Pattaya Whats The Attraction ?

[rgs2001uk]

The Philippines and Vietnam seem to have lots of tourists right now.

Someone must be dreaming. I don't know about Vietnam, but the Philippines never has "lots of tourists" and right now tourist numbers there are lower than low.

Everywhere I have been I have seen a drop in tourists, even here in London

Where I work (Heathrow) there are empty aircraft stands, the terminals are no where as busy as they were a year ago, quite a few shops have laid off staff, some shops have put up the shutters

Terminal 4 is a ghost terminal

Rumour has it BA is mothballing some of its aircraft

BUT all this makes for some great holiday packages out there, and everywhere is discounting heavily, strangely enough not in Thailand, they seem to have increased hotel prices, flights arent any cheaper either

Let me know the next time you are in town, I owe you a beer or 3, you have just made my day, LMFAO.

Thief row, sorry Heathrow, som nam na.

Probably one of the worst airports in the world, all about profits on the part of BAA, customers, <deleted> them, you know the people who actually use the airport, never mind them treat them like shyt.

Shops closing, great, maybe now they can put in some facilities for the traveller, hope places like Tie Rack and the rest of these overpriced rip off joints finally get the message.

Terminal 4 a ghost town, always was a bitch to get to and from.

BA mothballing some of its aircraft, maybe time for them to re think their raison d etre, and start putting customers first, sort out their pricing and arrogant staff, hel_l mend them.

Heathrow has been taking the piss for years, hope the penny drops, but I somewhat doubt it.

[tropo]

Other people--living in Vietnam and the Philippines--have reported lots of tourists there now.

Yes, tourism has declined virtually everywhere.......but the decline is much greater in Thailand.

Other countries are doing better because they have made their system "tourism/expat friendly."

These "other people" who say there are lots of tourists in the Philippines now are the dreamers I was talking about.

Places such as AC are virtually devoid of tourists (sex tourists) right now and the Philippines gets very few real tourists (families, couples etc) at any time of year in any year. There is nothing they are doing to make tourists feel at home (apart from easier visa rules for expats).

Compared to Thailand, the tourism industry in the Philippines is virtually non-existent. Sure, they've always managed to get plenty of Korean and Japanese males in due to the close proximity of those countries and the willingness of Filipino females to readily take on all-comers. With almost double the population of Thailand and a much younger population the sex-industry is alive and well...but would you call this tourism?

[JR Texas]

Could it be possible that you ignore any posters who dispute your theory? Is pepsi666 lying?

Odd to say that since I just responded to you........a response is not the same thing as "ignore."

People keep saying that the decline in tourists numbers is due to the global economic decline and numbers are down all over.

I am telling you that is partially true, but some places are doing much better than others. You don't believe me. You don't believe other posters who are there are lots of tourists in Vietnam and the Philippines.

Fine, believe what you want. One place to look for answer is the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Note that tourism is actually up in some places even in the face of the global economic downturn. This is what they just said in their most current assessment. Note South America and Africa data.......no doubt people are turning to Costa Rica, Panama, etc.....also some sunny destinations in northern Africa....in the safe areas

There is no specific data on Bali, but there have been lots of reports about it earlier.......tourism is not way down there like it is in Thailand.

And posters are reporting that tourism in Vietnam and the Philippines seems better than in Thailand.........so believe what you want.

According to the June edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer international tourism declined by 8% between January and April compared to the same period last year. Destinations worldwide recorded a total of 247 million international tourist arrivals in those four months, down from 269 million in 2008. Given the changes in the outlook UNWTO has revised its forecast for the full year 2009. Taking account of the results for the first four months of the year and the current market conditions, international tourism is now forecast to decrease by between -6% and -4% in 2009, as the pace of decline is expected to ease during the remainder of 2009.

Regional panorama

With the exception of Africa, all regions recorded a decrease in arrivals for the first four months of 2009:

* In Europe (-10%), the impact was high as the majority of source markets have struggled with recession since the end of 2008. Moreover, outbound tourism of the second largest market (UK) has endured the depreciation of the pound sterling.

* Overall, the Americas (-5%) have suffered due to the slowdown of the USA both as a source market and a destination. Still, South America was the only sub-region outside of Africa to buck the general downward trend, registering +0.2%.

* For Asia and the Pacific (-6%) the decline in demand has been faster than expected and is particularly severe when compared to results from recent years.

* Although the decline in the Middle East is significant (-18%), complete data is not available and arrivals are still expected to be well above the 2007 levels.

* The positive results in Africa (+3%) reflect the strength of North African destinations around the Mediterranean and the recovery of Kenya as one of leading Sub-Saharan destinations.

[britmaveric]

Vietnam/Flipperland are beyond dead - makes thailand look like they are having high season of years past.

[Ulysses G.]

You don't believe other posters who are there are lots of tourists in Vietnam and the Philippines.

I have been lucky enough to meet britmaverick personally and he is true gentleman. He says that Vietnam and the Philipines are doing even worse than Thailand and that is what friends who have been there recently say as well. I believe brit!

[JR Texas]

Vietnam/Flipperland are beyond dead - makes thailand look like they are having high season of years past.

From UNWTO (vol. 7, 2, 2009 June):

"Despite this overall decline, several destinations around the world still reported encouraging results for the first four months of 2009, notably Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya...Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, ....Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Chile, Columbia, Paraguay, Uruguay, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macedonia, Serbia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria....."

Note: MALAYSIA........where is it located? Why is tourism better there than in nearby Thailand?

Am I still dreaming? Some places are not being negatively impacted in the same way Thailand is. There are reasons for that.

I wish I had actual data on Vietnam and the Philippines.........all I have is reports from people living there. I doubt Britmaveric is living there. Given that is the stormy season there, it would not surprise me that tourism is down, but my guess is that both Vietnam and the Philippines have seen less of a decline in tourism numbers over the past year than Thailand.

And, most certainly, Malaysia is doing better. Reality or fantasy? You decide. Personally, I trust the UN data more than whatever Pepsi666 has to say.

[Ulysses G.]

Malaysia has been doing better than Thailand for a while. They don't have a lot of political unrest and a lot of rich Muslims like to vacation there as they don't feel comfortable right now in non Muslim countries. However, we were talking about Vietnam and the Philippines and all you are offering is speculation. You have no proof. The truth is that the Philipines never has more than a few sex tourists even at the best of times, so claiming that tourism there is "up", is almost meaningless.

[barrybike]

Malaysia has been doing better than Thailand for a while. They don't have a lot of political unrest and a lot of rich Muslims like to vacation there as they don't feel comfortable right now in non Muslim countries. However, we were talking about Vietnam and the Philippines and all you are offering is speculation. You have no proof. The truth is that the Philipines never has more than a few sex tourists even at the best of times, so claiming that tourism there is "up", is almost meaningless.

are u joking the political situation is nearly worse.......its only coz we dont bear about it ..talk to a malay national sometime they will tell u ...a big split there

[Ulysses G.]

If we don't hear about it, tourists don't either. The whole world knows that the yellowbellies took over the airport!

[barrybike]

If we don't hear about it, tourists don't either. The whole world knows that the yellowbellies took over the airport!

better than the red bellies taking over i think .....

[Ulysses G.]

Tourists don't care about shirt colors. They just want to fly home when they are ready.

[barrybike]

Tourists don't care about shirt colors. They just want to fly home when they are ready.

yes but unfortuantly the thais do care about shirt colours ...afterall we are living in thailand............

[thaimate]

As far as the tourists are concerned ,they dont care what colour shirt a Thai wears or who is in power ,all they care about is having a pleasant holiday at a reasonable price in safety.

Now if Thailand or any other cant supply that or is percieved not to be able to supply it ,they will not come.

At the moment with all the bad press that Thailand is getting around the world ,the high value of the Baht against the pound ,making their money not go as far and the fact that there is a recession ,they will look for the safe bargain destinations ,at the moment Thailand is not filling the tourists criteria.

To see this in Pattaya just walk down beach road any day of the week at the moment.

[barrybike]

who gives a f ook ....just come here and enjoy ur self ...if you dont like it go home as simple as that

[Ulysses G.]

You are blinded by something.........I think it must be that you and your sidekick (you follow every one of his post with clappers) are heavily involved in real estate in Pattaya-Jomtien and refuse to accept reality.

No matter, most people can see how biased your posts are.

Are you kidding? Real estate? I don't even own a car!

I just think that Tropo is right about most things concerning Thailand and that you are VERY wrong. Yes my posts are "biased" to my point of view, but certainly no more than yours. You do realize that, don't you?

[JR Texas]

You are blinded by something.........I think it must be that you and your sidekick (you follow every one of his post with clappers) are heavily involved in real estate in Pattaya-Jomtien and refuse to accept reality.

No matter, most people can see how biased your posts are.

Are you kidding? Real estate? I don't even own a car!

I just think that Tropo is right about most things concerning Thailand and that you are VERY wrong. Yes my posts are "biased" to my point of view, but certainly no more than yours. You do realize that, don't you?

All people are biased........yes, I realize that.

Still, interesting that tourism in Malaysia--Thailand's neighbor--seems to be doing OK at the same time when tourism in Thailand is taking a nosedive.

I did not come to that conclusion........the UN did.

[canadianscottie]

Great reading fellas! Over the past 15 years I've been a Pattaya regular visitor, and GOTTA say, I LOVE IT! Sure, every comment written is correct to some degree. I spend an average of 3 to 6k a day, accomodation included, and rock the party from dawn till dawn Keeping in mind that my average stay is from 10 to 12 days. What a town though..... it's certainly grown up from when I first arrived. New shopping facilities are impressive! And the nicest of farangs make the trip 'do-able'. Strangely, Canada doesn't have much of a presence in Pattaya. I'll be back in October to peek in on Soi 7 and 8 bars so see you all soon!

[canadianscottie]

Just for laughs.....

Voted Best Joke in Ireland 2006

>>

>>

>> John O'Reilly hoisted his beer and said, "Here's to

>> spending the rest of me life!, between the legs of me wife!"

>>

>> That won him the top prize at the pub for the best

>> toast

>> of the night!

>>

>> He went home and told his wife, Mary, "I won the

>> prize for

>> the Best toast of the night" She said, "Aye, did ye now. And what

>> was your

>> toast?" John said,"Here's to spending the rest of me life, sitting

>> in church

>> beside me wife." "Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!" Mary said.

>>

>> The next day, Mary ran into one of John's drinking

>> buddies

>> on the street corner.

>>

>> The man chuckled leeringly and said, "John won the

>> prize the other night at the pub with a toast about you, Mary." She said,

"Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised myself.

You know, he's only been there twice in the last four years.

Once he fell asleep, and the other

time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come."

Edited July 25, 2009 by canadianscottie

[tropo]

The truth is that the Philipines never has more than a few sex tourists even at the best of times, so claiming that tourism there is "up", is almost meaningless.

My gf had hardly seen any Farang ladies until we came to Thailand.

[tropo]

the high value of the Baht against the pound ,making their money not go as far

Please be aware that not all of Thailand's tourists come from the United Kingdom. People who use the US dollar are getting the same exchange rate on the baht as they have been for 3 years.

Even then, it's only the repeat tourists who consider the baht as being high or low. New tourists wouldn't consider that at all and would still consider Thailand good value for money.

[tropo]

You are blinded by something.........I think it must be that you and your sidekick (you follow every one of his post with clappers) are heavily involved in real estate in Pattaya-Jomtien and refuse to accept reality.

No matter, most people can see how biased your posts are.

Are you kidding? Real estate? I don't even own a car!

I just think that Tropo is right about most things concerning Thailand and that you are VERY wrong. Yes my posts are "biased" to my point of view, but certainly no more than yours. You do realize that, don't you?

Me too - No real estate. No car.

It would seem that anyone who considers Pattaya is still a good place to live is either biased, living a false dream or just plain stupid, as far as Mr Texas is concerned.

[JR Texas]

You are blinded by something.........I think it must be that you and your sidekick (you follow every one of his post with clappers) are heavily involved in real estate in Pattaya-Jomtien and refuse to accept reality.

No matter, most people can see how biased your posts are.

Are you kidding? Real estate? I don't even own a car!

I just think that Tropo is right about most things concerning Thailand and that you are VERY wrong. Yes my posts are "biased" to my point of view, but certainly no more than yours. You do realize that, don't you?

Me too - No real estate. No car.

It would seem that anyone who considers Pattaya is still a good place to live is either biased, living a false dream or just plain stupid, as far as Mr Texas is concerned.

Actually, I am interested in why Malaysia is doing so well compared to Thailand in terms of tourism (Bali too). It must be something other than the global economic downturn and Swine Flu.

If you want to avoid facts and engage in personal attacks, that is up to you (seems SOP for you). I do think in any debate it is important to understand the biases of the person you are talking to.

My bias is clear: I miss the old Pattaya-Jomtien and think the "new Pattaya-Jomtien" is crap in comparison. I also know people who work in the tourism industry in Pattaya-Jomtien who are hurting.

And virtually all of my friends--long term expats--think like I do about Pattaya-Jomtien. Are we all wrong? Most of us have been in Pattaya-Jomtien much longer than you have (20 years plus).

Here is a quick snapshot of eight of them (all are older than 50):

1) wants to move to the Philippines, but is staying because of medical reasons (prefers the health care system in Thailand)

2) wants to move to either the Philippines or Indonesia (reluctant to do so for medical reasons)

3) wants to move to the Philippines

4) considering options and thinking strongly about moving to the Philippines

5) has already made a semi-permanent move to Cambodia and wants to open a business there (now lives in Thailand and Cambodia)

6) sold his business in Pattaya (was making money and hiring Thais) and moved to the Philippines (along with his business)

7) left Thailand and now lives on a sailboat in the Philippines (thinks quality of life is better in the Philippines)

8) bored with Pattaya-Jomtien and now spends most of his time in Bangkok (and he has a condo right on Jomtien beach)

Now, that is a snapshot of my small world.......just one expat........8 expat friends.

Not one of them thinks things have gotten better over the past 10 years........they all think things have gotten much worse.

I do recognize that there are foreigners that do like the place and think it is great. Are they stupid as rocks? Maybe they are; maybe they are not. But give them a decade or two living in a city that is on the decline and they might have a very different opinion about things.

Newbies often have a very different opinion about Pattaya-Jomtien than "old timers." They are normally unaware of some of the ugly realities underneath the surface. And they actually think the girls really do like them

You come across as a person who refuses to acknowledge anything bad about the place.

In contrast, in my first post here, I pointed out several good things about the place (you apparently did not see that).

Good luck to you and Mr. Clapper......you are going to need it.

[Ulysses G.]

[still, interesting that tourism in Malaysia--Thailand's neighbor--seems to be doing OK at the same time when tourism in Thailand is taking a nosedive.

I did not come to that conclusion........the UN did.

Malaysia has the regular tourists that other countries have, but they ALSO have lots of wealthy Muslim tourists who avoid non Muslim countries. They are very lucky in this regard.

By the way, I agree with you that Thailand is doing a lot of stupid things like raising prices while Bali is lowering them, but the real problem - at this point - is the world economy and things will get better as it improves.

Bali is doing some smart things and doing better than other local tourist destinations, but I do not think that what is going on in Bali hurts Thailand all that much and they seem to be the only place in this area that has done the smart thing consistently.

[tropo]

Here is a quick snapshot of eight of them (all are older than 50):

1) wants to move to the Philippines, but is staying because of medical reasons (prefers the health care system in Thailand)

2) wants to move to either the Philippines or Indonesia (reluctant to do so for medical reasons)

3) wants to move to the Philippines

4) considering options and thinking strongly about moving to the Philippines

5) has already made a semi-permanent move to Cambodia and wants to open a business there (now lives in Thailand and Cambodia)

Now, that is a snapshot of my small world.......just one expat........8 expat friends.

All these guys WANT to move to the Philippines. There's a big difference between wanting to do something and actually doing it.

As a person with vast knowledge of the Philippines and life there I can tell you that when/if these guys actually get their asses over there they will soon be yearning for Pattaya/Thailand and will be back. You'll probably see the others who actually went over there back here sooner than later too.

It's just a case of the grass looking greener on the other side of the fence....IT ISN'T!

Edited July 25, 2009 by tropo

[Ulysses G.]

Who wants to always be watching your back in PI when you can live a paranoia free life in Thailand? If you are street smart here, you run into very few problems.

[britmaveric]

For every whinging sod that leaves thailand - he is replaced by many others. Flipperland is a sh*tehole - not a place to live I'm afraid. Cambodia - nice place, but the facilities aren't there yet.

[tropo]

For every whinging sod that leaves thailand - he is replaced by many others. Flipperland is a sh*tehole - not a place to live I'm afraid. Cambodia - nice place, but the facilities aren't there yet.

So.... Pattaya is still the number one place to live in SE Asia.

[britmaveric]

Couldnt have said it better Tropo!!! :D :D

Patters is far from perfect, but it suits the needs for most expats more so than most places in Asia.

[loong]

So.... Pattaya is still the number one place to live in SE Asia.

To some, yes.

I am happy at Khon Kaen, but enjoy the occasional visit to Pattaya.

For some, love it, others hate it, me a great place in small doses.

Not everyone has the same ideal. It'd be boring if everybody was the same.

[favre04]

my take on a lot of it is "Its life Jim ,but not as we know it".

yeah, this pretty much sums it up.

I've been in Asia too long. I feel that way when I go home.

Hey man. I figured I'd see you on this board, so I had to say hello.

Next time I call you, I'll try and be sober

Take care, and live it up!

Dave