{"id":401274,"date":"2026-04-20T06:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/401274\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T06:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:46:15","slug":"former-shin-bet-officer-builds-remote-thailand-resort-where-guests-create-the-experie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/401274\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Shin Bet officer builds remote Thailand resort where guests create the experie"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the remote eastern side of Koh Phangan, along a secluded stretch of beach accessible only by boat, a new tourism project is taking shape \u2014 one that aims to redefine the traditional vacation model in Thailand.<\/p>\n

Behind the initiative is Nir Adan, a former member of Israel\u2019s Shin Bet personal security unit, later CEO of Midburn, and now an experience design specialist. Together with partner Uri Raz, an Israeli restaurateur based on the island, Adan is developing a resort built around a participatory model.<\/p>\n

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Far from the crowds: the beach where the resort is being built <\/p>\n

(Photo: Hannah Katznelson)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to create a different paradigm,\u201d Adan told ynet. \u201cThe line between guest and host is very blurred. You arrive at a resort, but we\u2019re located on the uninhabited side of the island, on a very isolated beach you can only reach by sea.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the core of the project are the guests themselves. \u201cWe\u2019re creating a space that allows people to bring their zone of genius,\u201d Adan said. \u201cWe\u2019re somewhat like Burning Man \u2014 a platform that invites people to bring their knowledge, experience and passion into a shared space.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Nir Adan and Uri Raz <\/p>\n

(Photo: Itai Biton, Rami Zargir)<\/p>\n

Adan, who is deeply familiar with the global \u201cburner\u201d community, has enlisted prominent partners in the field, including Semel Keren, founder of Experience House, and Philip Bullenbach, founder of The College of Extraordinary Experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of uncertainty,\u201d he said of the concept. \u201cIf you come to one of our sessions, I can\u2019t tell you in advance who the guests will be or what content they\u2019ll create. If you\u2019re a yoga teacher, you can lead a class. If you\u2019re a musician, you can perform. If you love cooking, you can join the kitchen. The entire experience is built on that foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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7 View gallery <\/p>\n

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Construction is progressing day by day <\/p>\n

(Photo: Hannah Katznelson)<\/p>\n

Unlike other parts of Koh Phangan known for their wellness tourism, Adan said his resort will encourage guests to stay on-site. \u201cIt\u2019s not like the other side of the island, where you move between places,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople who come here will mostly stay with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resort is expected to include about 100 rooms and roughly 200 beds. While accommodations will be of a high standard, Adan emphasized that the rooms are not the focus. \u201cWe don\u2019t want you spending too much time there. Everything happens outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The price is set at about 550 shekels ($150) per person per night in a shared room, all-inclusive, with a minimum stay of five nights. \u201cWe don\u2019t want guests dealing with their wallet or constantly calculating costs,\u201d Adan said.<\/p>\n

The project, estimated at about 20 million shekels ($5.5 million), is being built without external investors or loans. \u201cEveryone who joins as a partner also invests,\u201d Adan said. \u201cIt\u2019s a community-based model.\u201d<\/p>\n

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7 View gallery <\/p>\n

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The founding team on site <\/p>\n

(Photo: Hannah Katznelson)<\/p>\n

Programming will include daily wellness activities such as yoga and Pilates, alongside evening entertainment and workshops organized by the resort. At the same time, much of the experience will rely on guest participation.<\/p>\n

To facilitate connections, the resort employs a 16-person team tasked with matching guests based on their backgrounds and interests. \u201cIf there are musicians, we connect them. If there are chefs, we bring them together,\u201d Adan said. \u201cWe create the conditions for collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Adan acknowledged the unpredictability of the model. \u201cYou might arrive at a highly inspiring session and meet people you\u2019d never encounter elsewhere,\u201d he said. \u201cOr you might come a year later and it will be completely different \u2014 maybe less powerful. We\u2019re okay with that. Like Burning Man, you never know exactly what you\u2019ll get.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adan also addressed concerns about the growing presence of Israelis in Koh Phangan, including recent criminal incidents involving Israeli nationals.<\/p>\n

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7 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05e8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e7<\/a>\"\u05e8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e7<\/p>\n

(Photo: Hannah Katznelson)<\/p>\n

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7 View gallery <\/p>\n

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Cabins in the resort <\/p>\n

(Photo: Hannah Katznelson)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are guests here, not the owners,\u201d he said. \u201cThe local culture is very different from Israeli culture, and there are frictions \u2014 not always intentional, but they exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the main issue lies in the approach. \u201cThere is a strong Israeli community here, and we received help from other Israeli projects,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when it comes to real estate, that\u2019s where problems start. When people come to a tropical island and clear the jungle to build as many units as possible just to maximize profit \u2014 that feels wrong in relation to the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resort\u2019s concept is also rooted in Adan\u2019s personal journey. Raised in a military environment \u2014 his father served in the Israeli Air Force and his grandfather, Avraham Adan, was a senior general \u2014 Adan said he followed a conventional path before experiencing a turning point.<\/p>\n

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7 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05e8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e7<\/a>\"\u05e8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e7<\/p>\n

Far from the crowds: the beach where the resort is being built <\/p>\n

(Photo: Hannah Katznelson)<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 26, I had an identity crisis,\u201d he said. \u201cYou start asking what is really yours and what was dictated to you. Everything I was told to stay away from suddenly attracted me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He transitioned into experience design and later co-founded Midburn, which he led for eight years. In 2018, he launched a cross-cultural project in Egypt called \u201cWhat If,\u201d aimed at bringing together participants from different countries. The initiative was shut down by Egyptian authorities hours before opening.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the final nail in the coffin for that project,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite the new venture in Thailand, Adan said he has not fully relocated. \u201cI\u2019m not based in Koh Phangan,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m living between worlds \u2014 connected both here and there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the remote eastern side of Koh Phangan, along a secluded stretch of beach accessible only by boat,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-401274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}