Opinion Editorial: What’s in Store for Pattaya in 2024

[webfact]

 

2023 is in the rear view window and here we are, at the start of a fresh new year, a brand new slate, and plenty of ambitious promises and goals from Thai government officials.

2023 was a year of further recovery from the disastrous impact the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions had on Thailand’s economy, in particular a tourism driven one like Pattaya. Pattaya’s economy is about 90 percent driven on tourism, both in the legitimate and so-called grey sector and as a result was obviously decimated for about two and a half years, and has still not fully recovered to 2019 numbers according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). That being said, Thailand saw about 28 million foreign tourists/visitors in 2023, but far short of the 40 million in 2019.

 

In 2023 Pattaya saw roughly 23 million tourists, with a significant number of them domestic, according to the TAT. The goal for 2024 is 27 million which on paper sounds ambitious but the TAT believes it is wholly possible with continued strong domestic tourism and the hopeful return of Chinese tourists, which is a big question mark.

 

Let’s look at those two things for a moment. First, domestic tourism. Covid-19 actually strongly benefitted domestic tourism in Pattaya as the city changed focus from foreign tourism (It had no choice with borders closed or restricted for over two years) and instead focused on drawing visitors from around Thailand to Pattaya, especially Bangkok and Eastern provinces. Pattaya began an aggressive strategy of weekly events, from sports, music, food, culture, and more along with promotions to bring more domestic tourists to Pattaya.

 

It worked, stronger than they could have ever anticipated and Pattaya became and continues to be an extremely popular destination for domestic tourists, especially from Bangkok, on holidays and weekends. As a result, in 2024 Pattaya has committed to a similar aggressive strategy of weekly events to encourage tourism and, yes, most of them will be aimed at Thai tourists and not foreign tourists and centred around holidays and weekends.

 

Local residents, however, while certainly understanding the significance of tourism to the economy of Pattaya, especially those who saw first hand the devastation during Covid-19 restrictions of businesses and thousands in food handout lines, have mixed feelings on these constant events. The issue, at the core, is not the events but the fact that in its current form the infrastructure of the city traffic wise can’t really support the number of tourists visiting. This, as a result, brings many headaches in terms of traffic around Pattaya.

 

By Adam Judd

 

Full story: THE PATTAYA NEWS 2024-01-06

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[Gottfrid]

Judging out of the picture that would be a lot of Arab and India people.

[Emdog]

Not "brand new slate".... term would be "clean slate"... but Pattaya has neither.. that implies some sort of new team running the show.

"the so called grey sector"... we talking "working girls (and boys)"? I've never heard that sector of the economy referred to as "the grey sector".

They do seem to be correct regarding many more domestic tourists on the weekend, I'll give them that.

[Guderian]

What does 2024 have in store? The same as every other year, endless corruption and incompetence. :(

[hotchilli]

14 minutes ago, Guderian said:

What does 2024 have in store? The same as every other year, endless corruption and incompetence. :(

Beat me to-it.

More of the same.

 

[trainman34014]

27 minutes ago, Guderian said:

What does 2024 have in store? The same as every other year, endless corruption and incompetence. :(

And more sleaze !

[newnative]

They need to continue north with the overpasses that they have done in the south on Sukhumvit, to start.  Then look at removing parking, starting with North Pattaya Road.

[jacko45k]

Maybe not, come March the girls can all hop directly on planes to go to China to work, and Chinese, looking for wives or staff can travel here Visa free and do recruitment. Pattaya will fade away!

[AlexRich]

What's in store in 2024?

 

Probably much the same as before ... some poor farang drinks way too much alcohol, stumbles down Soi 6/1 ... and wakes up the next morning with a very sore ... bottom!! 

 

[gargamon]

30 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

What's in store in 2024?

 

Probably much the same as before ... some poor farang drinks way too much alcohol, stumbles down Soi 6/1 ... and wakes up the next morning with a very sore ... bottom!! 

 

Is this from personal experience? Please tell us the whole story about the “very sore ...   bottom“.

[jacko45k]

13 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Is this from personal experience? Please tell us the whole story about the “very sore ...   bottom“.

He can send it via DM to you, as I have no desire to read all about it, unlike you!

[mikebell]

On 1/6/2024 at 5:08 AM, webfact said:

This, as a result, brings many headaches in terms of traffic around Pattaya.

At last I saw 2 cops handling traffic flow on Kao Noi during Rush Hour on Saturday! This is a 1st.  How long will Plod keep up this New Year's Resolution to work?

[petermik]

Soi Bukhaow will become one way,songtaews will be limited to one every ten minutes Chinese will return in their droves bars will reduce drink prices following the tax reductions lady drinks will be heavily reduced to encourage more being bought and due to the lack of customers the ladies themselves will be implementing a flat rate of 500/1000 baht as in past times...........there you go I can dream can`t I

[AlexRich]

6 hours ago, gargamon said:

Is this from personal experience? Please tell us the whole story about the “very sore ...   bottom“.

A gentleman never tells.

[gargamon]

6 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

A gentleman never tells.

Gentlemen doing take it up the a$$.

[AlexRich]

3 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Gentlemen doing take it up the a$$.

You’ve never been in the English public school system.

[Seppius]

Plenty of boarded up Cannabis shops if today's news is true in the BP, and enforced