Should Tourists Avoid Pattaya

[pumper]

expats posting here have a different view of pattaya than we (me) tourists.

Pattaya expats seem to have the opinion that those enjoying night life are to expect more crime.

fact, discos in Acapulco or Aspen are rockin' the night away .. it's what people do on vacation.

most tourists, me anyway , are on vacation from real life .. at home I watch TV, go to bed, go to work, watch tv, go to bed ... & dream of my vacation from reality .. go to work & day dream of my vacation ..

when on vacation at a sea side community I want to stay out late & walk along the beach at night, .. in addition to riding the banana boat & eating prawns under an umbrella on the beach during day light.

the pattaya water is un inviting .. on phuket i enjoy the water, i avoid pattaya beach water like the plague (which it appears to be full of)

the reports of crime on tourist (not daytime crime on expats) in pattaya seems horrible .. drugging. beatings, robberies, MURDER ..

no what I want to be concerned with on vacation.

my thoughts:

there are much better places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much safer places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much cleaner places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much prettier places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

[dgoz]

I've lived in Pattaya for the last 8 months (unfortunately) and you're pretty much spot on with your comments.

IMO, the Thai people of Pattaya are the worst in Thailand. The Farang here aren't much better. Mainly Lager louts from the UK. Now you have the Russian mafia moving in just to add to the scum.

I'm moving out soon. It's a dump.

Phuket isn't that much better. Expensive and inhabited by greedy, rip-off merchants.

I would suggest Hua Hin, Chiang Mai and even Bangkok before I'd recommend Pattaya.

[lazeeboy]

I've lived in Pattaya for the last 8 months (unfortunately) and you're pretty much spot on with your comments.

IMO, the Thai people of Pattaya are the worst in Thailand. The Farang here aren't much better. Mainly Lager louts from the UK. Now you have the Russian mafia moving in just to add to the scum.

I'm moving out soon. It's a dump.

Phuket isn't that much better. Expensive and inhabited by greedy, rip-off merchants.

I would suggest Hua Hin, Chiang Mai and even Bangkok before I'd recommend Pattaya.

these problems in pattaya are no different to any holiday resorts in the world take a tourist give him some money drag him in the bar get him drunk when he wakes up he has no memory of how he got his black eye so he will go home and tell all he was mugged lynch etc ive been to pattaya many times commom sense will keep you out of trouble dont drink so much and you will enjoy your stay a lot more unfortunatly pattaya has had some bad press ie the poor russian girls theres no where worse than spain but people keep going these problems are far and few between so why dont we start talking something nice about pattaya instead of doom and gloom as you can tell im a pattaya fan ........

[COBBER]

expats posting here have a different view of pattaya than we (me) tourists.

Pattaya expats seem to have the opinion that those enjoying night life are to expect more crime.

fact, discos in Acapulco or Aspen are rockin' the night away .. it's what people do on vacation.

most tourists, me anyway , are on vacation from real life .. at home I watch TV, go to bed, go to work, watch tv, go to bed ... & dream of my vacation from reality .. go to work & day dream of my vacation ..

when on vacation at a sea side community I want to stay out late & walk along the beach at night, .. in addition to riding the banana boat & eating prawns under an umbrella on the beach during day light.

the pattaya water is un inviting .. on phuket i enjoy the water, i avoid pattaya beach water like the plague (which it appears to be full of)

the reports of crime on tourist (not daytime crime on expats) in pattaya seems horrible .. drugging. beatings, robberies, MURDER ..

no what I want to be concerned with on vacation.

my thoughts:

there are much better places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much safer places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much cleaner places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much prettier places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

Yep, go to Rio or Jamaica or Cape Town. Much safer.

[jasperblubber2005]

pumper

i first response is probably the best, i wish i would have gone to hua hin instead of pattaya last year, i think i would still be in thailand had i done that, hua hin has good streets, nice beach and some very good dining, its a whole different world there.

your still going to see a lot of tourist but the jewely and bag snatching is nothing like pattaya.

jasper

[NanLaew]

I think the OP has a very valid point whether being a resident, resident-tourist or tourist influences what you think about the state of the city, it's administration and infrastructure. It also greatly dictates how you behave.

For this observation, a resident would be those fully working, living or retired here, all with considerable investments. A resident-tourist would be those working overseas that spend at least half the year here, retaining a rental property or possibly owning a house or condo. The tourist is the one-off or maybe twice a year visitor, possibly a regular visitor, a sexpat or transient.

Pattaya is primarily a tourist destination that just happens to be in the middle of the eastern seaboard and home to many expatriate workers of all nationalities and cultures. I would hazard a guess that most of those chose to live in 'new' Pattaya, on the east side of Sukhumvit, further inland and further south. the day-to-day crime risk would be both lower and of a different nature to that perpetrated in the 'old' Pattaya, from Naklua, down Sai Sam towards the sea and over Pratumnak to Jomtien.

Pattaya's primary attraction, ugly or distasteful as it may be for some of us to admit to, IS sexually oriented. Everything else be it dining, water sports or golf are all side-shows. Trying to defend the recent trend in violent crime as 'that was Jomtien, it wasn't Pattaya' is absurd. It's certainly localised in certain areas of Jomtien and Pattaya but to all intents and purposes, the press, local and otherwise call it Pattaya. The fact that Pattaya has more local newspapers, TV and radio stations dedicated to serving the foreigners at home and abroad means that it will always be more visible on the 'bad news sells' radar than other Thai tourist destinations.

The simple fact is the average Joe tourist, here for the beer and skittles, doing the bars, clubs and discos at night and relaxing on the beach during the day, does have a higher exposure to social crime than the average Joe resident, having a beer beside the lake with his buddies before an early night because of work the next day. Joe tourist probably does his Mon-Fri, 9-5 in a less pleasurable environment so when on vacation, does what the h**l he wants, possibly including some things that he can't do legally at home. Unfortunately, that is human nature. To the extreme, it's the lager lout, yob and dregs of society we read about all too frequently.

That some of us chose to live and work here does not permit us to have any voice in matters that would improve the lot of both foreigner and Thai in the community, regardless of how much we love, invest or are taxed. We will forever be marginalized as the minority that we are and our hosts, fiercely nationalistic as we know they are, will never embrace us more than they care to. There will always be a condescending attitude towards any foreigners involvement, whether solicited or otherwise, in the affairs of the city and that is a cultural trait of this country.

However, wailing and gnashing of teeth in a civilized, moderated forum like we have here may help relieve some of the frustrations of living in paradise lost... or never quite ever gained, depending on your point of view. For every opinionated, hateful, racist and xenophobic posting, there's always at least 10 much more reasonable, qualified and respectful voices to be heard.

[Mighty Mouse]

Since the R & R invasion, Pattaya has changed from a sleepy fishing village to a tourist destination. Whether the "tourists" be farangs or Thai nationals, they flock to the seaside to soak up all the good things on offer.

The Thais infiltrate Pattaya every weekend, the farangs come en masse during the high season.

Most of Pattaya's ex-pats were once farang tourists who loved Pattaya so much, that they decided to live there permanently.

Any wise ex-pat will know that the quickest way to financial problems is to live your life as a tourist every day. (drinking and womanising.)

The main objective of the Thais who live in or near Pattaya is to make money, either legally or illegally. To do this they must target the tourists, either directly or indirectly.

Apart from market stalls, there aren't many businesses in Pattaya that target only Thai customers. All businesses therefor need tourism in order to survive.

(Study the effects on businesses in Bali immediately following the bombings. No tourists, no business.)

I agree with the OP, that the majority of single male tourists take their vacations in Pattaya for an alcohol fueled sex romp. How many of you now unhappy ex-pats did the same during your initial visits?

By setting up residence in Pattaya, you ex-pats now expect the comforts that you once enjoyed in your Western homeland plus all the things that attracted you to Pattaya in the first place.

You can't have it all.

Crime rates in any popular holiday destination around the world will always be higher when compared to crime rates in normal, every day suburbia.

Crime rates in Pattaya and Phuket will always be higher than crime rates in Isaan.

You disgruntled ex-pats have only yourselves to blame for your unhappy predicament. You chose the wrong place to set up home.

We holiday loving Westerners will still flock to Pattaya for our enjoyment irrespective of the those Thais who may wish to take advantage of us whilst we are there.

[gmac]

I really don't see the problem with Pattaya as a residence or holiday destination. I arrived here for the first time 7 years ago and within a year had sold up in the UK to reside here. Yes, I am East of the Sukhumvit so don't live right in the "hel_l" hole that the City gets desrcribed as. I do go into town most nights with my g/f to eat and have a couple of nights out on my own or with friends a week but have never felt threatened by the environment. Threatened by the way people drive , yes but living in fear of the criminal elements a resounding NO.

Yes there are problems with law and order and basic infrastructure but if you are sensible, as in not getting falling down drunk and then walking home in dark streets, not taking drugs and generally not putting yourself in harms way you can live a very comfortable life far superior to anything you could experience for the same money in your own country.

As far as being accused of being a sexpat goes, I would happily move to Chiang Mai or similar but my g/f (Thai) loves the vibrancy of the city and wouldn't consider living anywhere else.

gmac

Edited March 4, 2007 by gmac

[BigSnake]

No, go enjoy the place, just Beware

[Naam]

my thoughts:

there are much better places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much safer places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much cleaner places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

there are much prettier places to visit in Thailand than Pattaya

nobody is forcing you to visit Pattaya. why don't you visit the north western part of Kazakhstan and leave Pattaya to us "Patters"?

[loong]

Amazing how often these posts reference the yob (usually Brit) tourist element.

It's because the average tourist that goes out to enjoy himself quietly is unnoticed. Only the unsavoury hit the radar.

A lot of people love Pattaya and a lot hate it. Thank God, we all have a choice.

Crime has increased, there is no doubt, but I still feel relatively safe here.

[COBBER]

Amazing how often these posts reference the yob (usually Brit) tourist element.

It's because the average tourist that goes out to enjoy himself quietly is unnoticed. Only the unsavoury hit the radar.

A lot of people love Pattaya and a lot hate it. Thank God, we all have a choice.

Crime has increased, there is no doubt, but I still feel relatively safe here.

Well said loong.

This mentality that the majority of Pattaya tourists are either yobs or sexual deviants is far from reality.

The largest group of visitors by far is Thais. Over recent years there has been a big increase in numbers of European couples and families, and Chinese package tourists.

[Thai-Spy]

One of the things that gets missed in discussions about crime and life in Pattaya overall is the demographics of the local Thai population. There are somewhat more than 100,000 people aged 20-29 beyond what would be expected if the age distribution followed that of the nation overall. Compounding this further is the fact that there are 12,000 to 15,000 more males than females in this age bracket.

Pattaya, like any resort, serves as a jobs magnet. However the jobs are low-paid as a rule, impermanent and convey no meaningful skills. So it's a short leap to understand why there could be a drift by some into more lucrative criminality, either in organized crime or crimes of opportunity against the obvious tourist wealth. This is compounded by the tendency for higher rates of lawlessness and substance abuse in younger populations and those deficient of females.

Unfortunately it's a problem which doesn't permit an easy solution.

[loong]

One of the things that gets missed in discussions about crime and life in Pattaya overall is the demographics of the local Thai population. There are somewhat more than 100,000 people aged 20-29 beyond what would be expected if the age distribution followed that of the nation overall. Compounding this further is the fact that there are 12,000 to 15,000 more males than females in this age bracket.

Pattaya, like any resort, serves as a jobs magnet. However the jobs are low-paid as a rule, impermanent and convey no meaningful skills. So it's a short leap to understand why there could be a drift by some into more lucrative criminality, either in organized crime or crimes of opportunity against the obvious tourist wealth. This is compounded by the tendency for higher rates of lawlessness and substance abuse in younger populations and those deficient of females.

Unfortunately it's a problem which doesn't permit an easy solution.

Hello Thai-Spy,

I'm not disputing what you say, but can you just enlighten us to the source of these statistics please?

Is it from some sort of census or poll? I would have thought it difficult to be sure of the demographics of the Pattaya populace as many are transient and are registered in other provinces.

More males than females! now that is a surprise. My eyes tell me that the females outnumber the males, but then again I probably take more notice of the females

[Thai-Spy]

One of the things that gets missed in discussions about crime and life in Pattaya overall is the demographics of the local Thai population. There are somewhat more than 100,000 people aged 20-29 beyond what would be expected if the age distribution followed that of the nation overall. Compounding this further is the fact that there are 12,000 to 15,000 more males than females in this age bracket.

Pattaya, like any resort, serves as a jobs magnet. However the jobs are low-paid as a rule, impermanent and convey no meaningful skills. So it's a short leap to understand why there could be a drift by some into more lucrative criminality, either in organized crime or crimes of opportunity against the obvious tourist wealth. This is compounded by the tendency for higher rates of lawlessness and substance abuse in younger populations and those deficient of females.

Unfortunately it's a problem which doesn't permit an easy solution.

Hello Thai-Spy,

I'm not disputing what you say, but can you just enlighten us to the source of these statistics please?

Is it from some sort of census or poll? I would have thought it difficult to be sure of the demographics of the Pattaya populace as many are transient and are registered in other provinces.

More males than females! now that is a surprise. My eyes tell me that the females outnumber the males, but then again I probably take more notice of the females

National Statistical Office, Office of the Prime Minister. Population and Housing Census 2000.

Your eyes are probably not deceiving you. But when you only see the retail sector, you aren't seeing the whole picture.

[mr_hippo]

If you are not a beer-sodden, bar-girl chasing sexpat, what does Pattaya have to offer? There's a beach, a few shopping malls and a beach, a few shopping malls and a beach, a few shopping malls and ............

[yabs]

I'd say Phuket is just as dodgy as Pattaya. Tourism expecially sex tourism breeds crime

always has and always will. Pattaya is a dump in many ways

the beach is just the worst and why couples come here or normal tourists at all is beyond me.

However one thing it has got going for it is Accomodation.

excellent hotels and bargain rates

I'd reckon that the Flipper hotels are some of the best value in all of Asia

and if you just want to relax by the pool and have a few beers at night its great

but i wouldn't live there

[wpcoe]

If you are not a beer-sodden, bar-girl chasing sexpat, what does Pattaya have to offer?

A vibrant gay scene?

[NanLaew]

If you are not a beer-sodden, bar-girl chasing sexpat, what does Pattaya have to offer?

A vibrant gay scene?

vibrant? hardly. now Sydney's 'gay scene' is vibrant

[loong]

One of the things that gets missed in discussions about crime and life in Pattaya overall is the demographics of the local Thai population. There are somewhat more than 100,000 people aged 20-29 beyond what would be expected if the age distribution followed that of the nation overall. Compounding this further is the fact that there are 12,000 to 15,000 more males than females in this age bracket.

Pattaya, like any resort, serves as a jobs magnet. However the jobs are low-paid as a rule, impermanent and convey no meaningful skills. So it's a short leap to understand why there could be a drift by some into more lucrative criminality, either in organized crime or crimes of opportunity against the obvious tourist wealth. This is compounded by the tendency for higher rates of lawlessness and substance abuse in younger populations and those deficient of females.

Unfortunately it's a problem which doesn't permit an easy solution.

Hello Thai-Spy,

I'm not disputing what you say, but can you just enlighten us to the source of these statistics please?

Is it from some sort of census or poll? I would have thought it difficult to be sure of the demographics of the Pattaya populace as many are transient and are registered in other provinces.

More males than females! now that is a surprise. My eyes tell me that the females outnumber the males, but then again I probably take more notice of the females

National Statistical Office, Office of the Prime Minister. Population and Housing Census 2000.

Your eyes are probably not deceiving you. But when you only see the retail sector, you aren't seeing the whole picture.

Thai-Spy,

I do have my doubts that any census carried out in Pattaya would actually reflect the true current population as many will fill in the census as living in their hometown. But that doesn't take anything away from your other points. Thai males do probably outnumber available females. Also the fact that many Thai men's girlfriends are servicing farangs must affect some of them mentally.

If you are not a beer-sodden, bar-girl chasing sexpat, what does Pattaya have to offer? There's a beach, a few shopping malls and a beach, a few shopping malls and a beach, a few shopping malls and ............

Relatively cheap accommodation

Variety and price range of dining

Weather

Nong Nooch

Three Kingdoms Theme Park

Bottle art museum

Go cart and off road tracks

Minature racetrack

Pattaya Park (Water fun park)

Elephant village

The Million Years Stone Park And Crocodile Farm

Underwater world

Mini Siam

Sriracha Tiger Zoo (Okay, not too impressive)

Alangkarn

Siriporn Orchid Farm

Sea side sea food restaurants at Bang Saen Beach

Diving

Horse riding

Handgun and rifle shooting range

Discos

Traditional thai massage (skilled masseurs - no extras)

Alcazar and other ladyboy shows

Thai Kickboxing

Chonburi Buffalo Race

The Buddha image on the mountain near Nong Nooch , Temples nearby as well.........

Anek Kusala Sala pavilion (Wihan Sian) and Wat Yan Sangwararam

Sanctuary of truth

Big Buddha hill

Khao Kheow Zoo

Jet skis

Wind surfing

Helicopter rides

Golf

Fishing

The Islands

Parasailing

Banana Boats

Water Skiing

[begsaresponse]

One of the things that gets missed in discussions about crime and life in Pattaya overall is the demographics of the local Thai population. There are somewhat more than 100,000 people aged 20-29 beyond what would be expected if the age distribution followed that of the nation overall. Compounding this further is the fact that there are 12,000 to 15,000 more males than females in this age bracket.

Pattaya, like any resort, serves as a jobs magnet. However the jobs are low-paid as a rule, impermanent and convey no meaningful skills. So it's a short leap to understand why there could be a drift by some into more lucrative criminality, either in organized crime or crimes of opportunity against the obvious tourist wealth. This is compounded by the tendency for higher rates of lawlessness and substance abuse in younger populations and those deficient of females.

Unfortunately it's a problem which doesn't permit an easy solution.

Hello Thai-Spy,

I'm not disputing what you say, but can you just enlighten us to the source of these statistics please?

Is it from some sort of census or poll? I would have thought it difficult to be sure of the demographics of the Pattaya populace as many are transient and are registered in other provinces.

More males than females! now that is a surprise. My eyes tell me that the females outnumber the males, but then again I probably take more notice of the females

National Statistical Office, Office of the Prime Minister. Population and Housing Census 2000.

Your eyes are probably not deceiving you. But when you only see the retail sector, you aren't seeing the whole picture.

Thai-Spy,

I do have my doubts that any census carried out in Pattaya would actually reflect the true current population as many will fill in the census as living in their hometown. But that doesn't take anything away from your other points. Thai males do probably outnumber available females. Also the fact that many Thai men's girlfriends are servicing farangs must affect some of them mentally.

If you are not a beer-sodden, bar-girl chasing sexpat, what does Pattaya have to offer? There's a beach, a few shopping malls and a beach, a few shopping malls and a beach, a few shopping malls and ............

Relatively cheap accommodation

Variety and price range of dining

Weather

Nong Nooch

Three Kingdoms Theme Park

Bottle art museum

Go cart and off road tracks

Minature racetrack

Pattaya Park (Water fun park)

Elephant village

The Million Years Stone Park And Crocodile Farm

Underwater world

Mini Siam

Sriracha Tiger Zoo (Okay, not too impressive)

Alangkarn

Siriporn Orchid Farm

Sea side sea food restaurants at Bang Saen Beach

Diving

Horse riding

Handgun and rifle shooting range

Discos

Traditional thai massage (skilled masseurs - no extras)

Alcazar and other ladyboy shows

Thai Kickboxing

Chonburi Buffalo Race

The Buddha image on the mountain near Nong Nooch , Temples nearby as well.........

Anek Kusala Sala pavilion (Wihan Sian) and Wat Yan Sangwararam

Sanctuary of truth

Big Buddha hill

Khao Kheow Zoo

Jet skis

Wind surfing

Helicopter rides

Golf

Fishing

The Islands

Parasailing

Banana Boats

Water Skiing

Here, here. An excellent response......all some can see are bar beers,bar beers, and more bar beers, not forgetting the shopping malls!!!!

[think_too_mut]

Pattaya is struggling to cope with all the non-residents. Like border towns in Texas and Arizona where people come and go or try to thrive on the traffic.

Pattaya may have 250K people there but when the voting time came in February 2005, half the population left to vote up country (we don't want to say here who paid for their trips and their votes).

There is a crap mix of resident and non-resident Thais, visa-run farangs, long time farangs, tourists and weekenders. The proportion of stable people (and their own interests) is posed to instill nothing meaningful. Some could even go further and say - the worst of them to match the worst of us.

Then, try to make Garmisch Partenkirchen out of that place. Not even Swiss police would know what to do, let alone that poor sod under the boot of the military government.

[mr_hippo]

Then, try to make Garmisch Partenkirchen out of that place. Not even Swiss police would know what to do, let alone that poor sod under the boot of the military government.

And there wass me thinking Garmisch Partenkirchen was in Bavaria, has there been a boundary change?

[Thai-Spy]

One of the things that gets missed in discussions about crime and life in Pattaya overall is the demographics of the local Thai population. There are somewhat more than 100,000 people aged 20-29 beyond what would be expected if the age distribution followed that of the nation overall. Compounding this further is the fact that there are 12,000 to 15,000 more males than females in this age bracket.

Pattaya, like any resort, serves as a jobs magnet. However the jobs are low-paid as a rule, impermanent and convey no meaningful skills. So it's a short leap to understand why there could be a drift by some into more lucrative criminality, either in organized crime or crimes of opportunity against the obvious tourist wealth. This is compounded by the tendency for higher rates of lawlessness and substance abuse in younger populations and those deficient of females.

Unfortunately it's a problem which doesn't permit an easy solution.

Hello Thai-Spy,

I'm not disputing what you say, but can you just enlighten us to the source of these statistics please?

Is it from some sort of census or poll? I would have thought it difficult to be sure of the demographics of the Pattaya populace as many are transient and are registered in other provinces.

More males than females! now that is a surprise. My eyes tell me that the females outnumber the males, but then again I probably take more notice of the females

National Statistical Office, Office of the Prime Minister. Population and Housing Census 2000.

Your eyes are probably not deceiving you. But when you only see the retail sector, you aren't seeing the whole picture.

Thai-Spy,

I do have my doubts that any census carried out in Pattaya would actually reflect the true current population as many will fill in the census as living in their hometown. But that doesn't take anything away from your other points. Thai males do probably outnumber available females. Also the fact that many Thai men's girlfriends are servicing farangs must affect some of them mentally.

It was a census rather than a summary report of House Registrations. If that had been done all places of any significant size would have shown more or less the same curves in demographics. Phuket also shows the same phenomenon though on a smaller scale and skews somewhat older.

The primary mental effect is to induce laughter and ridicule at the expense of the "stupid farang" who grossly overpays for companionship. Not to say there is not a significant proportion of Thai males who are genuinely heartbroken that their girls work in farang-oriented establishments, but they are a minority.

[mr_hippo]

Before anyone says anything - there's a typo in my last post

[think_too_mut]

Then, try to make Garmisch Partenkirchen out of that place. Not even Swiss police would know what to do, let alone that poor sod under the boot of the military government.

And there wass me thinking Garmisch Partenkirchen was in Bavaria, has there been a boundary change?

Even if I were wrong, how does that change the point?

http://www.snowrental.net/skiing/switzerla...tenkirchen.html

Edited March 4, 2007 by think_too_mut

[Robski]

Pattaya is what it is, you can't polish a turd.

What Pattaya lacks is 24 hour drinking and more visible policing.

We came here to party, what else do you think it's for?

[mr_hippo]

Then, try to make Garmisch Partenkirchen out of that place. Not even Swiss police would know what to do, let alone that poor sod under the boot of the military government.

And there wass me thinking Garmisch Partenkirchen was in Bavaria, has there been a boundary change?

Even if I were wrong, how does that change the point?

http://www.snowrental.net/skiing/switzerla...tenkirchen.html

Not a case of 'If I were wrong..', you are wrong so other 'facts' may be wrong also.

[buriramboy]

Pattaya is what it is, you can't polish a turd.

What Pattaya lacks is 24 hour drinking and more visible policing.

We came here to party, what else do you think it's for?

Concurs with Robski apart from the bit about lack of 24 hour drinking, you just get too pissed and don't realize the bars are still open.

[Robski]

So true!