Leaver

You forgot to mention the Thai culture and temples. ????

How relaxed do you think the parents of the children are?

I have never said the traditional business model of lady drinks and bar fines will disappear. Despite Uber / Bolt, there are still taxis. Despite AirBnb, there are still hotels. Despite freelancers using apps, there are still bars. What I have said is, the apps have gained popularity, and have been, and will continue to, take away from profits for those businesses remaining with the traditional business model, and should their margins be slim, a loss of 10% or 20% of lady drinks and bar fines may see them close. Of course, business owners may initially raise prices. cut a few staff etc to try to survive, but explaining to their Thai landlord that the traditional business model has now been digitally disrupted to a certain percentage, does not seem to be an option. Even at 10%, that's 10 guys in every 100 customers now meeting girls off apps, rather than buying lady drinks and paying bar fines. For even a busy bar, that's the loss of a lot of baht. You say you can filter out things in a bar, but that usually involves bar hopping and buying a drink for the lady of your choosing in each bar. This can be quite time consuming and costly, until your "filtering" for the night has been completed. I agree, time will tell, but the writing is on the wall. The next generation of monger coming through were practically born with a phone in their hands. I have previously posted of one observation I made with some young lads arranging girls to come and meet them. I overheard their conversation, and saw their girls arrive and join them at their table. I witnessed their whole use of the apps from start to finish. As I posted then, I thought to myself, "This is the future of the sex trade here." Both will coexist, the question is, to what percentages, but with high rents here, and slim margins for business owners, and with a global economic crisis looming, how many businesses relying on the traditional business model can afford to lose 5%, 10%, 15% or even 20% of lady drinks and bar fines to mongers / tourists moving to apps for meeting Thai hookers?

My experience has been they have no problem sending you photos and their ID for a messaging app. They are freelancers for a reason, and in many cases, that reason is their beauty. Many of them would not get turned down. I do a quick video call, and if all is well, I arrange they come and see me in a bar nearby my condo, or in Central Pattaya, and have used short time rooms sometimes. The messaging chats and video calls have been humorous. Like just about everything here, price is negotiated first. Nothing new about that. To date, the girl that shows up is the girl in the photos and video, but I have considered the scenario you mention. Should that happen, for the sake of keeping the peace, I think a few hundred baht would be ok, and we go our separate ways. The drink, or two, are at standard price, so no problem with that. Take a look at an app. There are a lot of attractive girls on them.

"He matched her expectations...but she kills him anyway." A lot of similarity with Thai women and their farang here.

I have never once had a girl from an app come straight to my condo for an hour. I always meet them in a bar for a drink. On some occasions, when I have liked the girl, that meeting has turned into "long time." It's the bar girl experience, without the lady drinks and bar fines, and it's gaining in popularity.

No. Usually an owner approaches me and introduces himself, and when I mention I am ex SAS they engage me in conversation. ????

If Billabong and Triangle were live streaming, I wouldn't be going to them.

Next time you go out, count the staff, including band members and/or kitchen staff, then count the customers and see what percentages you come up with. Even just walking around you can count the girls in the bar to the customers sitting down drinking. Whilst it may be low season, the numbers are down, despite covid requirements ending. There may be other factors at play, like a global economic downturn, that may see a quiet high season coming up.

Customer loyalty does not exist here. Most move to where the price is cheaper, hence, a race to the bottom here.

What time frame is "recently?" I was in Billabong Bar last night. Very quiet. Staff, that also includes the band, would have outnumbered customers. Triangle Bar quiet also.

You keep saying that, but if that was the case, I wouldn't know that Papagayo is now open, and I also wouldn't know that the tall girl singing at Billabong last night was wearing a silver top and short red skirt, and the shorter singer was wearing a fluorescent green dress, and the lady singer at Triangle Bar was wearing a silver sequence dress. Perhaps other members that actually live in Pattaya, and not the village, and do go out, can confirm this. When are you back from the village, scuba? ????

If you were to start a Go Fund Me for your friend to raise money for some trousers and a colored shirt I would donate a few quid. Poor guy.

@PJ71 On topic in this thread. Which failed predictions would they be? Closures - happened. Businesses moving to different locations for cheaper rent - happened. Cheap rent temporary structures in Tree Town popular, rather than bricks and mortar - happened. Apps growing in popularity - happened, and still continuing. Bar girls not returning to Pattaya until there were enough demand for their services - happened. Property market here taking a hit (low rents / no sales) - happened, and still continuing. Price rises in F & B as will as lady drinks and bar fines - happened, and still continuing. Future closures after covid rent discounts come to an end - happened, and still continuing. Walking Street unable to compete with LK Metro / Baukhao area - happening now. Poor high season coming up due to covid and global economic factors - pending. Business owners unable to renew their lease when it falls due - pending. Casinos in Thailand - pending. Your comment is "Pattaya is thriving" despite there being more staff than customers in the majority of businesses, the majority of the time. When asked, "thriving compared to what, and when" you have no answer. ????

Deleted my off topic reply. Replied to you in a more relevant thread.

Beach Club in Tree Town has closed. Their Facebook page says closed for a little while for upgrades and maintenance. The place is new. A few quid spend on that place.