Pattaya Whats The Attraction ?

[Jingthing]

One thing Pattaya demonizers do not get is that if you LIVE here, nobody is forcing you to go to Walking street, or the sexy sois every night or even any night. You get settled here and you take advantage of all that Pattaya area has to offer at your own pace not the surreal pace of a two week tourist, just like you would in any exciting city. In my view, Pattaya is an absolutely wonderful place to live. Of course as anywhere there is always room for improvement, for example we do need REAL taxi meters here. And yes there a lot of rude people here, there are also a lot of rude people in New York City, so what?

Another thing I am convinced about. Most westerners who move to Thailand or even visit here are subject to raised eyebrows from their "respectable" friends and family back home. By demonizing Pattaya, they play a game to make themselves look more pure. (Hypocrites!)

They say things like:

I don't go to Pattaya, that's the whorehouse of the world! I go to Patong! For the temples and Thai food! Pattaya is terrible but its not the "real" Thailand that I love.

Thus they USE Pattaya for their own selfish ends, and in my view this is despicable. Long live Pattaya!

Is there another city forum here where people who hate the city (and don't live here or sometimes have never even been here) routinely post to trash that city? Of course not. Pattaya is all in their heads, not a REAL place.

Edited July 26, 2009 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

I don't go to Pattaya, that's the whorehouse of the world! I go to Patong! For the temples and Thai food! Pattaya is terrible but its not the "real" Thailand that I love.

Hypocrites.

[thaimate]

I don't go to Pattaya, that's the whorehouse of the world! I go to Patong! For the temples and Thai food! Pattaya is terrible but its not the "real" Thailand that I love.

Hypocrites.

The Thailand that you love,? so us who live here in Pattaya dont love Thailand? dont ya just love these guys?

[loong]

I don't go to Pattaya, that's the whorehouse of the world! I go to Patong! For the temples and Thai food! Pattaya is terrible but its not the "real" Thailand that I love.

Hypocrites.

The Thailand that you love,? so us who live here in Pattaya dont love Thailand? dont ya just love these guys?

You should read all of Jingthing's post - 2 above yours.

[yogi100]

for all the topic on pattaya dirty beaches poor planing lack off water in places better places can be found elsewhere just as cheap what keeps people there is just sex plain and simple, before any off you go on about another pattaya knocker, think about ,it to those that think different take off the rose titned specs, as for one post about a six year old shows how stupid you are as she does not understand what all the thai girls ars doing in the bars ,when she grows she will see a different pattaya where girls sell there bodies to dirty old men

I assume from your post Brasso that the only parts of Pattaya,(like many tourists who come here) that you have ever visited are beach road and walking street ,

no have been many places in pattaya, like you yes a tourist once but did not like pattaya

Judging by the "dirty old men" comment, it would seem you haven't been here at all. Such a comment would be fairly accurate of a place like Angeles City, but there are a huge number of young punters in Pattaya.

What's wrong with old men and why are they 'dirty'. It must be because they have succeeded in life and have more money and time on their hands in which to spend it. Maybe younger falangs who have to come to Pattaya for the sex they can't get at home are jealous.

[Ulysses G.]

I don't go to Pattaya, that's the whorehouse of the world! I go to Patong! For the temples and Thai food! Pattaya is terrible but its not the "real" Thailand that I love.

Hypocrites.

The Thailand that you love,? so us who live here in Pattaya dont love Thailand? dont ya just love these guys?

You should read all of Jingthing's post - 2 above yours.

Sorry, Jingthing is certainly not a hypocrite. I meant the type of people that he is quoting!

[loong]

No UG, I know you don't think that about Jingthing.

Because you reduced the quote from Jingthing, I think that Thaimate may have misunderstood.

You did make it look a bit like it was actually JT's opinion, easy done - easy misunderstood.

Sort out the Baht buses and have proper metred taxis and JT would definitely be calling Pattaya paradise!

[thaimate]

yes the post was cut somewhat,as i see now,but as has been said before i just love these people who come tp Patters and never leave The Royal Cliff exept in a tour bus and one night in walking street "to see the real Thailand" and then go home and say what a pit Pattaya is ,or the ones who have never been abroad but "know all about places like Pattaya" yes--from the news of the world.

Tossers one and all.

[yogi100]

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!

I've got a friend who has just returned from Angeles City and he claims it was OK, his hotel was not fully booked but most rooms were taken and the bars were fairly busy. They were not heaving but neither were they deserted.

[britmaveric]

Problem is Walking Street isn't a pit. Quite nice and lively - reminds me of Las Vegas Strip.

[thaimate]

Problem is Walking Street isn't a pit. Quite nice and lively - reminds me of Las Vegas Strip.

a little shorter ,dont you think and not as wide

[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!

I've got a friend who has just returned from Angeles City and he claims it was OK, his hotel was not fully booked but most rooms were taken and the bars were fairly busy. They were not heaving but neither were they deserted.

That is fine, but Angeles is nothing to judge the rest of PI by.

[tropo]

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!

I've got a friend who has just returned from Angeles City and he claims it was OK, his hotel was not fully booked but most rooms were taken and the bars were fairly busy. They were not heaving but neither were they deserted.

Strange????

I'm in contact with a friend who just spent 3 weeks there in June and has just returned again for another 3 weeks. He goes there at least twice a year and has done so for the last 7 years. He said it's as dead as it ever has been. I also know quite a few permanent expats in AC and they say the same.

You need to have some experience over several years to make an honest comparison.

[zzaa09]

Problem is Walking Street isn't a pit. Quite nice and lively - reminds me of Las Vegas Strip.

'Nough said. Cause Vegas is a larger rathole.

[britmaveric]

^No rat hole, just neon lights/glitz. Rarely get to Walking Street - stay away from the fray.

[zzdocxx]

Problem is Walking Street isn't a pit. Quite nice and lively - reminds me of Las Vegas Strip.

a little shorter ,dont you think and not as wide

That's what she said.

[JR Texas]

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!

I've got a friend who has just returned from Angeles City and he claims it was OK, his hotel was not fully booked but most rooms were taken and the bars were fairly busy. They were not heaving but neither were they deserted.

Strange????

I'm in contact with a friend who just spent 3 weeks there in June and has just returned again for another 3 weeks. He goes there at least twice a year and has done so for the last 7 years. He said it's as dead as it ever has been. I also know quite a few permanent expats in AC and they say the same.

You need to have some experience over several years to make an honest comparison.

Just in case you don't know........it is the rainy/stormy season in the Philippines......tourism is always down now. A short term impression based on what is on the ground right now means very little.

What I would like to know is whether the Philippines, OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SIX MONTHS, has seen less percentage decline in tourism than Thailand.

I would also like to know about Vietnam and Malaysia too.

Malaysia is doing fine according to recent UN data. Why? And don't keep coming back with "only Muslims go there." That is nonsense and you know it.

Same for Taiwan according to the UN.

Bali is doing fine (according to numerous reports on the net).

My guess is that Macau is doing good business in terms of tourism (certainly was loaded with tourists the last time I was there.......mostly related to gambling).

There have been some posts on TV from people who actually live in Vietnam that there are plenty of tourists in Vietnam (no doubt down though from last year).

And we are getting mixed reports from the Philippines (but, as stated above, one would expect figures to be down at this time of the year due to storms/rain).

My guess is that, all things being equal, Thailand's tourism--when measured over the past year or even the past six months--is experiencing the worst percentage decline in the region.

Certainly Pattaya-Jomtien is really suffering.........in critical condition last time I looked. Way too many businesses trying to get money from a diminishing number of tourists.........almost empty concrete coffin buildings.

[thaimate]

All i can say as a resident of Pattaya is that year on year i personally have never seen it so quiet ,the only tourists i see in large numbers are the Japanese and Korean groups that all go around together,not a lot of westerners .

[NanLaew]

^^ Open a 'What's tourism like right now in every other country in SE Asia right now?" thread in the Southeast Asia sub-forum willya???!!!

It's pretty much rainy/stormy ALL OVER S.E. Asia right now btw. It's called the bloody monsoon! Jeez!!

WHAT ARE PATTAYA'S CURRENT ATTRACTIONS THROUGH THE EYES OF JR TEXAS?? No more yakking about what it was like 'back then' or what attracted you 'back then'. No endless citations of empty bars, businesses closing, senseless price hikes, low hotel room occupancy rates and what your mates are thinking about doing.

WHY ARE YOU HERE NOW?

Capiche?

Edited July 27, 2009 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

All i can say as a resident of Pattaya is that year on year i personally have never seen it so quiet ,the only tourists i see in large numbers are the Japanese and Korean groups that all go around together,not a lot of westerners .

Yes, yes, yes... and Thailand has never been a major summer time tourist destination for us white folks EVER. That's why we white folks like to call it the 'low season'. I guess because we never really cared about or noticed any other nationalities visiting en masse except maybe when 'the Russians' had their run at it (but that's another story).

In previous years, the savvy and clued-in would all admit that this was the best time to visit LOS, better deals, less crowds, more laid back... not too hot, just a tad wet. Now what are most of the 'resident tourists' whining about? Trying to find an ATM that doesn't surcharge is a popular item right now! Pretty telling I think; trying to save 150 baht? Never mind the other conclusion that a whole lot of 'residents' don't seem to have a domestic bank account.

Now, close your eyes and repeat after me.... GLOBAL RECESSION. That's why you are seeing all these 'local' tourists from Korea, India and the like. They have ALWAYS been here in the summer, it's just the lack of white faces makes 'em stick out like dogs balls. I bet you if you hit some of the traditional European summer destinations right now in the Med and Iberia, you will see higher than normal numbers of Germans, Brits, French... whatever because in case you missed it, THEY ARE CLOSER & THEREFORE CHEAPER than Thailand. Always have been and always will. It's just the new found liquidity and short-term wealth of the average European family grew 10-fold over the boom years and they (and we) got used to 2, maybe 3 overseas family vacations every year. Game over!

OMG! I just noticed that Korea and Japan are CLOSER to Thailand than Europe.

Penny dropped yet?

[Thailaw]

The question presented in this thread was "what is the attraction of Pattaya?". The downturn in tourism in Thailand generally (or relative to other countries that are viewed as tourist destinations) is not the issue. The issue is tourism in Pattaya relative to other places in Thailand. Tourism is down everywhere, but Thailand, thanks to poor economic policies of the last two governments (and concerns about political instability), has suffered more than other countries in the region (let's see what the recent Jakarta bombings do to the latter concern). The Baht is the biggest poroblem. The Philippine Peso is relatively much weaker than the Baht, which makes The Philippines a more attractive and more economical option. Indonesia, while gaining in currency strength, is still relatively cheap as compared to Thailand. But relative to other tourist destinations in Thailand, such as Phuket and Koh Samui, I expect that Pattaya is presently doing better. It is relatively cheaper than Phuket or Samui and can be reached by car or bus, rather than requiring a plane ticket, and Jomtien really isn't much worse than Patong (others may disagree with this, but I think I am correct). I think that this downturn in tourism is generally good for Pattaya, and will help to cleanse it of many of the excesses that have built up over the last five or so years -- too many worthless bars and over-priced restaurants (how many indistinguishable beer bars can one city have?), combined with expectations of prices (compensation) that has become unrealistic. It is good for the locals (farang) not to have to compete with so many tourists that look at Pattaya (and Thailand) as a place to "blow it all" for a week or two, which is what the local Thais now look for and have come to expect. A year+ like this can only be good, and will help to realign expectations with reality.

I note that this thread on its third attempt has amazingly reached 7 pages -- well done (except by a few)!

[Ulysses G.]

Malaysia is doing fine according to recent UN data. Why? And don't keep coming back with "only Muslims go there." That is nonsense and you know it.

Yes, it is nonsense, your nonsense. I have said several times that regular tourists visit Malaysia, but wealthy Muslims push the count up even further. You got that now?

[Ohio]

Malaysia is doing fine according to recent UN data. Why? And don't keep coming back with "only Muslims go there." That is nonsense and you know it.

Yes, it is nonsense, your nonsense. I have said several times that regular tourists visit Malaysia, but wealthy Muslims push the count up even further. You got that now?

Dunno about that , just left KL yesterday after a break in Malaysia, All central Hotels were booked out & could not give me 2 weeks straight except for a contact I had I couldn't have been there at the same Hotel. Aussies , Americans , English equalled the Indians , Chinese , Malays at the Resort I was at in Ampang (KL). I might add that it was more economical than ever I have been there the last 2 years , prices down , but the place was packed. Chinatown Market was absolutely jammed day & night with Tourists Friday & Saturday both weeks that we went . Very rainy most days , but , didn't seem to matter. Ramadan doesn't start til 20th August so don't think it was any Muslim holiday.

Speaking to staff at the place I stayed , they have had 90 - 100% occupancy for the last few Months & my acquaintance is on the Hotels Assoc. Board & he said that applied to most Tourist Hotels In Malaysia . Numbers are way up compared to the last 2 years.

I couldn't care less myself , I like the uniqueness of Patts , but , it is becoming much more expensive since November IMO.

She who must be obeyed is now comparing rates between Pattaya/Thailand & Malaysia for our usual 3 Month Xmas break , this could be my first time away from Patts for a couple of Decades at break time. Guess we will see what the difference is during the 'Peak' times.

?????

[JR Texas]

^^ Open a 'What's tourism like right now in every other country in SE Asia right now?" thread in the Southeast Asia sub-forum willya???!!!

It's pretty much rainy/stormy ALL OVER S.E. Asia right now btw. It's called the bloody monsoon! Jeez!!

WHAT ARE PATTAYA'S CURRENT ATTRACTIONS THROUGH THE EYES OF JR TEXAS?? No more yakking about what it was like 'back then' or what attracted you 'back then'. No endless citations of empty bars, businesses closing, senseless price hikes, low hotel room occupancy rates and what your mates are thinking about doing.

WHY ARE YOU HERE NOW?

Capiche?

The only reason we are drifting away from the subject is that some posters can accept that Thailand/Pattaya is in trouble in terms of tourism and that other countries in the region are doing better. So, it becomes necessary to keep checking their "facts."

With regard to my position on Pattaya-Jomtien, check out post #6 on this thread (the original)..........OK, I will post it again:

First, may I suggest we actually respect each others opinions........and accept that some people like the place and some do not like the place......views and opinions differ.......one is not necessarily right.

Pros:

Carnival-like energy (hard to get bored)

Situated on the beach

Decent choices of Western food

Good choice of movie theaters

Some decent malls w/ ac

Foodland (etc)

Ladies for rent

Cons:

Poor infrastructure

Too much traffic

Too many people

Too many concrete coffins

Too many bad farangs

Too many bad Thais (most unfriendly in all of Thailand)

Too much crime

Too filthy/dirty (the air, water, etc)

Too expensive (prices have risen off the scale of what is reasonable for the location and services)

[JR Texas]

^^ Open a 'What's tourism like right now in every other country in SE Asia right now?" thread in the Southeast Asia sub-forum willya???!!!

It's pretty much rainy/stormy ALL OVER S.E. Asia right now btw. It's called the bloody monsoon! Jeez!!

WHAT ARE PATTAYA'S CURRENT ATTRACTIONS THROUGH THE EYES OF JR TEXAS?? No more yakking about what it was like 'back then' or what attracted you 'back then'. No endless citations of empty bars, businesses closing, senseless price hikes, low hotel room occupancy rates and what your mates are thinking about doing.

WHY ARE YOU HERE NOW?

Capiche?

The only reason we are drifting away from the subject is that some posters can accept that Thailand/Pattaya is in trouble in terms of tourism and that other countries in the region are doing better. So, it becomes necessary to keep checking their "facts."

With regard to my position on Pattaya-Jomtien, check out post #6 on this thread (the original)..........OK, I will post it again:

First, may I suggest we actually respect each others opinions........and accept that some people like the place and some do not like the place......views and opinions differ.......one is not necessarily right.

Pros:

Carnival-like energy (hard to get bored)

Situated on the beach

Decent choices of Western food

Good choice of movie theaters

Some decent malls w/ ac

Foodland (etc)

Ladies for rent

Cons:

Poor infrastructure

Too much traffic

Too many people

Too many concrete coffins

Too many bad farangs

Too many bad Thais (most unfriendly in all of Thailand)

Too much crime

Too filthy/dirty (the air, water, etc)

Too expensive (prices have risen off the scale of what is reasonable for the location and services)

Correction..........some posters cannot accept...........

[tropo]

Just in case you don't know........it is the rainy/stormy season in the Philippines......tourism is always down now. A short term impression based on what is on the ground right now means very little.

What I would like to know is whether the Philippines, OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SIX MONTHS, has seen less percentage decline in tourism than Thailand.

And we are getting mixed reports from the Philippines (but, as stated above, one would expect figures to be down at this time of the year due to storms/rain).

My guess is that, all things being equal, Thailand's tourism--when measured over the past year or even the past six months--is experiencing the worst percentage decline in the region.

(Walking Street was packed again last night and discos where full until 4 am. That's a Sunday night. There was no impression of any decline in tourist numbers in that neck of the woods)

In case you didn't know, only Western Luzon and a few western regions of the more southerly islands have a distinct rainy season from May - November. You probably thought the whole country had a wet season because AC and Manila are in this zone. It is actually a very small zone of the country which suffers a distinct wet season. The Visayan Islands are fine to visit during the wet season in Manila, and this is the region which most "normal" tourists visit to enjoy beach resorts, scuba diving and island hopping.

Have a good look at this chart and learn:

You say: "A short term impression based on what is on the ground right now means very little", yet you constantly use the Philippines to back up your claims that tourist is going great in other places. That's weird science.

Either way, percentage declines for tourism in the Philippines doesn't mean jack anyway because a fall from already very low numbers is basically meaningless.

[JR Texas]

Malaysia is doing fine according to recent UN data. Why? And don't keep coming back with "only Muslims go there." That is nonsense and you know it.

Yes, it is nonsense, your nonsense. I have said several times that regular tourists visit Malaysia, but wealthy Muslims push the count up even further. You got that now?

Dunno about that , just left KL yesterday after a break in Malaysia, All central Hotels were booked out & could not give me 2 weeks straight except for a contact I had I couldn't have been there at the same Hotel. Aussies , Americans , English equalled the Indians , Chinese , Malays at the Resort I was at in Ampang (KL). I might add that it was more economical than ever I have been there the last 2 years , prices down , but the place was packed. Chinatown Market was absolutely jammed day & night with Tourists Friday & Saturday both weeks that we went . Very rainy most days , but , didn't seem to matter. Ramadan doesn't start til 20th August so don't think it was any Muslim holiday.

Speaking to staff at the place I stayed , they have had 90 - 100% occupancy for the last few Months & my acquaintance is on the Hotels Assoc. Board & he said that applied to most Tourist Hotels In Malaysia . Numbers are way up compared to the last 2 years.

I couldn't care less myself , I like the uniqueness of Patts , but , it is becoming much more expensive since November IMO.

She who must be obeyed is now comparing rates between Pattaya/Thailand & Malaysia for our usual 3 Month Xmas break , this could be my first time away from Patts for a couple of Decades at break time. Guess we will see what the difference is during the 'Peak' times.

?????

Thanks for a first-hand report on the ground confirming the UN data. Malaysia is smiling and clapping and cheering each time Thailand messes up (so is Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam).

A major problem is the arrogance level of Thais (and even some expats living in Thailand) who can't imagine that any of the surrounding countries would have anything to offer tourists. So, they refuse to accept "reality."

To the government's credit, it did try (in vain) to get hotels to seriously reduce prices and offer real and genuine discounts (and not just for Thais). That only happened on a very small scale.

Thailand used to be cheap and fun..........it is a developing country (at this stage far from reaching developed country status). It had one of the best tourism industries on the planet......then the social engineering program started around 2003.

I continue to think that was a major mistake. They need to totally revamp the immigration/visa system and offer genuine hotel an airfare discounts across the board to bring short-term and long-term tourists (i.e., expats) back.

There are about one million other things they need to do as well...................

Thailand-Titanic.........I have never seen any country do so much harm to itself in such a short period of time.

[IanForbes]

I tend to believe most of your comments, JR Texas, but there is an old saying... "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

I do believe that applies to Thai people in general and business in particular. It must be frustrating to know what could and should be done... but isn't. I can see similarities in the way our government in Canada operates in many bureaucracies. It frustrates the bejazzus out of me, but there is nothing I can do about it.

[JR Texas]

I tend to believe most of your comments, JR Texas, but there is an old saying... "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

I do believe that applies to Thai people in general and business in particular. It must be frustrating to know what could and should be done... but isn't. I can see similarities in the way our government in Canada operates in many bureaucracies. It frustrates the bejazzus out of me, but there is nothing I can do about it.

I agree with you.........Canada is still a great place (face it......its true).

If posters think I complain too much about Thailand's current state of affairs, you should have heard me talking about the "Bad Bush Years."

But, there was nothing I could do about it except vote for the other guy. But then the Supreme Court didn't allow my vote to count.

Frustrating...........yes, very frustrating.

[venturalaw]

I tend to believe most of your comments, JR Texas, but there is an old saying... "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

I do believe that applies to Thai people in general and business in particular. It must be frustrating to know what could and should be done... but isn't. I can see similarities in the way our government in Canada operates in many bureaucracies. It frustrates the bejazzus out of me, but there is nothing I can do about it.

Time will take care of the current woes - but the problem is that Thailand keeps the negatives in the news - ongoing problems - murders of foreigners, red vs. yellow fighting, continuous changes in visa requirements, etc. IMO, if they would just let the dust settle, more and more tourists would start to come again.