Ten years ago, a spa and a gym were the wellness boxes a resort residence needed to tick. Today, buyers in Southeast Asia’s resort markets ask different questions. How much green space is there? Can I walk or cycle to the beach? Is there credible healthcare nearby? Will the community still feel calm in five years? Wellness has moved from the brochure’s amenity page to the centre of the purchase decision, and the data explains why.
This article looks at what is driving that shift, how Thailand and Phuket are responding, and what buyers and investors should check before committing.
Wellness Real Estate is Outgrowing Everything Around It
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) valued the global wellness real estate market at US584billionin2024.InMay2026,itreleasedupdatedfiguresputtingthe2025marketatUS876 billion, with a forecast of US$1.8 trillion by 2030. GWI also reported that wellness real estate grew 23% from 2024 to 2025, while global construction as a whole grew just 3%.
Those numbers describe a category that has stopped being a niche. GWI’s 2025 research attributes the growth to several shifts: a move from physical fitness towards holistic wellbeing, the rise of large master-planned communities, and the convergence of green and human-centred design. In other words, buyers are no longer paying for a facility. They are paying for an environment.
Why Southeast Asia’s Resort Markets are the Natural Home for It
Resort destinations already sell the ingredients wellness buyers want: warm climate, sea and nature access, hospitality-grade service and a slower pace of life. What has changed is that buyers now treat those ingredients as daily-living criteria rather than holiday perks.
Thailand shows how seriously governments and operators are taking this. GWI figures cited by industry press put Thailand’s wellness economy at US$42.7 billion in 2024, making it the ninth-largest in Asia Pacific. The Thai Spa Association has set a goal of reaching the region’s top five by 2030, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand has framed its message around the idea that healing is the new luxury. Thailand will also host the 2026 Global Wellness Summit in Phuket from 10 to 13 November.
Healthcare is the second half of the story. Bangkok Hospital Phuket Network reports serving more than 150,000 international patients a year from over 100 countries. For a buyer thinking about extended stays or a permanent base, that kind of medical depth now sits alongside location and design as part of what a property is worth.
Phuket as the Test Case
Phuket is where these trends meet real money. Reporting in January 2026 ranked the island as the world’s fifth-largest branded residences market, with a combined value of US$2.94 billion. Industry research cited in March 2026 indicated that foreign buyers account for more than 60% of prime condominium purchases. A Thai developer speaking at a regional property panel summed up the mood by saying that buyers prioritise wellness, design and long-term community living.
That buyer is different from the one Phuket served a decade ago. Holiday-home owners and retirees are still part of the mix, but they now sit beside remote professionals, families and investors who plan to spend months, not weeks, on the island each year. They are comparing communities, not just units.
The wellness lifestyle in Phuket is increasingly defined by the surroundings of the home rather than the amenities inside it. Gardens of Eden, developed by Amal Development Company Limited at Bang Tao Beach, is built around that idea: a low-density masterplan with roughly 70% green space, residences about 50 metres from the beach, and a branded collection created in partnership with ETRO, part of LVMH Group. The design logic is that daily routines such as walking, swimming, cooking and resting are shaped by the setting, so the setting has to do the work.
What Wellness-minded Buyers Actually Check
The most useful change in buyer behaviour is that wellness has become something people can evaluate. Buyers who take it seriously tend to look at the following.
- Density and green space. The share of land left open, not the number of facilities on the plan.
- Beach, water, and walking access. Whether daily movement outdoors is practical without a car.
- Healthcare proximity. Distance to hospitals and preventive care, and whether the area is already a medical destination.
- Operator credibility. Who runs the amenities, and whether they have a track record in hospitality or wellness.
- Air, noise and light. Orientation, building height and what is planned on neighbouring plots.
- Community and services. Concierge, housekeeping and management quality, which matter most to owners who are away part of the year.
None of this appears in a typical price-per-square-metre comparison, which is exactly why it is shaping where premium buyers choose to spend.
What it Means for Investors
Wellness is a lifestyle argument, but it also has commercial effects. Properties in well-planned, low-density communities can appeal to a broader pool of renters and future buyers, including longer-stay guests who value quiet, space and service. Resort-managed units also give owners a hospitality-grade operating standard without having to run the property themselves.
There are risks as well. Wellness is easy to put in a brochure and hard to deliver, and a few unused treatment rooms do not make a wellness community. Investors should test claims in four ways:
- Ask for the masterplan and check the open-space ratio against what is actually under construction.
- Confirm who operates the wellness and hospitality services, and on what contract terms.
- Review the service charge structure so the cost of wellness amenities is visible, not hidden.
- Visit the site off-season to see how the community feels outside peak months.
Buyers should also remember that wellness is not a substitute for the usual diligence. Foreign buyers of Thai condominiums need to stay within the 49% foreign ownership quota of a building, and title, developer track record and payment structure still matter as much as the lifestyle pitch.
Where the Market Goes Next
The direction is clear. GWI expects wellness real estate to keep outpacing construction as a whole; Thailand is investing in a wellness-led positioning for the next several years, and Phuket’s buyer base is increasingly made up of people who intend to live there, not just visit. Developers who treat wellness as a design principle, covering land use, access to nature, healthcare links, and long-term management, are more likely to hold value than those who treat it as a feature list.
For buyers, the practical takeaway is simple. Ask what the setting will do for your daily life, then ask for proof. In Southeast Asia’s resort markets, the projects that can answer both questions are the ones setting the standard.
