Krabi - Facts

Krabi - Facts

Area: 4700 km2
Population: (2000) : 336200
Religeon: 60% Buddhist, 40% Muslim
Key Industries: Palm Oil, Rubber, Tourism

For as long as tourists have been coming to Thailand, Krabi has been one of the unmissable destinations. The unique landscape with mountains jutting dramatically out of sea and land alike and the clear blue waters of the Andaman have ensured that Krabi has got its fair share. But whereas the property scene in Phuket boomed with an inundation of property developments catering to foreigners looking for retirement or second homes, Krabi, got left behind. This seems set to change. The new International airport, the best regional airport in Thailand, is now taking international flights from a number of destinations and there are soon to be a number of new European and asian destinations rumoured to include Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong and Frankfurt. Although there was a noticeable blip after the Tsunami, numbers have gone from strength to strength peaking at 45521 passengers passing through the airport in December 2007.

It’s impossible not to compare Krabi with Phuket 15 years ago but the local authorities are determined to learn from Phuket. By strictly enforcing zoning and planning regulations to keep the density of new developments down and by maintaining a ban on exploiting beaches, Krabi will hopefully still be a beautiful place in 15 years time.

The arrival of Sheraton, Sofitel and Amari Hotels seems to have convinced investors that now is the time to take Krabi seriously. Already several high profile Villa and Condominium developments are in progress and with land prices rising sharply, the race is on to find the best locations. While the Amatapura and Phulay Heights projects have remained close to the holiday hotspot of Ao Nang, The Cove at Krabi has taken a different approach for their 1200 residential condos and villas, one of the largest developments in Thailand and have bought up a considerable part of Hat Yao beach to the South of Krabi.

Projects

Self Build

Buying into a large development maybe a perfect solution but there are many who would rather be more involved in the whole process. This is certainly a growing trend as we can see by the constant turnover and increase in price in smaller land plots. The construction industry in the area has taken leaps and bounds over the last few years and dozens of small but professional construction companies are working in the area. Some are local builders who have raised their standards in response to an increase in foreign clients demanding more while there are others with proven experience from Phuket who have seen the potential in the Krabi market and have set up shop in the area. The rising cost of materials is affecting bottom line construction costs, but with the right design and construction teams a high standard can be achieved for reasonable prices.