Tourist Numbers

[sharecropper]

I tried to book a friend coming from Bangkok into a cheap (less than 1,000 Baht a night) hotel off Walking Street for 2 nights on the 30th December. I tried TEN hotels in those streets and just outside of them, before giving up. I was amazed that they were all completely full. I know for a fact last year he got a room without any trouble even on that short notice.

I was also in Hua Hin over christmas and was surprised the other way - the lack of high season tourists, so I think this high season was a good one for Pattaya. How long it lasts is another question. The slack may have been taken up by Thais who, because of the economy, didn't want to travel abroad.

Anyone else notice Pattaya busier than usual?

[Mobi]

There's a lot of residents in Thailand, mainly from Bangkok who come down to Pattaya for the New Year and the hotels get booked out. A majority of these short stay visitors are Thais. I couldn't comment on how much money they spend, but I doubt many are frequenting the farang bars etc.

I can add credence to this because for some reason my home phone number is almost the same as a large, but budget priced Pattaya hotel, and this time of year I am inundated with calls from Thais wanting to book a room.

the same happens at Songkran, but not quite as bad.

The rest of the year I hardly get a call.

I'm think about renting out my spare rooms and making some beer money

[jonniebkk]

Just from my casual observations from wandering around during the week of Christmas-New Years it seemed to me the town was very crowded. Was talking to a couple restaurant manager friends and they said they were doing great business. Can't take a step or two without bumping into a Russian or four Some of them Russian gals are real babes too...that pui kow kow must be driving the local lads bonkers

[TopDogger]

Hua Hin Quiet over the festive season? Is that a joke?

[APMann]

Hua Hin Quiet over the festive season? Is that a joke?

Is that?!

[morrobay]

In the last year it looks like an increasing number of Thais are visiting Pattaya on weekends and holidays and it also looks like more visitors of all nationalities visiting on weekends and the peak of the high season.

There are more high season Russians too. On the other hand there are reports of fewer northern Europeans. All these observations are just a small part of the changing whole picture and unknown effects on local businesses over the complete year.

Outside of collecting data from every hotel and accomodation register in the area for the last 3 years and adding up all the tourist days by nationality I dont know how all the facts of this changing picture can be determined. The other option to get this information is a thread like this with as many fact reports as possible.

[sharecropper]

I just went for a Thai massage at a prominent Massage place in Pattaya, near Soi Bukahao, and was surprised it was completely empty at midday (usually it has at least one or two even in the lowest season). Later I asked the cashier how high season had been for them and she said very quiet, offering the opinion that whilst there are a lot of male tourists around Soi Bukhao, they are definitely not there for a 2 hour Thai massage!

As far as the Russians go, whilst there are indeed a lot of them, a friend of mine who was here recently, who is Russian, and who engaged in conversations and saw a lot of them on the beaches, opined that most of them were "not well off" tourists, and if they are unhappy at paying 30 baht for a deckchair, as many are in Jomtien/Pratamnak, for all their numbers, I wonder how much of their money leaks into the wider economy - department stores for sure, and foor outlets, but are bars and real estate seeing much of it?

[tropo]

I just went for a Thai massage at a prominent Massage place in Pattaya, near Soi Bukahao, and was surprised it was completely empty at midday (usually it has at least one or two even in the lowest season). Later I asked the cashier how high season had been for them and she said very quiet, offering the opinion that whilst there are a lot of male tourists around Soi Bukhao, they are definitely not there for a 2 hour Thai massage!

As far as the Russians go, whilst there are indeed a lot of them, a friend of mine who was here recently, who is Russian, and who engaged in conversations and saw a lot of them on the beaches, opined that most of them were "not well off" tourists, and if they are unhappy at paying 30 baht for a deckchair, as many are in Jomtien/Pratamnak, for all their numbers, I wonder how much of their money leaks into the wider economy - department stores for sure, and foor outlets, but are bars and real estate seeing much of it?

I'm sure a lot of us much maligned long stay tourists spend a lot more per day than most of these budget tourists.

[TopDogger]

Hua Hin Quiet over the festive season? Is that a joke?

Is that?!

The place was packed out and probably still is, hardly a spare seat on the beach or in restraunts on an evening. Busiest I've ever seen anywhere in Thailand tourist wise.

Edited January 3, 2008 by TopDogger