A Pattaya newspaper recently reported that Russian tourism was down 80% and 60% acrross the board - seems a bit severe!

Also what are your thoughs on the new Central Shopping mall? With the world heading into depression luxury goods are the first thing to be sacrificed. Shopping malls in the US are dropping like flys - is it a white elephant?

Not surprised - state of the russian economy is severe and price of oil as it is - they are struggling.

A Pattaya newspaper recently reported that Russian tourism was down 80% and 60% acrross the board - seems a bit severe!

Also what are your thoughs on the new Central Shopping mall? With the world heading into depression luxury goods are the first thing to be sacrificed. Shopping malls in the US are dropping like flys - is it a white elephant?

I don't see evidence of an 80% drop in Russian tourists...there's plenty of them in town.

The shopping mall was planned years ago and they started building it in 2006. What should they have done after hearing about the world financial crisis in October a few months prior to the official opening?

What would you have done?

IMO the new mall is doing ok and it's a welcome addition to Pattaya.

Mall is a waste and it will join the other malls that most do not buy - just use it for aircon and window browsing.

Walking through the malls in Pattaya is like going through a ghost town. This new one will be the same when the new effect wears off. Does anyone actually buy anything in these places? I know I have never bought anything in any of them. I am lying there, I once bought an 8 baht ice cream from KFC in Royal garden plaza.

^cinema and food, but dare say not much else.

The Russians came, and they went. They are much thinner on the ground right now but they were abundant during the peak normal high season.

A Pattaya newspaper recently reported that Russian tourism was down 80% and 60% acrross the board - seems a bit severe!

Also what are your thoughs on the new Central Shopping mall? With the world heading into depression luxury goods are the first thing to be sacrificed. Shopping malls in the US are dropping like flys - is it a white elephant?

I don't see evidence of an 80% drop in Russian tourists...there's plenty of them in town.

The shopping mall was planned years ago and they started building it in 2006. What should they have done after hearing about the world financial crisis in October a few months prior to the official opening?

What would you have done?

IMO the new mall is doing ok and it's a welcome addition to Pattaya.

Read my post It was reported in a Pattaya Journal - according to official statistics. As to what would I have done - are you nuts! Obviously the developer didnt see the looming depression why get defensive.

The new mall is in trouble - but lets just suspend reality and go with your line that its doing ok. Do you live on planet earth?

IMO the new mall is doing ok and it's a welcome addition to Pattaya.

Welcome addition ? Yes.

Doing OK ? - Not from what I saw.

I agree that once the novelty value has worn off sales will be weak. Low season volumes ?

Mall is a waste and it will join the other malls that most do not buy - just use it for aircon and window browsing.

for me just free aircon, do not need window browsing, I know how a t-shirt or a short looks like!

Well not sure its welcome - to be honest I just hate its location - traffic is bad already, it just made things way worse. We all saw what The Avenue did - traffic wise. I wish planning actually went into things before they actually decided to build it. However its not a concern and nought we can do about it now since its here to stay.

Is that because the female Russian Tourists were rounded up in walking street and deported?

A Pattaya newspaper recently reported that Russian tourism was down 80% and 60% acrross the board - seems a bit severe!

Also what are your thoughs on the new Central Shopping mall? With the world heading into depression luxury goods are the first thing to be sacrificed. Shopping malls in the US are dropping like flys - is it a white elephant?

I don't see evidence of an 80% drop in Russian tourists...there's plenty of them in town.

The shopping mall was planned years ago and they started building it in 2006. What should they have done after hearing about the world financial crisis in October a few months prior to the official opening?

What would you have done?

IMO the new mall is doing ok and it's a welcome addition to Pattaya.

Read my post It was reported in a Pattaya Journal - according to official statistics. As to what would I have done - are you nuts! Obviously the developer didnt see the looming depression why get defensive.

The new mall is in trouble - but lets just suspend reality and go with your line that its doing ok. Do you live on planet earth?

Read your post? You should read it because you first called it a Pattaya newspaper, and now you're calling it a Pattaya Journal with official statistics. Which was it?

You must be nuts to draw conclusions on how the new shopping mall is going when it hasn't been open for a month yet. The shops in the new mall will find their level eventually. Some will go broke and some will survive and replacements will be found to take over from the failures.

"White elephant"...only in your head. It's called progress. Pattaya will survive and thrive despite predictions from all you doom and gloom merchants.

Well not sure its welcome - to be honest I just hate its location - traffic is bad already, it just made things way worse. ... I wish planning actually went into things before they actually decided to build it. However its not a concern and nought we can do about it now since its here to stay.

I really can't believe all the moaning about one of the best things to happen to Pattaya in many many a moon. I think the new mall is great, its location is great, selection of stores and restos great. Overall, it's a great addition to Pattaya.

The Central folks had the misfortune of opening the mall in the teeth of probably the worst world-wide economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. But that's not their fault - the mall was planned years ago. Surely sales at the mall's tenants will be affected and the mix of stores may have to be adjusted to reflect the times, but overall, I feel the mall will succeed.

I use it regularly for both eating and shopping (mainly clothes at the Central department store). Many of the basic lines of clothes are reasonably priced; and since the opening, they have been very promotional with sales of 20-50% off in most departments. I also have eaten at several of the restaurants and have no complaints. Most of the restaurants appear to be doing fine and the cafes and ice-cream joints are positively crowded...same goes for the Starbucks.

As for traffic and parking, I don't find it any worse than before (surprising) and I drive a car. The parking lot is large and logically laid out and the spaces big enough to park my Sport-Rider with no problems. Getting in and out is easy and the merge back into traffic on 2nd road is smooth and quick. In addition, at least for now, car parking is free.

Put me down as a mall lover...not a mall whiner

dam_n! That WOULD be a shame if we lost those lovely Russian tourists...

dam_n! That WOULD be a shame if we lost those lovely Russian tourists...

Well the bottom 2 look Russian!

All three girls are Russian tourists I've known in the past. They were very friendly, polite and spoke reasonably good English. They were a lot of fun to travel with.

I live by the beach in Jomtien, and can't say that I've noticed any great shortage of Russians this year compared to last.

A few weeks ago I made a plot comparing a few foreign exchange rates against the Thai Baht compared with the rate in October 2007. The pound, AUD and Rouble have all dropped by the same amount, around 20%-25%. That hasn't stopped the Brits and Aussies from coming, so I don't see why it should worry the Russians unduly. The Rouble did increase a fair bit (10%-15%) in 2008, which may explain why there were more Russians around last rainy season than I have seen before. As for the state of their economy, can it really be worse than Britains? At least they have some froeign reserves to throw at the Rouble, Britain is just about bankrupt.

Here's the plot, data is from oanda.

I live by the beach in Jomtien, and can't say that I've noticed any great shortage of Russians this year compared to last.

A few weeks ago I made a plot comparing a few foreign exchange rates against the Thai Baht compared with the rate in October 2007. The pound, AUD and Rouble have all dropped by the same amount, around 20%-25%. That hasn't stopped the Brits and Aussies from coming, so I don't see why it should worry the Russians unduly. The Rouble did increase a fair bit (10%-15%) in 2008, which may explain why there were more Russians around last rainy season than I have seen before. As for the state of their economy, can it really be worse than Britains? At least they have some froeign reserves to throw at the Rouble, Britain is just about bankrupt.

Here's the plot, data is from oanda.

Alot of russians have us$ so the recnt ruble drop will not affect them at all. They were busy hoarding $ throughout last summer, they new the ruble drop was coming.

Maybe they've been arrested by the fashion police??

Those crocheted cardigans are sooooooooo 1970s. And as for the clothes the women wear....