kinyara

If the figure quoted in the article is correct that means 1.8 million have visited from August 1st to September 8th which is significant increase from the July figure of 1.1 million. They are managing to add 300k a month so this makes 10 million realistic.

It wasn't 9 months it was to September 8th, full month is likely to take it to near 6 million. With over 1 million a month now coming around 10 million is realistic.

So no action yet on improving the visa situation thanks for confirming, build it but they can't come must be their current thinking. Thailand isn't lacking in airports, where exactly does Thailand need a new airport ? Who wants to see building and further development on Thailand's island locations, people go there to get away from the over development that ruins so many places. Chinatown Bangkok is a major tourist earner and 2 new MRT stations were opened in the recent past which helps get more tourists into the heart of the area, billions spent. As far as your mobile phone analogy, Vietnam is very much Huawei - cheap, budget orientated model appealing to Chinese and Taiwanese, it's own little store of newly developed sub par rather tacky apps, that just doesn't have the global appeal of the regional leader Thailand. I'd argue Apple hasn't innovated much in recent years but as market leader its core platform retains a loyal repeat customer base as well as increasing new customers despite its already huge market share. I check out the Vietnam section of the forum periodically, it's absolutely dead.

Not surprised he's against it with the skewed % impact it has on his short-haul ticket pricing model.

Fortunately the rainy season is the low season in Thailand which doesn't coincide with the summer school holiday season. If you're thinking of coming I'd recommend a weather app on your phone and failing that looking upwards if you're thinking of venturing outside your 5-star abode. It's really not that difficult to predict.

Totally agree, over the years its always experienced flash flooding it just takes less to cause more these days. Natural result of concreting over the city without expanding the drainage system in tandem. It's always gone in a couple of hours if that on Beach Road so I'm not sure what the big deal is other than a seasonal talking point along with Songkran

Better reserve a few bottles of Champers before they arrive ????

I doubt you'll need to worry about rubbing shoulders with Bangkok 2nd home owners in Western orientated bars. More likely to be beneficial to the upscale Thai places in North Pattaya/Wongamat/Jontien they favour at weekends.

The situation in Bangkok seems to be getting steadily worse, given it's not even mid-September I wonder if we'll see a mini exodus to Pattaya by those that own property here if things really deteriorate like 2011.

As per usual you're speculating and kicking the can down the road ignoring the reality of the here and now because it doesn't suit your narrative. Thailand is flexible enough to act quickly when required as we have just seen with the lengthening of tourist visa exempt/visa on arrivals for the high season, Vietnam is still a rigid bureaucratic communist state which lags behind on a basic issue like this. Have they done anything visa wise to incentivise tourism yet post Covid ?

We've been waiting years already, it hasn't happened yet. It only attracted 45% of Thailand's numbers pre-covid, and that has now dropped to 30% this year since re-opening. One big growth market for Thaiand is actually Vietnamese, that suggests to me overall pricing isn't an issue.

Vietnam tourism Jan-July - 954,561 Thailand tourism July - 1,124,227 Tourists want something more than 30 baht beers, Thailand clearly offers more.

As I said it's not just you that hasn't/isn't predicted an imminent closure then actual closure, it appears to be nobody which points to normal business ongoing as far as I'm concerned. You raised the same general questions last year prior to borders reopening, there would be a plethora of leases for renewal at Christmas - how many would carry on ? It came and went with no discernible level of closures across the board. Then when that passed you moved on to questioning how many would be able to make it through the low season failing to profit on the high season - again no discernible level of closures so far that anyone would notice. We are now actually seeing the opposite happening. Now you are back kicking the can down the road again using the same chestnut of lease renewal with the added spice of global economic factors thrown in. Has your definition of imminent now changed to 8 months time ? I thought is was supposed to be a useful thread for what is happening here and now, and on the whole that appears to be more about openings not closures as far as I can see. I made the point that it would be extremely unusual in a city the size of Pattaya if there weren't businesses being sold regularly, you quote 1 for sale in an area where there must be well over a hundred operating which is clearly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. It indicates nothing other than normality. Anyway I'm imminently off to enjoy a couple of Saturday afternoon pints in a favourite that has survived and appears to be attracting loyal regulars and more tourists week by week. It's not cheap so I would say it's only a race to the bottom if that's your target custom and it rarely seems to end well without some other unique selling point. Have a nice weekend, trust you've got a hot online date lined up and you can still find a bar open to take her. ????

Yeah the reality is we are never going to be short of venues across the spectrum. To me it would only matter currently if there was evidence of well established businesses closing, I don't see any, but also no evidence of new businesses opening - I see openings happening. I think there is a reasonable degree of customer loyalty here, some of the long-standing places I automatically think of aren't the cheapest or most expensive, they operate in the middle ground with the key combination of good value and service. Cheaper prices elsewhere won't shift me from my regulars, I value pleasant staff, comfort and location.

So c'mon then, which of your favourites is imminently closing ? I don't think in the last 7 months I've read of anyone posting that a specific favourite of their's is imminently closing followed by its closure. The places you mention were new and took an adventurous perhaps early gamble timing wise, and I guess didn't become enough people's favourite, hence why they closed. Poor business decision making. There has/are always been businesses being traded in Pattaya at any given point in time, plucking one of such a website proves nothing other than normality.

You think Malaysians are migrant workers in Thailand, seriously ? The opposite is actually the reality.

An enjoyable holiday weekend ?

How would you know what anyone coming here is paid, Indian or otherwise, are you at the airport checking their payslips at immigration. There is a clear rascist stereotype towards Indian tourists evident on this forum that fails to even acknowledge the existence of their higher spending tourists. If you look at the figures from TAT Western tourists spend more in total by virtue of the length of their holiday not particularly their daily spend, however obviously they are significantly in the minority numbers wise in the overall scheme of things. ( Not seen many wine drinkers amongst the Westerner fraternity, Chang, Leo and Singha is de-rigeur price wise just as much as it is for Non-Westerners ).

Try telling Westerners that, they seem to think Thailand's tourist industry is entirely dependent on themselves. Outdated colonialism.

This thread has run its course, Covid sorted out the wheat from the chaff and the well run favourites of old made it through to welcome their repeat loyal tourist custom back this high season. It's all about imminent openings in the lead up to the end of the year offering fresh alternatives to those that have been away for the last 2 years. Bullet Bar with possibly the biggest sign I've seen in Jomtien is an imminent opening before the turn to the beach I noticed today. The old Bruno's restaurant, ( short-lived Chinese ), is another being prepared for a new offering. The phoenix rises from the ashes, to much teeth gnashing from the eternal bitter and twisted.

What on earth are you babbling on about.

Not sure as I've only been as near as the Beer Garden in daytime and Le Pub at night since things reopened. The issue I see is when there they have always packed up and left before the late night trouble starts.

That's why I think Pattaya will have a good high season Western tourism wise, think of all the traditional longer stay snowbirds who come from Nov-April to avoid the European winter who have been away for 2 high seasons. With the rise in their heating costs it makes even more sense to spend the winter here, the increased cost of the flight will be more than recouped with the other cost savings made.

There really should be a visible police presence patrolling the main nightlife areas, Walking Street, Beach Road & Buakow/LK Metro/Treetown from midnight to 5am, the timeframe when these incidents invariably occur. The tourist police predictably leave before the peak window of likely drink/drug induced trouble starts. Stationed halfway along Walking Street would allow them to be close enough either end to deal quickly with any incidents. It doesn't require a lot of manpower, just effective use of resources. A march along Walking Street by the head honcho and his lackeys with the press in tow after a series of incidents and negative publicity, which is normally what happens, doesn't amount to anything regarding late night safety.

Try e-mailing or phoning AV Camera as they advertise the Sony A7R IV. They are just round the corner from Saphan Taksin BTS station so easy to get to if they confirm they have 1 in stock. http://www.avcamera.com/index.php/sony-ilce-camera Another option if you don't mind going the used route is Camera Plus in Fortune Town mall have the Sony with a shutter count of 3,xxx going for 72,500 baht. Try Fotofile MBK - Telephone 096-814-2000, Nikon Z7 being advertised at 68,800 Canon EOS R5 at 134,000 https://fotofile.co.th/index.php/products/category-camera/lens-mount-canon-rf.html Good luck.