉數月後不久重新開放。“但是，成為排毒和養生場所的運營成本更高。減少銷量……就意味著要提高我的價格。”

儘管許多人都準備好適應，但吸引了大量低薪遊客的企業卻面臨破產。一位泰國船長說，當他的兩層船在芭堤雅的主要碼頭空轉時，他說中國和俄羅斯旅遊團的倒閉毀了他的生意。

他說：“有時候我根本不出去。” “這是我在這里工作的40年來最糟糕的時候。”

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3090807/thailand-seeks-covid-19-bounce-property-investors-upmarket

Thailand seeks ‘Covid-19 bounce’ from property investors, upmarket tourists

• The kingdom has won praise for its handling of the pandemic, and is marketing itself as a safe, stable haven in turbulent times
• It is looking to appeal to well-heeled buyers and travellers, as the days of banking on high volumes of low-paying visitors look to be over

With sea-view condos and golf courses being perused over video calls from the United States, Hong Kong and India, Thailand’s property market is hanging its hopes on a “Covid-19 bounce” from foreign buyers scouring an uncertain world for a safe haven during the pandemic.

The Southeast Asian kingdom has won praise for its handling of the public health crisis. It swiftly closed its borders and has recorded just 3,156 cases and 58 deaths, despite detecting the first coronavirus case outside China, and has not had a locally transmitted case for nearly a month.

“We have shown to the world that this is the safest place for people to live, invest and travel,” said Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in a recent Facebook Live interview, raising the prospect of the imminent return of medical tourists and businessmen to inject life into Thailand’s battered economy.

The aim is to reopen borders within weeks to arrivals from the likes of Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam, forming a “travel bubble” of regions in Asia that have similarly low infection rates. With a clear Covid-19 test, those visitors would not need to endure a 14-day quarantine.

Thailand’s real estate agents are ready. “We’re all waiting for the travel ban to be lifted so buyers can come in to complete deals,” said Scott Tanner, a sales executive of Elite Properties Pattaya. He added that in recent weeks there had been a surge in inquiries for discounted condos, while one Indian investor was seeking to buy a 160-hectare golf course.

Before the pandemic, the strong Thai baht and the US-China trade war had trimmed spending from Chinese buyers who had previously hoovered up condos across Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya.

While those looking to flip cheap condos are not expected to return soon, CBRE Thailand managing director Aliwassa Pathnadabutr said luxury buyers were looking for “second homes [and] a safe haven of location, culture, value for money and lifestyle”.

At the beach resort town of Pattaya, two hours east of the capital, condos are going at discounts of 15 to 20 per cent, with studios and one-bedrooms as cheap as US$60,000.

“I don’t want to be in big American cities. It’s dangerous,” said the 32-year-old IT consultant, who is African-American, explaining that the turmoil engulfing his country has turned him off taking a long-term bet on it. “I just need space and to be able to get out when necessary, a hideout … I’m buying self-preservation in Thailand.”

Although flights to the Southeast Asian nation are yet to resume, Hong Kong investors are also looking for sanctuaries in the sun in politically turbulent times.

“People want to invest in stability at the moment,” said Tanner from Elite Properties Pattaya.

The wider Thai economy has been floored by the collapse of tourism, and is expected to contract by up to 6 per cent this year as it is mired in household debt and unemployment.

But Pattaya, the centrepiece of Thailand’s biggest-ever infrastructure scheme – the US$43 billion Eastern Economic Corridor – has seen land prices skyrocket.

Long-term investors are planning condos, hotels and warehouses for the expected surge in supply chain businesses from the project, which is slated to connect to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative by providing Chinese firms with industrial zones that have sea, rail and air access.

Yet Thailand is still nervous about opening its doors. Any rebound in virus cases in Asia could burst the “travel bubble” concept, with the recent Beijing cluster showing the frailty of plans to open borders during a pandemic.

Health officials warn that unfiltered travel to a country which welcomed 39 million people last year will be impossible for the foreseeable future. Instead of mass arrivals – including the busloads of “zero-dollar” tours from mainland China, and thrill-seeking but frugal Western backpackers – the kingdom has instead launched a US$722 million incentive scheme for domestic tourists, who spend even less.

Hotels are targeting upmarket international travellers such as golfers and visitors to yoga and meditation retreats who can be contained in resorts and on islands.

“I’m using bloggers and influencers for the first time to reach new people,” said Piranuch Orn-in, owner of The Spa Koh Chang, a wellness retreat that is planning to reopen soon after being shut for months. “But being a detox and wellness place has higher operating costs. With less volume … that means raising my prices.”

While many are prepared to adapt, businesses hooked on high volumes of low-paying tourists are facing ruin. As his two-deck boat idled at Pattaya’s main pier, one Thai boat captain said the collapse in Chinese and Russian tour groups has gutted his business.

“Some days I don’t go out at all,” he said. “This is the worst in my 40 years working here.”