AYANA Phuket exhibited at IPS 2026 in Dubai this September, and Gulf investors showed up asking how soon they could close, not whether Thailand was worth considering.

AYANA exhibited at IPS 2026, held September 7-9 in Dubai, now in its 22nd edition and drawing over 300 exhibitors across real estate, future cities, startups, design, and proptech, with organizers reporting that last year's show alone pulled visitors from 153 countries.

The scale was visible everywhere: towering LED displays, scale models from developers across the Gulf and beyond, and a steady crowd that never seemed to thin across all three days. AYANA's own stand kept pace, running a continuous rotation of one-on-one consultations from open to close.

What investors wanted to see

The team walked prospective buyers through renderings, floor plans, and site imagery for AYANA Heights Seaview Residences, the 543-unit hillside development near Layan Beach completing Q2 2027, and AYANA Soluna Villas, the gated collection of 3-6 bedroom private pool villas in Thalang completing Q4 2027.

Most investors asked the same three questions: financing options, the freehold ownership structure available to foreign buyers, and current unit availability. AYANA Commons, the developer's live-shop-stay concept in Bang Tao that sold out entirely, came up almost every time as proof of concept, with visitors asking what AYANA would build next in that same model.

Why Gulf capital is looking at Thailand now

None of this happened in a vacuum. AYANA flagged back in July that Thailand was increasingly being described as a safe-haven market rather than merely a holiday destination, as capital in the region looked for relative stability amid the renewed Iran conflict. IPS Dubai put that shift on full display.

Middle Eastern visitors at the booth weren't approaching Phuket as a speculative bet; many arrived already comparing long-stay visa privileges, freehold structures, and appreciation potential against other markets, and several said outright that this was their first serious look at Thailand rather than Dubai, London, or Singapore.

That pattern matches what the data has been showing for months: a buyer base that has broadened well beyond its historical reliance on Chinese purchasing power to include Russian, Taiwanese, Indian, UK, European, and now a rising share of Middle Eastern capital.

IPS Dubai gave AYANA a direct line to that last group, in person, at exactly the moment they're weighing where to put their money next.

Was it worth it?

The volume of qualified conversations and the number of visitors who left asking for a follow-up call rather than just a brochure, suggests the answer is yes. The team is now working through those leads directly, matching interested investors to the project, unit type, and ownership structure that fits what they came asking about.

Interested in investing in an AYANA property? Call +66 0909 258 666 and one of our sales consultants will be happy to assist you.