Pattaya: City faces permanent tourism destruction if enough vaccine can't be found

[LazySlipper]

20 hours ago, johng said:

Thailand has one of the highest (if not the highest) disparity between the obscenely rich and the poor

something like 80% of the wealth held by 1% of the population.

 

 

Isn't that lower than the world statistic where 95% of the wealth is owned by the 1%?

[Sydebolle]

Pattaya has to be completely new defined; the old pattern is completely dead. It would have died anyhow, irrespective of Corona, as Pattaya was no longer competitive in many aspects and the endless corruption, cheating and lying were - for many - the writing on the wall. 

The new orientation needs to be done by clean professional unbiased and honest experts and then the transition with the local business community could start. As the latter is used to "Thai style"; nothing of the kind will happen anytime soon ....... how sad! 

[AlexRich]

8 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Yeah,

 

So you are saying minumum 4 years and I think about 6 years except I think the tourist model will definitively change

i don’t think a tourist focused place like Pattaya will simply bounce back, too many failed businesses and the Far East is lagging in vaccines. Once vaccines or boosters of your choice are freely available at the local private hospital (for a fee) then you’ll see more long termers. 

[Scouse123]

5 hours ago, newnative said:

     The 'tourist model' had already changed, pre-covid, to much more Asia-focused.  I think that will likely continue once tourism opens up again.  

 

And I think it will change even further.

The Chinese are looking inwards to their population regarding tourism and promoting China itself heavily, and still restricting outbound travel. It's a case of changing people's habits.

Who knows what changes are going to take place post Covid.

I certainly wouldn't want a business investment here until there is a lot more clarity on which direction the country is headed and under whose leadership.

[newnative]

8 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

 

And I think it will change even further.

The Chinese are looking inwards to their population regarding tourism and promoting China itself heavily, and still restricting outbound travel. It's a case of changing people's habits.

Who knows what changes are going to take place post Covid.

I certainly wouldn't want a business investment here until there is a lot more clarity on which direction the country is headed and under whose leadership.

        It's perhaps important to remember that in 2019 there were nearly 11 million mainland Chinese visitors to Thailand.  Certainly a very large, growing market at the time.  But, that same year there were also nearly 14 million tourists from other Asian countries, not counting Laos, Burma, and Cambodia, with migrant workers.  Also a large, growing market. 

    Whatever happens with China, I think Thailand can get back to decent tourist numbers once travel opens up again.  In 2010, the year I arrived, there were around 16 million visitors to Thailand.  It seemed quite busy to me.  Getting back to that number in the next few years might be enough of a goal.

[Jen65]

On 5/31/2021 at 9:52 AM, johng said:

 

Don't know,  where are the sewage treatment plants in Pattaya ?

Wongamat beach , the klong in Na Jomtien and any other pipe that projects out from beach road !  

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/31/2021 at 5:40 PM, trainman34014 said:

It's been a blot on Thailands Landscape for Decades; so why not raise it to the ground and build something new and of more use than a giant Brothel !

Such as?

Do you even know what a brothel is, because Pattaya isn't one?

[thaibeachlovers]

On 6/1/2021 at 2:54 PM, Sydebolle said:

The new orientation needs to be done by clean professional unbiased and honest experts

Are you talking about Utopia or Thailand?

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, newnative said:

In 2010, the year I arrived, there were around 16 million visitors to Thailand.  It seemed quite busy to me.  Getting back to that number in the next few years might be enough of a goal.

I hope for Thailand's sake those numbers are never seen again. The number of tourists in the 90s was about right, and within the capacity of the country to handle safely.

More than that has led to the environmental destruction that has ruined Thailand as a decent destination eg Maya Bay.

[Leaver]

Strange heading for the OP.

 

The buildings and infrastructure will still remain here, it's the individual businesses, and the people inside those businesses and buildings that will not remain. 

 

Eventually, the buildings will be home to new businesses, and staff, but it will take years to fill up all the empty buildings with new businesses, not weeks after the borders open.   

 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Leaver

[Sydebolle]

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Are you talking about Utopia or Thailand?

Same same but different ???? 

 

[BestB]

900000 doses for Pattaya ? There are only 250000 registered residents . So if the plan is to vaccinate anyone who is in Pattaya how do they know have 900000 people ?

 

last month Pattaya was supposed to get 40000 but got 30000 and turned away 10000 because did not have trained nurses.

 

here is a thought , learn from Phuket , if they can get it done, no reason why Pattaya can not and not 20-50% of businesses be gone but 20-50% of the remaining 30% be gone . Most shops are empty, including 7-11 and family marts closing down 

[AdamRich]

On 5/30/2021 at 11:02 PM, Pattaya Spotter said:

Thailand, like most countries outside North America and Europe, is struggling with the virus and it has nothing to do with their decisions but the hoarding of vaccine supplies and components by rich Western nations.

Well the rich Western nations were the ones that put in on research and development of the vaccines, so they get first dibs.

[spidermike007]

It is time to admit that the tourism industry has been sabotaged to the point where it will never recover, to any meaningful extent. 

Ever. Decades from now it will be limping along, and thousands of large hotels will either be closed, or they will attempt to convert them into low priced condos. 

 

And this applies to the expat community too. Tens of thousands have already left, and will not return, due to racism and xenophobia on the part of this utterly toxic administration. Expats bring alot to the table here, and many of spend alot of money here. Though some get by on meager pensions, alot of us spend 100,000 baht a month here, or more. 

 

Far too much timidity, far too little vision, far too little intelligence, competence, experience, non existent assistance to the vitally important tourism sector, no talk of the sacrifices needed to attract reasonably affluent tourists, and way too little, way too late. 

 

Thailand needs the world 20x more than the.world needs Thailand, and that concept is just starting to settle in. The long term effects of the lethargy, cowardice, lack of vision, the decision to choose submarine purchases over small business support, and the sheer hubris, arrogance and misguided fake pride are bringing down the nation, and contaminating its future. No wonder a million youths are discussing how to leave Thailand in their past, right now on FB. Where is their future? 

[petermik]

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

 

 

Thailand needs the world 20x more than the.world needs Thailand, and that concept is just starting to settle in. The long term effects of the lethargy, cowardice, lack of vision, the decision to choose submarine purchases over small business support, and the sheer hubris, arrogance and misguided fake pride are bringing down the nation, and contaminating its future. No wonder a million youths are discussing how to leave Thailand in their past, right now on FB. Where is their future? 

All of the above is correct but sadly Thailand has the Government it deserves and unless things change drastically here it will always be the same....it`s all well and good putting your opinions on social media....but it`s pointless without real actions....????

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

And this applies to the expat community too. Tens of thousands have already left, and will not return, due to racism and xenophobia on the part of this utterly toxic administration.

LOL.

I lived in LOS under the military government and IMO it was no worse than under previous so called democratic governments. None, IMO were better than the Leekpai government, and if one wants to refer to "toxic" administrations, that would be better applied to the Thaksin and his daughter's administrations, IMO.

IMO you protest too much about it.

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL.

I lived in LOS under the military government and IMO it was no worse than under previous so called democratic governments. None, IMO were better than the Leekpai government, and if one wants to refer to "toxic" administrations, that would be better applied to the Thaksin and his daughter's administrations, IMO.

IMO you protest too much about it.

 

Nah. As corrupt as Thaksin was, he actually did things that benefitted the masses. Quite amazing, right? What a concept. Universal health care, for the first time in the nation's history. No small feat.

Helping the common man. 

 

Protest? More protesting is exactly what this nation needs, to rid itself of the dinosaurs, and move forward. Allowing and accepting is the last thing this nation needs, and exactly what the army wants you to do. 

[The Hammer2021]

On 5/31/2021 at 10:00 AM, clivebaxter said:

Nothing lasts forever, the place had a good run. 

I'm afraid  you are correct

[The Hammer2021]

On 6/1/2021 at 9:54 AM, Sydebolle said:

Pattaya has to be completely new defined; the old pattern is completely dead. It would have died anyhow, irrespective of Corona, as Pattaya was no longer competitive in many aspects and the endless corruption, cheating and lying were - for many - the writing on the wall. 

The new orientation needs to be done by clean professional unbiased and honest experts and then the transition with the local business community could start. As the latter is used to "Thai style"; nothing of the kind will happen anytime soon ....... how sad! 

Endless lying and cheating? Not really

[spidermike007]

4 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

 

On 5/31/2021 at 10:00 AM, clivebaxter said:

Nothing lasts forever, the place had a good run. 

 

I'm afraid  you are correct

 

No question, with the exception of some infrastructure, Thailand has been moving backwards for the past decade. On nearly every level. It did have a good run. Those days are behind it. So much self sabotage has been inflicted on this rather resilient nation, it would be a near impossibility for it to pull itself out of the abyss, shake off the molasses, and move forward. 

 

A very dynamic leader like Thanathorn would at least give the nation a chance at having a future. The current creeps do not. 

 

Japanese companies are relocating. Despite the.constant lies, foreign investment is way down. Tourism is all but finished. 

 

I understand why nearly a million youth are on FB, trying to figure out a way out. The future must look very bleak to them. 

 

For many of us, who are fortunate enough to not have a business here, things are simpler, and less complicated. All we have to do is deal with the continuous daily drivel of these goons in charge. 

[Golden Triangle]

On 6/6/2021 at 11:07 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL.

I lived in LOS under the military government and IMO it was no worse than under previous so called democratic governments. None, IMO were better than the Leekpai government, and if one wants to refer to "toxic" administrations, that would be better applied to the Thaksin and his daughter's administrations, IMO.

IMO you protest too much about it.

Imho Thailand was a better place under Thaksin & Yingluck, people were a lot happier, friendlier & they were also getting something back, this mob just take & don't give back, Thanathorn should have been in opposition but the old corrupt dinosaurs made it their number one priority to get him ousted, I'm hopeful that at the next election this lot will be booted out a new constitution written and people like Thanathorn get a shot at being premier. Then watch this country fly.

[Leaver]

On 6/3/2021 at 4:04 AM, AdamRich said:

Well the rich Western nations were the ones that put in on research and development of the vaccines, so they get first dibs.

 

Don't you mean rich western companies?  

 

Sure, they were probably given some government grants, but they were not tax payer funded, except maybe for the Chinese and Russian vaccines.  

[thaibeachlovers]

On 6/6/2021 at 7:07 PM, spidermike007 said:

Tourism is all but finished. 

 

I understand why nearly a million youth are on FB, trying to figure out a way out. The future must look very bleak to them. 

 

For many of us, who are fortunate enough to not have a business here, things are simpler, and less complicated. All we have to do is deal with the continuous daily drivel of these goons in charge. 

Hardly relevant to talk about tourism during a pandemic. Wait till it's been over a couple of years and get back to us.

 

LOS would be better off without youths that want to run away to where the grass is greener rather than sticking it out and doing something to make life better in Thailand.

 

As always, if a non Thai doesn't like anything about Thailand, they are free to return to the place they left.

Moaning and ranting about the current government is doing zero to change an iota about Thailand.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 6/7/2021 at 11:41 PM, Golden Triangle said:

Imho Thailand was a better place under Thaksin & Yingluck, people were a lot happier, friendlier

I guess you lived up north then.

 

To my recollection, the people were a lot happier and friendlier before Thaksin became PM. His sidekick Purachai ( nicknamed Puritanical ) certainly hated everything to do with the farang entertainment scene, and did his best to destroy it. IMO it never recovered to what it was before Thaksin.

[Rimmer]

Troll posts and replies removed

[spidermike007]

On 6/7/2021 at 6:41 PM, Golden Triangle said:

Imho Thailand was a better place under Thaksin & Yingluck, people were a lot happier, friendlier & they were also getting something back, this mob just take & don't give back, Thanathorn should have been in opposition but the old corrupt dinosaurs made it their number one priority to get him ousted, I'm hopeful that at the next election this lot will be booted out a new constitution written and people like Thanathorn get a shot at being premier. Then watch this country fly.

I completely agree. For an administration that advertised themselves as the "clean up guys", they have elevated cronyism and bottom of the barrel selections to an art form. 

 

Of course, it was all nonsense. The army is as corrupt as any organization in the nation. Even more corrupt than the so called anti corruption committee. 

 

The dinosaurs must be shown the door. The people must figure out a way to oust the regressive ones, and stop the fast paced backward slide, before Thailand falls into oblivion. At this pace, Thailand's economy may be overtaken by Laos, within a generation. 

[Saddic]

On 5/31/2021 at 8:49 AM, smedly said:

 

out of 8 people I know personally that have been residing in Pattaya these last 12 months 4 have already left for home and 2 have flights booked, I also know of 4 others I had random contact with recently also have left or have flights booked - foreigners who remained here under immigration extensions seem to be leaving in droves, meanwhile while the west are way ahead of Thailand in vaccine rollout I suspect that most will not be travelling to Thailand any time soon and preferring to stay local for vacations - risks exist coming to places like Thailand who have completely dropped the ball but still expect foreign tourists to come here as early as July .................................. why should they - you messed up big time 

 

Yah, I've decided to be one of these also... Can get the shot same day I land back in the US...

 

Was kinda waiting to see the results of the sandbox, but I think it's pretty clear it's in a death spiral...  So there will be no relief for the farang in Thailand anytime soon...

 

The "nonapproval" by official documentation (aka royal gazette), means they still don't have their <deleted> together, and rules will change up to the last minute, or after... TIT...

 

Which means the Thai embassy's, won't be changing/relaxing their COE requirement (quarantine, insurance, etc, etc) anytime soon...

 

So gonna have to pull the plug... Only thing, I havent figured out is the insurance scam in order to get back...   As I have a non-imm O retirement extension, I believe they will require the covid insurance to last till the end of that visa... so it's gonna cost a boatload...

 

 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Hardly relevant to talk about tourism during a pandemic. Wait till it's been over a couple of years and get back to us.

 

LOS would be better off without youths that want to run away to where the grass is greener rather than sticking it out and doing something to make life better in Thailand.

 

As always, if a non Thai doesn't like anything about Thailand, they are free to return to the place they left.

Moaning and ranting about the current government is doing zero to change an iota about Thailand.

I like alot of your posts, so I will not engage in the rant about complaints, and our inherent right to moan about absolute nonsense and a regressive regime. 

 

In terms of doing something, we are somewhat limited, however resistance and civil disobedience come to mind. 

 

The tourism discussion is an important one. It concerns millions of Thais, and their ability to make a living. Easy for us to dismiss it, on a nice pension, or retirement savings. 

 

Personally, I think the tourism industry has been sabotaged beyond repair. Hopefully it will bounce back a little. However, I don't think it will recover to even half of what it was, at its peak. And that is five or more years from now. 

[morrobay]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

 

 

Personally, I think the tourism industry has been sabotaged beyond repair. Hopefully it will bounce back a little. However, I don't think it will recover to even half of what it was, at its peak. And that is five or more years from now. 

Then how is a massive hotel like this in South Naklua going to work out, especially with the major hotel  district in North Pattaya in competition