Pattaya boomtown! Tourists throng Walking Street! But where are the farangs?

 

Picture: Pattaya City Law Enforcement

 

Pictures posted on the "Pattaya City Law Enforcement" site painted an encouraging sign for tourism in Thailand's number one seaside resort. 

 

Walking Street was absolutely heaving with tourists. Thai posters, however, suggested there was a backstory. 

 

Many posters painted a positive picture as high season at the resort picks up. 

 

But many Thai posters on the Facebook site asked - Where are the farangs? 

 

They noted that most of those in the pictures were Indian and Chinese; the few Westerners in sight were probably Russian, they reckoned. 

 

Others suggested that it was not as rosy as all that - most of the tourists were just passing through and not stopping for a drink in a girlie bar or buying anything. 

 

They were just tour groups on their way to be picked up at Wat Chai, they claimed.

 

Others said that where Chinese go, farangs fear to tread or don't want to tread. 

 

They spoke of the animosity between Westerners and Indians and Chinese. 

 

Still others said that farangs were not coming because their money was not worth anything anymore. 

 

The feel good pictures thus hid a different backstory, even from Thai posters, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Source: Pattaya City Law Enforcement

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-11-14

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They walk up and down...usually following someone with toy on the end of a stick...they do not spend anything in the bars/entertainment venues..then back to their chinese owned hotels 

Many Thai posters asked, where are the farangs?

Any that are there are away having a boom boom.????️‍♀️

15 minutes ago, webfact said:

Still others said that farangs were not coming because their money was not worth anything anymore. 

Yes you get it

Seeing the sights that walking street offers but will not be participating that's for sure. Just passing through.

It's all about the money and Thailand is not a value for money destination anymore.

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

Many Thai posters asked, where are the farangs?

Any that are there are away having a boom boom.????️‍♀️

Only with Basil Brush col....too expensive otherwise  

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

But where are the farangs?

In Vietnam.

The Chinese/Indians are not seeing the sights only seeing the lights.

I'm in Pattaya right now. It is unusually dead. There aren't many farangs, and my friends that manage bars on walking street say it is a terrible season and they would only have 1-2 customers a night. But my friend who manages a bar on Soi 6 seems to be happy. There seems to be less girls on Soi 6 though.

 

Walking street seems pretty dead, but has a ton of indians. Previously I would see walking street filled with beautiful thai women, and now it's mostly indian guys. I talked to a couple of my friends who are dancers and they said they don't go with indians because they don't spend money and laughed at me when I told them thailand expects indian/chinese to save the season.

 

Definitely no big inrush of Chinese to the gogos. I think I visited most of the ones near the first half of walking street before the indian part of it.

It's weird because more places are open around pattaya, but they're filled with older tourists who aren't partying at all -- not even sure why they're here tbh.

 

I've also noticed more white girls running around near LK metro, which is strange. 

Honestly I hope things turn around because I really love this city. 

On a side note: One of the managers at a bar on walking street just switched over from selling/managing properties. She said the real estate market is dead. "Nobody is buying or renting." So now she works in a go-go.

10 minutes ago, mikebell said:

In Vietnam.

The Chinese/Indians are not seeing the sights only seeing the lights.

Yes right. In Vietnam or another place but not in Thailand

22 minutes ago, petermik said:

Only with Basil Brush col....too expensive otherwise  

Yeah. Prices are ridiculous now, and they are not allowing that farang money is about as valuable as Thai TP now, so keeping prices high. 

I doubt they really care anyway as the reason they are all looking at their phones is to see if any punters have seen them on the internet and wanting a meeting, NOT in the bar.

"But many Thai posters on the Facebook site asked - Where are the farangs? " 

 

Perhaps many stay there for a short time only. 

13 minutes ago, James Chloe said:

I'm in Pattaya right now. It is unusually dead. There aren't many farangs, and my friends that manage bars on walking street say it is a terrible season and they would only have 1-2 customers a night. But my friend who manages a bar on Soi 6 seems to be happy. There seems to be less girls on Soi 6 though.

 

Walking street seems pretty dead, but has a ton of indians. Previously I would see walking street filled with beautiful thai women, and now it's mostly indian guys. I talked to a couple of my friends who are dancers and they said they don't go with indians because they don't spend money and laughed at me when I told them thailand expects indian/chinese to save the season.

 

Definitely no big inrush of Chinese to the gogos. I think I visited most of the ones near the first half of walking street before the indian part of it.

It's weird because more places are open around pattaya, but they're filled with older tourists who aren't partying at all -- not even sure why they're here tbh.

 

I've also noticed more white girls running around near LK metro, which is strange. 

Honestly I hope things turn around because I really love this city. 

Pattaya will carry on, but just without as many farangs and with a night life as dead as Chiang Mai's.

If another country allows a similar night life as used to be in LOS, but without the problems of the Philippines, they will clean LOS off the map far as farangs are concerned.

15 minutes ago, James Chloe said:

 

I've also noticed more white girls running around near LK metro, which is strange. 
 

Russian wives looking for their husbands? 

56 minutes ago, webfact said:

Pattaya boomtown!

No, that´s not right. It should be Pattaya Boom-Boom Town.

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

They spoke of the animosity between Westerners and Indians and Chinese. 

 

good

4 minutes ago, Beggar said:

"But many Thai posters on the Facebook site asked - Where are the farangs? " 

 

Perhaps many stay there for a short time only. 

No. Most farangs used to arrive for a week or two, find a GF for the duration and spend their evenings in the bars.

Pattaya deserves to have lost every farang though. They never did anything to provide a great experience for them, and now it's probably too late to attract them back.

The farangs came for the girls, pure and simple, and now the bar experience is <deleted>, so they ain't going there anymore.

Well done officialdom, you screwed it for everyone.

Strange indeed, I live in Bangkok on Soi 11.

 

Out running errands yesterday I was quite surprised at the number of "western" tourists around, generally 20 to 35, many female, many couples. 

 

Thai wakepark is chocker with visiting foreign  wakeboarders, and I have more friends through this season than in recent years. 

 

Tourist come, but not for Pattaya it seems

 

Walking up and down, I don’t know why those people bring real tourists there.

10 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 

The farangs came for the girls, pure and simple, and now the bar experience is <deleted>, so they ain't going there anymore.

Well done officialdom, you screwed it for everyone.

I have been living here for more than 20 years and I have to admit that am not a bar goer. But I see more and more bars every year and endless ladies waiting for customers. The military government even has extended the opening times here in Pattaya. So what went wrong? 

 

It is called "Walking Street" for a reason. Unfortunately the tourists that are currently visiting are taking the name too literally.

 

Might be time for a name change.

1 hour ago, petermik said:

They walk up and down...usually following someone with toy on the end of a stick...they do not spend anything in the bars/entertainment venues..then back to their chinese owned hotels 

but last week TAT said each one was spending at least 5,800 baht

1 hour ago, petermik said:

They walk up and down...usually following someone with toy on the end of a stick...they do not spend anything in the bars/entertainment venues..then back to their chinese owned hotels 

My Thai friends here in Samui who work the Walking Streets around the island say exactly the same thing; lots of looking and picture taking, no buying.

7 hours ago, Beggar said:

"But many Thai posters on the Facebook site asked - Where are the farangs? " 

 

Perhaps many stay there for a short time only. 

And some are blown away by the attractions here.....

1 hour ago, webfact said:

But many Thai posters on the Facebook site asked - Where are the farangs? 

Vietnam...  Fun almost the same as today's boring, military controlled Thailand, but with far far fewer hassles. 

56 minutes ago, metempsychotic said:

Strange indeed, I live in Bangkok on Soi 11.

 

Out running errands yesterday I was quite surprised at the number of "western" tourists around, generally 20 to 35, many female, many couples. 

 

Thai wakepark is chocker with visiting foreign  wakeboarders, and I have more friends through this season than in recent years. 

 

Tourist come, but not for Pattaya it seems

 

 

Seems that way. I shop in Villa and Emporium sometimes, after coming in from Phra Khanong. There seems to be quite an uptick in the number of tourist faces on Suk from Asok to Phrom Pong. Lots more of those faces on the BTS, particularly families. Also, an English bar and an Aussie bar on Pridi 2, near where I live, have livened up considerably just in the last week.

 

I posted in another thread after a recent week spent in Pattaya how much more lively it was in certain bars on LK and Buakhao. I do think some month-long visitors are back. But I also think it will be a short burst. 

 

 

7 hours ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

 

 

 

 I do think some month-long visitors are back. But I also think it will be a short burst. 

 

 

Just what I could do with right now....

A baiting troll post removed

1 hour ago, Chang_paarp said:

It is called "Walking Street" for a reason. Unfortunately the tourists that are currently visiting are taking the name too literally.

 

Might be time for a name change.

-> "Pattaya Fun Street"

All entrances gated, 500 Baht per person. 400 Baht usable as voucher in all venues and it will be so quiet

1 hour ago, Beggar said:

Russian wives looking for their husbands? 

Or Russian Hookers Looking for Punters.....

Yes, where are the Russians? ????