Deserted Pattaya: One person's nighttime stroll shows desperate state of resort

 

Picture: Pattaya Talk

 

A series of dozens of pictures posted on a popular Pattaya Facebook page showed a ghost town.

 

It should be high season or at least the start of mass tourism. Instead it is anything but.

 

Kittipob Ayasit said they went for a stroll from Central Pattaya to South Pattaya between 9pm and 10.05 pm. 

 

There was barely a soul to be seen anywhere.

 

Picture: Pattaya Talk

 

Posters on "Pattaya Talk" that has 413,000 members concurred: 

 

Pook KY'Z said: "It's haunted".

 

Happy Time said: "It's deserted".

 

Nan N said: "Before Covid everything was great, after the pandemic it is so quiet"

 

Surasak disagreed slightly saying: "It was quiet before Covid". 

 

Picture: Pattaya Talk

 

Meanwhile Pattaya's mayor Sontaya Khunpluem has announced plans to spend 80 billion on turning the resort into a liveable megapolis called "Neo Pattaya".

 

Other reports in the last couple of days said that three major landmarks will be created at Khao Thap Phraya, Bali Hai and Walking Street with a skywalk, cruise terminal and sea walkway cum pier. 

 

Source: Pattaya Talk

 

 

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Does anyone really believe that opening the borders will salve all of Walking street and Pattaya woes

 

Pattaya will survive.

 

Why does the media keep bring up the same, same stories about Pattaya.

 

Give it a rest, we all know.

 

... ewww, what's that, ectoplasmatic slime all over them trees? No doubt of alien (as in extraterrestrial) origin, so I wouldn't go there either ... 

 

Anyone would think there's a global pandemic!

This is news?

1 hour ago, anchadian said:

Why does the media keep bring up the same, same stories about Pattaya.

 

Give it a rest, we all know.

One can only wish. Problem is, a large number of old retirees here have nothing else better to do than to sit at their keyboards and peck out the same ol' same ol', day after day. Many are in hawg heaven now, having prophesied The Doom more than a decade ago for reasons currently irrelevant.

 

The only kind of topic more beloved is a more optimistic one, like Pattaya bursting: Upbeat report shows crowds visiting for long weekend. Then sneers, negative arguments, and dire predictions will fill up 5 pages or more until another comes along to take its place. That, and mention of any possible plan for improvement by The Authorities. The notion of improvement contradicts the death narrative, which we can't permit, so that leads to the usual bashfest with particular input from our TVF Pattaya Urban Planners.

 

Not new, really, but COVID has vastly enriched the target environment, hence much greater frequency. 

3 hours ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

Pattaya will survive.

 

Yes indeed, but in (quote) a liveable megapolis called "Neo Pattaya"?

I never liked the place but I am just one and there are a great many who think the opposite, my son included when came with some friends a while back. But I don't like to see any town turn out this way simply because there are many people who have built their whole lives there, probably some generations before them too. Suddenly a 'tsunami' hits and it's all but gone, metaphorically speaking. What can they do? Well, there are only two options; either wait and hope tourism will return or get some serious, genuine estimates of what could be done to change its function and perhaps give jobs to at least some. Whatever option is chosen it isn't going to easy or instant and those members here who know the area well will probably have some idea whether or not the Pattaya people are even willing to change.

Big hotels and condo towers are still being built so people financing these must believe in brighter prospects post Covid.

those are incredible pictures! once upon a time, pattaya was a small fishing village before becoming the R&R for american soldiers on the  leave from the vietman war. so if one doesn't pay attention to all those modern and flashy buildings, and  then turn off all the neon lights, the real and old  pattaya may  come alive again!

here i come to save the day!

 

 

31 minutes ago, champers said:

Big hotels and condo towers are still being built so people financing these must believe in brighter prospects post Covid.

Once you start a multi-year project you can't quit unless your broke.  You can only hope that by the time your done buyers will be available.

Hi friends

This is the perfect time to start all the promised engineering works and more, as there is no traffic to disrupt.

Sadly the opportunity will no doubt be missed. There is at least a 1 year window.

 

Dreaming on.

Just now, windas said:

Hi friends

This is the perfect time to start all the promised engineering works and more, as there is no traffic to disrupt.

Sadly the opportunity will no doubt be missed. There is at least a 1 year window.

 

Dreaming on.

Not to mention crazy low interest rates to finance said projects.

5 hours ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

Pattaya will survive.

 

For many, mere survival is a poor substitue for putting food on the table today.

5 hours ago, Andy from Kent said:

 

Pattaya will survive.

 

True but the people who are making the sacrifices to ensure this are the small business owners and the low-income Thais who work in them. 

Politicians, bureaucrats, national and local government employees etc are relatively unaffected

I first visited Thailand in December 1973 - happy days!!!- and it's been on a downhill slide ever since, so sad to reflect on it. Retirement plans cancelled when Farang status relegated from 2nd class to 3rd class.

They need to put 800,000  into our account as an inducement to put up with what they are doling out, not to confiscate our hard earned pension cash.

Not alone in these negative thoughts

 

 

1 hour ago, windas said:

Hi friends

This is the perfect time to start all the promised engineering works and more, as there is no traffic to disrupt.

Sadly the opportunity will no doubt be missed. There is at least a 1 year window.

 

Dreaming on.

yep, lets dig up beach road again, not be done for a month or so.

The way the the relatively new trees are leaning towards the road, means they might soon be for the chop

10 minutes ago, tpinvest said:

I first visited Thailand in December 1973 - happy days!!!- and it's been on a downhill slide ever since, so sad to reflect on it. Retirement plans cancelled when Farang status relegated from 2nd class to 3rd class.

They need to put 800,000  into our account as an inducement to put up with what they are doling out, not to confiscate our hard earned pension cash.

Not alone in these negative thoughts

 

 

So does Pattaya have different rules on retirement visas than the rest of Thailand.?

 

Just asking.....

16 minutes ago, tpinvest said:

I first visited Thailand in December 1973 - happy days!!!- and it's been on a downhill slide ever since, so sad to reflect on it. Retirement plans cancelled when Farang status relegated from 2nd class to 3rd class.

They need to put 800,000  into our account as an inducement to put up with what they are doling out, not to confiscate our hard earned pension cash.

Not alone in these negative thoughts

 

 

 

 

I'm not having a go at you but i've heard that same refrain so many times it becomes meaningless to me.

 

Finally they got rid of the ladyboys. All it took was a worldwide pandemic.

11 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Other reports in the last couple of days said that three major landmarks will be created at Khao Thap Phraya, Bali Hai and Walking Street with a skywalk, cruise terminal and sea walkway cum pier. 

 

 

 A cum pier ????

7 minutes ago, philba said:

 A cum pier ????

This is all really rather good, isn't it!

 

8 hours ago, jollyhangmon said:

 

... ewww, what's that, ectoplasmatic slime all over them trees? No doubt of alien (as in extraterrestrial) origin, so I wouldn't go there either ... 

 

 

9 minutes ago, philba said:

 A cum pier ????

 

Alien ladyboys.

5 hours ago, champers said:

Big hotels and condo towers are still being built so people financing these must believe in brighter prospects post Covid.

some say tea money needs to be moved into the sytem somehow

You can hear a pin drop in Swindon to only punctuated by the whaling of ambulances merry christmas ???? 

13 hours ago, TKDfella said:

But I don't like to see any town turn out this way simply because there are many people who have built their whole lives there, probably some generations before them too.

Bit difficult for more than one generation to build their life in Pattaya, unless one includes the fisherfolk that were the only inhabitants. Far as I know it only took off in the 70s, and didn't get anywhere near the present size till the 80s, probably after the 747 allowed mass tourism.

However, there could be a few bargirls that followed their mother into the trade.