Eight NineEstates · 8°–9° North · Thailand
Aerial of the Sichon beachfront with coconut groves

Incentives

Thailand pays you to build here.

Both of our sites sit in provinces the Board of Investment treats as priority for tourism. What that is worth to an operator, in plain terms.

The headline

Second-tier provinces, first-tier incentives.

Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) promotes hotels, resorts, wellness centres and tourism attractions. To spread development beyond Bangkok, Phuket and Samui, it gives its strongest packages to projects in the 55 designated second-tier provinces. Nakhon Si Thammarat, where Sichon lies, and Phang Nga, where Natai lies, are both on that list. Phuket is not.

For a resort developer that difference can be worth more than the land rent over the first decade.

Corporate income tax
Exemption for promoted tourism projects in second-tier provinces, historically up to eight years, followed by further reductions in some measures. Confirm the package in force at the date of application.
Foreign ownership
Up to 100% foreign ownership of the promoted operating company, with no Thai-majority requirement and no nominee arrangements.
Import duties
Exemption or reduction on imported machinery and, for some projects, materials used in construction.
Visas and work permits
BOI One Stop Service for foreign executives and specialists, without the usual four-to-one Thai staff ratio.
Land
A promoted company may be permitted to hold land for its project; on our sites the operator holds a registered lease and a superficies over its buildings, with BOI status adding flexibility rather than replacing the lease.
Repatriation
Guaranteed right to remit profits and capital in foreign currency.

What it looks like on each site

Sichon. A 30–350-key resort, branded residences or a wellness estate on part of 241 rai is squarely a BOI hotel or wellness project. Add the eight-year tax holiday to land held on lease rather than bought, and the capital that would have sat in a title goes into rooms that earn tax-free.

Natai. A beach club and a ten-key stay is below most hotel thresholds, but wellness and spa categories have lower entry points, and the operating company can still be structured cleanly. Ask; we will introduce an adviser who has done it.

Other incentives worth knowing

Long-Term Resident visa
Ten-year visa for wealthy global citizens, wealthy pensioners and highly skilled professionals, with work permission and a 17% flat tax for skilled categories. See our page on living in Thailand.
Eastern seaboard and Andaman plans
The government's southern tourism strategy, the new Nakhon Si Thammarat terminal and the proposed Andaman international airport in Phang Nga all point investment toward exactly these two coasts.
Double-tax treaties
Thailand has treaties with more than sixty countries, including Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland, Russia, China, Japan, Singapore, Australia and the United States.

Questions we are asked

What is the Thailand Board of Investment?

The BOI is the government agency that grants investment privileges to approved projects. Hotels, resorts, wellness centres, marinas and certain tourism attractions are promotable activities. A promoted company receives tax and non-tax incentives set out in a promotion certificate.

Can a BOI-promoted hotel be majority foreign-owned?

Yes. BOI promotion allows 100% foreign ownership of the promoted company in most tourism activities, which removes the need for a Thai-majority shareholding and the nominee structures that go with it. The land is still held on a registered lease.

What tax incentives apply in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phang Nga?

Both provinces are among Thailand's designated second-tier provinces, where BOI tourism projects have been offered enhanced corporate income tax exemptions, historically up to eight years, plus import-duty exemption on machinery. The exact package depends on the activity, size and the BOI measures in force when you apply; confirm with the BOI or your adviser before underwriting it.

Does BOI promotion help with work permits?

Yes. Promoted companies use the BOI's One Stop Service for visas and work permits for foreign executives and specialists, without the usual Thai-to-foreign staff ratio, and the process is measured in days rather than weeks.

Can a BOI company own land?

A BOI-promoted company may be permitted to own land for its promoted project under section 27 of the Investment Promotion Act, subject to conditions. Our sites are offered on lease; the point is that BOI status gives an operator flexibility on structure that an ordinary company does not have.

Is there a minimum investment?

Yes, and it varies by activity. Hotels typically need to meet a minimum number of rooms or a minimum capital investment excluding land and working capital. Boutique and wellness formats may qualify under different categories. We can introduce BOI-experienced advisers.

BOI measures change; the above describes the framework as at September 2026 and is not tax or legal advice. Eligibility and the exact package are confirmed by the BOI on application.

Interested?

We will introduce BOI-experienced advisers to qualified operators.

Discuss a promoted project
Enquire about a lease