19 hours ago, Leaver said:

If they truly do want high end tourists here, a casino with a high roller room would be the only hope.  It's not like Pattaya's lousy Beach is going to attract any high end tourists.  

This idea has been "touted" for well over 20 years now, the expected place for one to open was always the very large hotel in Jomtien as it is owned by the most influential family in Thailand, rumour has it there has been a private casino open to "high end" folks for many years now! 

Or maybe all ? 

20 hours ago, Leaver said:

This past high season was the lowest high season I have ever seen for western tourists. 

But the only thing that shows, is how long you have been here.

 

 

Yesterday evening I went to Made in Thailand - the market area. Most of the shops disappeared. At the bar area still many bars open but without (m)any customers. 

12 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

That makes it clear. I am not in Thailand at the moment so can't comment properly in the COVID 19 situation but thanks for the clarification.

 

In pre COVID times I don't think many people bought anything. I always thought it was used for the free air con.

The food court brings in pedestrian traffic, and unlike the banks and telecommunication shops, people actually purchase something, and their money is injected into the local Pattaya economy, albeit, cheap eats and small money, but it does generate pedestrian traffic which gives the appearance of a busy retail mall.    

1 hour ago, TaaSaparot said:

But the only thing that shows, is how long you have been here.

 

 

A couple of seasons as a permanent resident of Pattaya, and 17 years before that as a tourists coming to Pattaya twice a year, once always in high season.  

 

I know others have been here longer, but I stand by my observations, conversations with business owners, and my comments.  

2 hours ago, CGW said:

This idea has been "touted" for well over 20 years now, the expected place for one to open was always the very large hotel in Jomtien as it is owned by the most influential family in Thailand, rumour has it there has been a private casino open to "high end" folks for many years now! 

Or maybe all ? 

I can see no reason to not have a casino in Pattaya. 

 

They could do like Vietnam, only non citizens allowed in the gaming areas.   

 

There's no shortage of gambling in Thailand for the locals, it's just the corrupt want it directly benefiting themselves, rather than having legal gambling indirectly benefiting the average Thai tax payer.   

 

If they were to do like Vietnam, the corrupt could still oversee their illegal gambling dens for Thai's. 

 

2 hours ago, CGW said:

 rumour has it there has been a private casino open to "high end" folks for many years now! 

Or maybe all ? 

yeah there was one (maybe still is) off Buakhao

39 minutes ago, Leaver said:

I can see no reason to not have a casino in Pattaya. 

Me either, but it is a business that the Police and army won't to control, so don't think it will happen any time soon, throw in the sheer "two-facedness" & hypocrisy that Thai society is as being a major stumbling block also.

Covid has brought casinos nearer, in my view. Huge swathes of land; much owned by Chang and leased to Chinese; sit on both sides of 2nd Road between Klang and Central Marina. 

Tightly controlled casino hotels will be the order of the day with foreigner only gambling rooms. Casinos will kick start the rest of the tourist economy.

 

 

11 hours ago, champers said:

Tightly controlled casino hotels will be the order of the day with foreigner only gambling rooms. Casinos will kick start the rest of the tourist economy.

What would bring them to Pattaya as opposed to say Macau, Singapore or The Philippines? 

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

What would bring them to Pattaya as opposed to say Macau, Singapore or The Philippines? 

The obvious, the ladies.

Just now, champers said:

The obvious, the ladies.

I was thinking of these high rollers who like to chuck money around on gambling, and doubting the average Pattaya lovely would be of much appeal to them. 

But damn, there go the prices again.....

16 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

yeah there was one (maybe still is) off Buakhao

I have been told by a Thai in the know there are about 4-5 Casinos in the Pattaya area..I have even see one of them myself in a nondescript single story building with no windows a parking lot and no signage at all.......Been there for years I was told......

 

From the stories I have heard when a Thai get a gambling addiction they will lose everything they have till they are homeless....Asians and gambling are a dangerous mix...Like Indians and alcohol...... 

Can count more new openings this past week, then closings.

4 hours ago, TaaSaparot said:

Can count more new openings this past week, then closings.

It's interesting that some have speculated on the early return of tourists to Pattaya / Thailand.  If you have a look on the Baht Sold website, there is hotel after hotel for sale, as well as many other businesses.  

 

Time will tell whether it was a good idea to buy in and open now, whilst a bargain may be had, or a total waste of time and money.  

2 hours ago, Leaver said:

It's interesting that some have speculated on the early return of tourists to Pattaya / Thailand.  If you have a look on the Baht Sold website, there is hotel after hotel for sale, as well as many other businesses.  

 

Time will tell whether it was a good idea to buy in and open now, whilst a bargain may be had, or a total waste of time and money.  

Reality is they are still not a bargain . If there is no income and hasn’t been for months now and the foreseeable future , even getting them for free would be a risk as you still have to cover the running costs and wages until the world opens back up ! And even then they will be fighting over crumbs . 

2 hours ago, chrisandsu said:

Reality is they are still not a bargain . If there is no income and hasn’t been for months now and the foreseeable future , even getting them for free would be a risk as you still have to cover the running costs and wages until the world opens back up ! And even then they will be fighting over crumbs . 

Have been living here for about 30 years now and watched a lot of farang businesses. If people want to do business here and succeed they could have done this in their home country. It is much more complicated to be successful here. And even more complicated to be successful in the long run. You must be very naive to do business here without knowing any laws and even the most basic requirements for doing business as foreigner in a foreign country. 

14 hours ago, TaaSaparot said:

Can count more new openings this past week, then closings.

Stickman lite  - you don't live here.  Why pretend? 

On 8/12/2020 at 10:46 AM, scubascuba3 said:

This place on Klang which was always empty has "temporarily" closed.

 

Someone said today the RCon hotels have closed, not sure if true

The bar side of it has,think the hotel side still open  (empty tho)       Thips was always busy ,until they moved here on the corner

12 hours ago, Leaver said:

Time will tell whether it was a good idea to buy in and open now, whilst a bargain may be had, or a total waste of time and money.  

Waste of money in my mind. Most places are pretty shabby poor quality buildings and it will always be an environment made difficult for foreigners. Place is too corrupt.

On 8/12/2020 at 4:46 PM, scubascuba3 said:

This place on Klang which was always empty has "temporarily" closed.

 

Someone said today the RCon hotels have closed, not sure if true

This is no great loss....The food was so-so........Nothing really special about the place....

7 hours ago, izod10 said:

Thips was always busy ,until they moved here on the corner

I only remember Thips being at one other location, on Beach Road.

On 8/15/2020 at 1:50 PM, TaaSaparot said:

Can count more new openings this past week, then closings.

If guys like you can't get over to Pattaya for their annual high season holiday I think it's a massive gamble opening up at the moment. 

 

What you pick up on via Social Media overseas is one thing, but you really need to see what it's like here in Pattaya on the ground to understand the lack of customers. I walked past what used to be the busiest bar in my area last night which just reopened this week, not 1 customer at 9pm.

 

We are now mid August, have you even thought about booking your holiday to Pattaya? 

 

 

 

On 8/15/2020 at 1:50 PM, TaaSaparot said:

Can count more new openings this past week, then closings.

Yes there's bars re-opening every day, but no more customers than the day before. Second Road bars are deserted, Buakhao is the only sign of life (Walking St and Soi 6 not my scene). I am surprised how many people are about, but just not enough. 

33 minutes ago, rott said:

Yes there's bars re-opening every day, but no more customers than the day before. Second Road bars are deserted, Buakhao is the only sign of life (Walking St and Soi 6 not my scene). I am surprised how many people are about, but just not enough. 

Beach road has been the biggest shocker for me. Other than at sundown exercise time it's pretty much empty. 

10 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Waste of money in my mind. Most places are pretty shabby poor quality buildings and it will always be an environment made difficult for foreigners. Place is too corrupt.

To be fair, some foreign owned and managed establishments have made money in the past, but the Thai's don't make it easy, and when they see you are running a good operation, up goes the rent and up goes the tea money.  

 

For many, the only hope of profits was in the sale of the business to another foreigner.  The Thai landlord and police couldn't get their hands on that. 

 

Some have the business model of "pump and dump" like the owner of Hungry Hippo.

 

Alas, may will be left holding "the can" here over the next 6 to 12 months.    

 

7 hours ago, rott said:

Yes there's bars re-opening every day

I said new openings, not re-openings.

Triple J has closed, which is a shame.

 

Good to see Deli Diner has re-opened.

Atlantic Bar that had re-opened, has now closed until things improve.