It's Getting Worse...More Shops Closing Down

[Wongkitlo]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

The same as there is for less wealthy Thai tourists who certainly did come for a visit over the long holiday weekend. Five star accommodation like the Amari, Dusit, etc, flamboyant shopping Malls like T21 and the beach.....

Yes beautiful beach. Reminds me of the Bahamas. 

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

Yes beautiful beach. Reminds me of the Bahamas. 

Doesn't it just, and so peaceful.

[Wongkitlo]

49 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Doesn't it just, and so peaceful.

So nice when your feet sink into the black mud as soon as they touch water 

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

So nice when your feet sink into the black mud as soon as they touch water 

We were talking about the beach, the sandy bit. Nobody goes in the water!

[Wongkitlo]

2 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

We were talking about the beach, the sandy bit. Nobody goes in the water!

I haven't for a while but have often in the past. I did worry about putting my head under. The water is not so bad as long as you don't swim after rain. I went swimming at Jomtien last week. The bottom is a lot nicer with sand not mud. 

[JensenZ]

On 9/1/2020 at 10:10 PM, sezze said:

No tourists , so yes it will get worse . As long as no tourists allowed and/or vaccines are widespread available , do not expect it to change . My guess , at least 1y more ...

The situation is dismal in Harbor Mall, Garden Plaza, Central Marina, Central Festival and Terminal 21. Breaking point was reached long ago during the lockdown. There are no customers to buy from most shops or dine at most restaurants. Thai shoppers cannot keep these shops afloat. Without a huge influx of tourists soon, the malls will die and we will be left with concrete canyons. These malls weren't doing so well pre-covid.

[Nout]

On 9/17/2020 at 12:30 PM, BigStar said:

The completely discredited TAT, yes. Not, as I said, TAT: TVF, the real authority here. Perhaps you are projecting your lack of reading comprehension or need for new reading glasses. First Optic usually recommended.

I live here. During the 4 day holiday weekends Pattaya and Jomtien were rammed with Thai tourists. You might not trust the TAT but equally the veracity of your statements is questionable. Where do you live in Thailand? Do you know any Thai people?

[Nout]

13 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

The situation is dismal in Harbor Mall, Garden Plaza, Central Marina, Central Festival and Terminal 21. Breaking point was reached long ago during the lockdown. There are no customers to buy from most shops or dine at most restaurants. Thai shoppers cannot keep these shops afloat. Without a huge influx of tourists soon, the malls will die and we will be left with concrete canyons. These malls weren't doing so well pre-covid.

Harbour mall never really took off. Garden plaza lost its gloss years ago. Central Festival seemed quite busy when I was there. However, malls are only a partial indicator of how busy a city is. I always regard them as Thai places but admittedly the Chinese loved them.

[Nout]

On 9/17/2020 at 9:45 AM, luckyluke said:

Back to MaxxCity / Pattaya end of this week.

Still bars open in Soi Arunothai ?

Do you mean the 4 BJ bars. Yes they are open but Babylon on Soi Bonnet is currently the best in that area.

[Nout]

On 9/2/2020 at 1:31 AM, BigStar said:

No, TAT: TVF says that Thais only spend on som tam and Sangsom and don't stay in hotels & condos. However, if domestic tourists did actually exist, they'd be found, for example, to spend in a full range of Thai & Thai-foreign restos, very much including those in the tourist areas of Pattaya, some which have a high concentration of such. Perhaps OP can't see any of those because Thais are in them. This is commonly the case with shopping malls, where no shoppers have ever been seen.

 

It isn't as written, but to those who don't acknowledge domestic tourism, it of course must seem so. The businesses throughout Pattaya, and notably those in Central (which the OP specifically mentions), serve the wants and needs of all people, not just members of this forum.

 

Limiting the "category of customer" only to TVF members is simply your own irrelevant and inappropriate restriction, not the OP's, and my observation that about as many businesses are open as 2 weeks ago, with many doing better on weekends and holidays, is a legitimate observation, though puzzling.

 

Pattaya has the best night life in Thailand. The dance clubs on WS are packed with Thais and were the same before Covid-19. Pattaya restaurants and hi so places are in abundance as well as cheaper places. There are water parks  cultural sites and many other outdoor attractions and remember Pattaya has several beaches. The Sky gallery overlooking cozy beach is usually very busy. The SG and chocolate factory were aimed at Thai not foreigners or Chinese coach parties

[JensenZ]

8 minutes ago, Nout said:

Harbour mall never really took off. Garden plaza lost its gloss years ago. Central Festival seemed quite busy when I was there. However, malls are only a partial indicator of how busy a city is. I always regard them as Thai places but admittedly the Chinese loved them.

Yes, most of the malls on my list weren't doing well pre-covid, making my prediction they won't survive even more likely. The malls I mentioned are a full indicator (not a partial indicator) of how many tourists Pattaya has... zero. I'm not discussing the general population of Thai residents. Even without tourists (permanently), the city will survive and morph into a typical coastal city such as Chonburi City or Si Racha.

 

You might have hit Central Festival on a long weekend or public holiday. I did witness some busy days in the last month, but visit on a typical working day and it's a different story.

 

 

[VBF]

On 9/17/2020 at 6:35 AM, BigStar said:

I see the daytime go-go in the middle of Soi Yamato will try to open tomorrow, the 18th. May it last but I don't see cause for optimism.

Good luck with that. Those few remaining gogos on Soi Yamato and Soi Post Office died a death years ago, long before Covid hit.

 

Early 90s, they were amongst my favourite afternoon entertainment spots - one had a set of mirrors with various patrons' names on - I was on there....twice for buying drinks and "engaging the services" of certain employees! ????

Edited September 19, 2020 by VBF

[dabhand]

On 9/17/2020 at 3:45 AM, luckyluke said:

Back to MaxxCity / Pattaya end of this week.

Still bars open in Soi Arunothai ?

NDTVi Pattaya (Nick) did a youtube on the Soi Arunothai bars (not the GC options on Bongkot) a week or so back. Not sure I can link to it but easy to find if interested. 

[newnative]

2 hours ago, JensenZ said:

The situation is dismal in Harbor Mall, Garden Plaza, Central Marina, Central Festival and Terminal 21. Breaking point was reached long ago during the lockdown. There are no customers to buy from most shops or dine at most restaurants. Thai shoppers cannot keep these shops afloat. Without a huge influx of tourists soon, the malls will die and we will be left with concrete canyons. These malls weren't doing so well pre-covid.

   Harbor Mall I agree was not doing well pre-covid.  Royal Garden and Marina were doing ok.  T21 and Festival were both doing well pre-covid.  

[BigStar]

4 hours ago, Nout said:

I live here. During the 4 day holiday weekends Pattaya and Jomtien were rammed with Thai tourists.

I noticed that, too.???? Funny, TAT: TVF has recently stopped denying the existence of domestic tourism, though in theory it cannot exist, because only farangs have money. They seem to be falling back on denigrating it with the usual arguments that Thais don't spend and won't "save" Pattaya, meaning the beer bars, though nobody said they would. Nonetheless, businesses that depend on Thai tourists and appeal to both Thais and farang may do well enough to survive the COVID crisis.  

 

4 hours ago, Nout said:

You might not trust the TAT but equally the veracity of your statements is questionable. Where do you live in Thailand? Do you know any Thai people?

I find it amusing how TVF Posters normally sneer at the tourist numbers given out by TAT until it's convenient, for doom predictions, to believe them totally. Suddenly it's all "Thailand will never get back to 30 million a year!"

 

I'll be glad to explain any questions you may have about my veracity. I live quite happily In Pattaya, probably longer than you have, with no plans to leave ("wot?"), speak basic Thai, and know quite a few Thais in various walks of life.

 

Edited September 19, 2020 by BigStar

[Wongkitlo]

2 hours ago, BigStar said:

I noticed that, too.???? Funny, TAT: TVF has recently stopped denying the existence of domestic tourism, though in theory it cannot exist, because only farangs have money. They seem to be falling back on denigrating it with the usual arguments that Thais don't spend and won't "save" Pattaya, meaning the beer bars, though nobody said they would. Nonetheless, businesses that depend on Thai tourists and appeal to both Thais and farang may do well enough to survive the COVID crisis.  

 

I find it amusing how TVF Posters normally sneer at the tourist numbers given out by TAT until it's convenient, for doom predictions, to believe them totally. Suddenly it's all "Thailand will never get back to 30 million a year!"

 

I'll be glad to explain any questions you may have about my veracity. I live quite happily In Pattaya, probably longer than you have, with no plans to leave ("wot?"), speak basic Thai, and know quite a few Thais in various walks of life.

 

I live in one of the satellite towns of Pattaya. Many who live here work in Pattaya or provide services for Pattaya. My impression is people are suffering. Quite a few businesses have closed down. My wife's uncle has a car care business doing oil changes etc for vans for the airport runs etc. He complains it is very quiet and doesn't seem to have many customers. A cousin rents rooms for workers. Half are empty. Her daughter sells speed boat tickets to Koh Larn-no work for months. Another friend complains because all overtime and bonuses are stopped at her company. On the beach near where I live there are 3 popular seafood restaurants mainly catering for Thais. 2 out of 3 were closed on the last long weekend. Unfortunately the downturn isn't just in the area. The uncle buys oil and parts from suppliers in other parts of the country. They lose their overtime etc because of less demand. In time it filters right through the economy. It is hard for an economy  to lose a large % of it's income and it not reverberating through the whole country. I know there are lots of wealthy Thais. They will not suffer so much but the working classes will. What to me is saddest is I have talked to several people in business in Pattaya and surrounds lately. They all are sure the airports will open in a month or so, the farung will come back and all will be fine.

[Leaver]

15 hours ago, jacko45k said:

The same as there is for less wealthy Thai tourists who certainly did come for a visit over the long holiday weekend. Five star accommodation like the Amari, Dusit, etc, flamboyant shopping Malls like T21 and the beach.....

And what is all this 5 Star surrounded by?  

[Maha Sarakham]

Terminal 21 and Central Festival seemed like the only two malls that were actually enjoyable.  The others were not impressive, at least to my wife and I.

 

Kinda goes to show you the oversupply of shopping malls when even pre-covid they were struggling to attract shoppers.

[Leaver]

12 minutes ago, Maha Sarakham said:

Terminal 21 and Central Festival seemed like the only two malls that were actually enjoyable.  The others were not impressive, at least to my wife and I.

 

Kinda goes to show you the oversupply of shopping malls when even pre-covid they were struggling to attract shoppers.

What did you and your wife enjoy about central and T21?  

[talahtnut]

4 hours ago, Leaver said:

What did you and your wife enjoy about central and T21?  

Good question, went once, total boredom, full of uninteresting nic-naks.

[Maha Sarakham]

5 hours ago, Leaver said:

What did you and your wife enjoy about central and T21?  

The layout seemed better and the food courts were suitable for a quick lunch.  Other places didn't feel the same way, at least to us.

[JensenZ]

14 hours ago, newnative said:

   Harbor Mall I agree was not doing well pre-covid.  Royal Garden and Marina were doing ok.  T21 and Festival were both doing well pre-covid.  

I often visited Royal Garden and Marina before covid, and they were never doing well. Maybe the Big C store at Marina had plenty of customers, but the rest of the mall was always dead whenever I was there.... Terminal 21 ruined that mall. They are both now nearly deserted during week days.

 

Terminal 21 wasn't doing well pre-covid either. It never did well from the first opening. Perhaps the food court had you confused as that was always busy.

Edited September 19, 2020 by JensenZ

[jacko45k]

8 hours ago, Leaver said:

And what is all this 5 Star surrounded by?  

Pools and opulence. I suspect they need not venture and all is brought to them. Was having a look at The Amari only on Friday.

[newnative]

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

I often visited Royal Garden and Marina before covid, and they were never doing well. Maybe the Big C store at Marina had plenty of customers, but the rest of the mall was always dead whenever I was there.... Terminal 21 ruined that mall. They are both now nearly deserted during week days.

 

Terminal 21 wasn't doing well pre-covid either. It never did well from the first opening. Perhaps the food court had you confused as that was always busy.

   I don't use Royal Garden much but I am at Marina often and pre-covid it was doing ok.  Big C was, as you say, busy--especially late afternoon and early evening--and most of the chain restaurants were doing ok except the Texas one.  None of the stores I used--banks, pharmacies, restaurants, AIS, etc.--closed for lack of business when T21 opened.  There was a turn over from time to time in the small Mom and Pop shops and the kiosks but that's normal. 

     I disagree regarding T21, as well--enough business pre-covid to keep the doors open at most of the stores and restaurants--certainly at all the ones I frequented.   It would not have surprised me if many of the tiny shops on the side aisles closed but I didn't see much of that pre-covid.  Obviously, both shopping centers  were gearing up for more business once the new Amari wing and Ozo Hotel opened, along with Courtyard Marriott, the new Ramada, the new highrise hotel on Naklua Road now  going up,  the massive Centre Point 2, and other new smaller boutique hotels.

[Wongkitlo]

10 hours ago, Leaver said:

What did you and your wife enjoy about central and T21?  

T21 has great public toilets. The type with warm water jets and fan to dry built in. I go there especially. Never bought anything there. 

[TaaSaparot]

3 hours ago, newnative said:

   I don't use Royal Garden much but I am at Marina often and pre-covid it was doing ok. 

As was Royal Garden.

 

Especially considering the same people were predicting its death after Central Festival opened.

[BigStar]

15 hours ago, Wongkitlo said:

Many who live here work in Pattaya or provide services for Pattaya. My impression is people are suffering. Quite a few businesses have closed down.

FINALLY, someone noticed. Congrats. Now I suggest you do your part to help. Me, I'm at least handing out tips like never before, and they're appreciated, too. Funny, I've noticed a quiet gathering, with some attempt to be discreet, of waitresses nearby my table in one of the restos where I stop by once a week or so--I dare not say "favorite," or the troll will put it on the list--when they notice I'm getting ready to leave. I love this country.???? But I do feel sorry for them. Big place, no customers.

[GeorgeCross]

5 hours ago, Wongkitlo said:

T21 has great public toilets. The type with warm water jets and fan to dry built in. I go there especially. Never bought anything there. 

 

for your hands or your <deleted> nether regions?

 

????

 

 

[Leaver]

11 hours ago, talahtnut said:

Good question, went once, total boredom, full of uninteresting nic-naks.

Did you enjoy the air conditioning?  ????

[Leaver]

11 hours ago, Maha Sarakham said:

The layout seemed better and the food courts were suitable for a quick lunch.  Other places didn't feel the same way, at least to us.

Did you buy anything?