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Japan Transport minister Akihiro Ota and his visiting Thai counterpart, Prajin Juntong, signed on a memorandum on the two nations’ cooperation on a planned high-speed rail link between Bangkok and the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.

Based on the memorandum, the Japanese and Thai governments will jointly conduct a feasibility study on the rail project on the assumption that Thailand will introduce Japan’s shinkansen bullet train technology.

The two sides will also consider Japan’s financial assistance to help cover the project’s construction costs, seen totaling the equivalent of ¥1 trillion. New tracks would be constructed for the 670-km-long line.

The high-speed train service is expected to attract tourists because there are sightseeing spots along the planned line, including Ayutthaya, a historic city, officials said.

The memorandum also calls for cooperation in improving an existing railway in southern Thailand and human resources development.

Source: The Sing Sian Yer Pao Daily News

The sales performance of the overall villa market declined due to a slump in the entrylevel villa market. However, the sales volume of the other sectors remained relatively stable.

Entry-level villas priced between THB 5-15 million are the most dependent on Russian buyers. This sector will remain weak if the Russian economy and the ruble do not make a recovery. However, we have seen evidence of some Chinese buyers entering this sector. It is possible that they may start buying in bulk once they have confidence in the market.

Two luxury villas (over THB 90 million) were sold in Q1 2015. Both luxury villas were in Banyan Tree Grand Residences, with a starting price of THB 101 million.

Above:Banyan Tree Grand Residences

Above:Banyan Tree Grand Residences

We believe that the villa market will remain sluggish in the near future. We do not expect that Chinese buyers will be able to immediately replace the decline in Russian buyers in the coming quarters.

Phuket resort condominium and apartment unit sales fell compared to last year. Forty percent of the units sold were one-bedroom units followed by studio units at thirty five percent.

There was a 53.9% drop Y-o-Y in Russian arrivals to Thailand and this has hit the condominium and apartment sales.

The total completed supply of resort condominiums amounted to around 5,200 units and there were over 3,000 units in the pipeline, which are expected to be completed within 2017.

We saw the first real evidence of Chinese (PRC) buyers starting to buy resort property condominium units. This number is significant in certain projects. A small number of Thai investors also purchased units with rental schemes.

Western expatriate buyers are more cautious in their investment and prefer the resale market. There have been resales in existing developments; however, prices are not publicly available.

As the resort condominium competition has remained fierce, especially in the entry-level, the rental scheme has become an important marketing tool for developers.

Above：The resort condominium competition has remained fierce

The increase in the number of condominium units in rental schemes will mean that condominiums will be competing with hotels for daily rate guests and the rental returns will depend on the overall performance of the Phuket hotel market.

Going forward, we expect slow sales and limited project launches. Unit sizes will be smaller and have lower lump sum prices.

Source: CBRE Thailand

The Asia’s Silicon Island Penang is already home to Dell, Motorola, Hitachi, Bosch and Intel plants, with more on the way. This year Penang is also expected to attract RM7 billion Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), expanding from the electronic industry to business process outsourcing (BPO) operations, creating thousands of new jobs. High speed rail is also expected in the pipeline by year 2020. It is a golden opportunity to buy in to Penang, as it is now arguably at the same stage as Hong Kong and Singapore was in the 1980s.

Golden Emperor, in partnership with Malaysia’s Top 10 developer E&O Berhad hosted a seminar in discovering Penang for investment on (26 Jun & 27 Jun). At the event we also showcase E&O’s exclusive 21-acre seafront project, the Quayside and over 230 clients attented.

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Above:Golden Emperor, in partnership with Malaysia’s Top 10 developer E&O Berhad hosted a seminar in discovering Penang for investment.

Above: Kingston Lai, Sales Director & Partner of Golden Emperor Properties presented the investment information to local investors.

Above:The building model of the Quayside, a project by E&O Berhad  in Penang.

Above: Terence Chan, Sales Director & Partner of Golden Emperor Properties assisted investors with choosing a unit in The Quayside.

Above: Over 230 clients attented the seminar.

The demand for hotels in the international market is greater than in the U.S. and the pace of economic recovery is particularly fast. Therefore, a number of leading hoteliers are busy expanding overseas. In order to keep pace with the trend, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. HLT recently announced the opening of a hotel, which would increase its presence in Malaysia.

Above：Hilton has entered into an agreement with Pinnacle Nexus Sdn. Bhd. for the opening of a DoubleTree Resort in Penang.

Hilton has entered into an agreement with Pinnacle Nexus Sdn. Bhd. for the opening of a DoubleTree Resort in Penang. DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang will become the brand’s third property in Malaysia joining DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur and DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru. Pinnacle Nexus Sdn. Bhd. is a member of Cornerstone Partners.

Above: DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang will become the brand’s third property in Malaysia joining DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur and DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru.

The existing hotel building will undergo an extensive renovation before joining Hilton’s brand. Set to open in 2016, the hotel will feature 318 rooms, restaurant and bar options including an all-day dining outlet, a lobby bar and a café, meeting and event space spanning over an area of more than 1,300 square meters, a gym, an outdoor pool and children’s recreational area.

Above:The hotel will feature 318 rooms.

The hotel is located along the northern beach area of Penang and is near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of George Town. It will provide easy access to Batu Ferringhi’s recreational, dining and nightlife offerings. Penang being the manufacturing hub for major international high-tech electronics companies of Malaysia – is one of the top three economic centers in Malaysia. Additionally, Penang is a well-known tourist destination. All these factors justify the company’s decision to open another hotel in the region.

Above：The existing hotel building will undergo an extensive renovation before joining Hilton’s brand.

With the recent increase in occupancy rates due to the gradual economic recovery, a number of hoteliers are investing heavily to improve their services and offer a better experience to their guests, thereby increasing the customer base. Further, hotels are striving to develop a multi-channel approach with the help of technology to make their services more consumer-friendly.

Besides Hilton, other hoteliers like Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. HOT, Marriott International, Inc. and Hyatt Hotels Corporation are also consistently foraying into international markets, thereby increasing their international presence.

Source：NASDAQ

Golden Emperor hosted a Movie Night  for our clients and members at  The Sky cinema, Olympian City to watch the latest Tony Jaa movie 殺破狼2 (SPL 2). We privatized a house in the cinema and over 150 clients attended.