I know a lot of you don't like go-go bars. Please go elsewhere. You will not be helpful to me by dissing them. I hope to have a serious discussion on a subject important to many people.

 

Do you guys think the era of the go-go bar is over?

Prayuth doesn't like alcohol and the Thai government and the local governments say they don't want to attract bar riffraff. They want sweet, wholesome families. From what I can see there is no one who can unseat the General. He has the police and the military. The only danger to him I can see is if he can't bring the economy back strong. But will the large corporations form their own military to unseat him or what the heck can happen to change the government? 

I guess what I'm saying is at the present time I don't see a future for go-gos and their outreach to help uneducated girls get some bucks to help their families. I like go-gos too and would miss them. : )

I think they’ll be back eventually.  There’s too much chrome pole talent out there to waste. ????

I think the scene was generally dying in some locales even before covid. Obviously some areas will hang on and will probably hang on for years but in general the foreign scene will contract. Last time I went to Patpong it was just a shadow of its former self. Patts is becoming something else even though its a very slow transition. Hua hin bars are being moved to less desirable location.

Here in Pattaya a lot of bars and go-gos are using the lockdown to remodel their places. I wouldn't too much about them going away. This isn't the middle east.

Go- go bars, massage parlor and other similar places of the flesh trade will, in time, rise back again like a phoenix from the Covid's ashes, these trades are just too lucrative to let them die, so be patient, it all be good again..

Edited October 17, 20214 yr by ezzra

They're not going anywhere.

 

As long as there are poor girls who need the money, the gogo bar scene will always exist. Thaksin did more to end the gogo bar scene than Prayut by improving socioeconomic conditions in the north and the northeast. All Prayut will accomplish is making it more discrete.

38 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Prayuth doesn't like alcohol

.

 

Oh, he likes it alright, along with all his cronies.....

 

He just doesn't want us to have any of it.

 

 

31 minutes ago, elgenon said:

They want sweet, wholesome families. From what I can see there is no one who can unseat the General. He has the police and the military. The only danger to him I can see is if he can't bring the economy back stron

 

He won't get sweet wholesome families as there's nothing for them here.

 

I personally think the next couple of months could going to get very ugly. Small businesses have been hanging their hopes on the big re-opening. I think there are currently a lot of people who believe the promises uncle P has made. Not necessarily out of any kind of allegiance.... more likely because they need to believe him as a successful reopening of the country is the last hope they have of survival.

 

When the promised tourists don't materialize, I think that will be the last straw for many citizens. What will happen after that is anybody's guess.

 

As for these "quality tourists" the government talk about targeting.... Talk is cheap... They (the government) aren't actually going to do anything proactive to lure the type of people they talk about wanting. It's just a load of white noise.

 

And without putting series time and money into changing the perception of the country, the type of tourists they will get will be exactly the same as the ones that were coming before the pandemic started.

 

In relation to your question about the Gogo bars... They will still be around for the long term. They will open up as soon as permitted, and within 3 months I guess at least 50% will be out of business. Maybe as high as 90%... Who knows? But the ones that survive will be enough to keep you going until the scene slowly starts to build itself back up over the next few years.

 

 

No, it will be business as usual as soon as things are open. 

There is a huge misconception (I guess mostly by people who don't make it further than places as Pattaya), that go-go bars are only there for tourist. Bars with female services are found all over Thailand and used by many Thai men. It has been in the Thai culture long before the Americans landed in Pattaya in the 60s. They won't disappear because of Prayut. I wouldn't be surprised if the army is one of the biggest contributors in this sector. 

For the tourist places, they will follow the money. Whatever the tourist are looking for, will be offered. 

If there is money to be made they will return.....no doubt whatsoever.

17 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

.

 

Oh, he likes it alright, along with all his cronies.....

 

He just doesn't want us to have any of it.

 

 

Yep, only he can have fun. But his main fun is wielding absolute power. When ya got it, flaunt it!

15 minutes ago, JayClay said:

 

He won't get sweet wholesome families as there's nothing for them here.

 

I personally think the next couple of months could going to get very ugly. Small businesses have been hanging their hopes on the big re-opening. I think there are currently a lot of people who believe the promises uncle P has made. Not necessarily out of any kind of allegiance.... more likely because they need to believe him as a successful reopening of the country is the last hope they have of survival.

 

When the promised tourists don't materialize, I think that will be the last straw for many citizens. What will happen after that is anybody's guess.

 

As for these "quality tourists" the government talk about targeting.... Talk is cheap... They (the government) aren't actually going to do anything proactive to lure the type of people they talk about wanting. It's just a load of white noise.

 

And without putting series time and money into changing the perception of the country, the type of tourists they will get will be exactly the same as the ones that were coming before the pandemic started.

 

In relation to your question about the Gogo bars... They will still be around for the long term. They will open up as soon as permitted, and within 3 months I guess at least 50% will be out of business. Maybe as high as 90%... Who knows? But the ones that survive will be enough to keep you going until the scene slowly starts to build itself back up over the next few years.

 

 

Thanks for the encouraging words about the go-gos. I've started to lose hope.

The Thai people deserve a better government. Yes, hard to see where this goes. I can't see the economy taking off.

As, I'm still trying to figure out what Pattaya has in mind to draw families. Thai families prefer good beaches. What would draw foreign families has yet to be thought of.

I think government officials should not be allowed access to hallucinogenic drugs.

Thanks for all the positive responses. 

It is still a male dominated society.

34 minutes ago, JayClay said:

 

He won't get sweet wholesome families as there's nothing for them here.

 

I know several "wholesome families" that used to visit for 2 weeks twice a year, only reason they come is so the father can go out and get up to no good with the gogo girls at night.

 

They won't be back until their is clunge shining chrome poles.

Now  ,  their not  "bars" anymore,  they have gone all swish and  "upmarket"  and call them selves  "clubs",  whereby they  only have a doorway  for the entrance, and  you have no idea whats inside, or what the prices of a drink are till your a captive.

I  liked the old style bars, nothing more pleasant than a quiet afternoon perched on a stool having a cold beer while watching the world go by outside. we arent all  skirt chasers.

59 minutes ago, bbko said:

This isn't the middle east.

I know. I can have a drink with my meal in most of the Middle East.

Just now, Bangkok Barry said:

I know. I can have a drink with my meal in most of the Middle East.

I had a drink with dinner last night, Middle Pattaya.

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

2 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I know. I can have a drink with my meal in most of the Middle East.

I had a drink with dinner last night, Middle Pattaya.

I'll correct myself - I can legally have a drink with my meal without looking out for a police raid. Like in most of the rest of the world.

The girl-bar scene had been contracting before COVID.  Bangkok's Soi 33 bars all died before COVID and Soi 22 was also fading.  Patpong had been struggling too, and although Cowboy was still busy - it's a very small street so the business was concentrated on a few popular bars.

 

The European and US expats are a reducing population due to their advanced age profile and the changing nature of foreign businesses - causing a move to ex-pats from China, Korea and Japan.  The profile of tourists also shifted with more coming from China and India due to changing economic fortunes.

 

So the customer base for the traditional go-go bars changed, and COVID just accelerated the decline.

 

Pre-COVID, Pattaya's Walking Street was full of Chinese tourist marching down the centre of the street taking selfies, but never going in the bars, plus groups of Indian men trying to buy girls for 20 Baht.

 

The bars that survive will have adapted to the new customer profile; Japanese only hostess bars, exclusive venues for rich Thais, low end bars catering to Indian men.  The bars owned by the BIB, such as Crazy House, will thrive, as they are set up as industrial scale petting zoos for the Chinese, but a bar where a falang can chat with a pretty girl for pri e of a drink are a feature of a bygone age.

13 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

I know several "wholesome families" that used to visit for 2 weeks twice a year, only reason they come is so the father can go out and get up to no good with the gogo girls at night.

 

They won't be back until their is clunge shining chrome poles.

"Clunge" must be one of the best words ever invented and used far too infrequently for my liking 

They'll be back at first, but progressively taken over by the Buffalo  mamas. So they'll die of old age once most of the young talent will have made their move to the Internet. I'll miss them though..

far too many bars and gogo's in pattaya anyways. control their numbers and relocate them further away from city centre and beach area where "families and quality tourists" (?) can stay. the recent mixed messages from senior muppets in response to Prayuths monday night grandstanding smells of disunity (not to mention alleged conflict with deputy muppet). IMHO unseating of top muppet is inevitable.    

If the go-gos vanish some of the higher ranking men in brown will lose income.

WIll those bars be back? If there's a demand, there will be a supply.  There'll be always be girls prefering to make easy money instead of working on low wages in factories.

1 hour ago, Kinnock said:

The girl-bar scene had been contracting before COVID.  Bangkok's Soi 33 bars all died before COVID and Soi 22 was also fading.  Patpong had been struggling too, and although Cowboy was still busy - it's a very small street so the business was concentrated on a few popular bars.

 

The European and US expats are a reducing population due to their advanced age profile and the changing nature of foreign businesses - causing a move to ex-pats from China, Korea and Japan.  The profile of tourists also shifted with more coming from China and India due to changing economic fortunes.

 

So the customer base for the traditional go-go bars changed, and COVID just accelerated the decline.

 

Pre-COVID, Pattaya's Walking Street was full of Chinese tourist marching down the centre of the street taking selfies, but never going in the bars, plus groups of Indian men trying to buy girls for 20 Baht.

 

The bars that survive will have adapted to the new customer profile; Japanese only hostess bars, exclusive venues for rich Thais, low end bars catering to Indian men.  The bars owned by the BIB, such as Crazy House, will thrive, as they are set up as industrial scale petting zoos for the Chinese, but a bar where a falang can chat with a pretty girl for pri e of a drink are a feature of a bygone age.

With all do respect, but I don't agree.

Thailand never had so many expats and foreign tourist as just before the pandemic. The country has never been more popular worldwide. I don't see what the ethnicity of the tourist/expats, or the foreign business relations of the Thai government have to do with "men" visiting a go-go bar. The biggest consumer base of go-go bars is still Thai man, it's incorrect to state that less "western" people visit Thailand (the opposite is true), so there is no change of costumer base. I would say there is an addition of Indian/Chinese tourist, which also has big big spenders with them. 

Why would a bar need to adapt to one particular cultural profile? That would be ridiculous and obviously very bad for business. 

Go-go bars are found in every little corner in Thailand, and will not change as long as their is demand. 

16 minutes ago, Eibot said:

Go-go bars are found in every little corner in Thailand, and will not change as long as their is demand. 

Go-go bars are very much for western tourists. The Thai bars you're talking about are almost always karaoke places. 

2 hours ago, elgenon said:

Thanks for all the positive responses. 

It is still a male dominated society.

and may it continue to be so.

9 minutes ago, KhaoNiaw said:

Go-go bars are very much for western tourists. The Thai bars you're talking about are almost always karaoke places. 

Definitely not. You can call it all you want, but a place where you can take a girl home against a certain fee is a go-go bar, no matter if they  offer karaoke, pool, food or just a drink with company. 

 

These places all found all over Thailand, even in very remote places. 

30 minutes ago, Eibot said:

The biggest consumer base of go-go bars is still Thai man,

I have no idea why you think that, but IMO you are 100% wrong. No gogos in Lamphun.

 

3 minutes ago, Eibot said:

These places all found all over Thailand, even in very remote places. 

I know they are. Just saying they're not go-go bars. 

3 minutes ago, Eibot said:

Definitely not. You can call it all you want, but a place where you can take a girl home against a certain fee is a go-go bar, no matter if they  offer karaoke, pool, food or just a drink with company. 

 

These places all found all over Thailand, even in very remote places. 

Dunno where you get your information from, but IMO a gogo bar is specifically dancers on a stage with a pole to shuffle around.