Pattaya Bus Stations Overcrowded As Tourists Flee The Festivities

[Rimmer]

The Pattaya bus stations have been swarmed by tourists over the weekend with many thousands of travellers returning home after the recent festive season.

Pattaya, the 3rd of January 2010 [PDN]: Throughout Saturday the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd the bus networks of Pattaya have been overcrowded with travellers exiting the Pattaya City area. Over 17,000 foreign tourists reportedly passed through the Pattaya bus terminals over the weekend, returning home to start work over the coming weeks. Many thousands of Thai visitors returned home to Bangkok and some southern provinces, with the Ekkamai to Morchit bus route especially busy.

Tickets for the main routes to Bangkok and the North Eastern provinces were sold out on Sunday with both air-conditioned 1 and 2 buses fully booked. The various terminals required the assistance of hired buses to relieve the strain on the existing system. Buses to Bangkok were arranged to depart with such frequency that for most of the two days they left every 20 minutes.

The Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport line was also overcrowded with foreign and Thai tourists returning home or continuing with the holiday plans elsewhere. The total number of passengers through the Pattaya terminals over the weekend was in excess of 17,000, the highest number seen throughout the whole of 2009 year.

The private shuttle buses from Pattaya to Bangkok were also reportedly sold out from most venues, with some foreign and Thai travellers opting, without much success, to avoid the crowded bus stations. A large contingent of Pattaya Police officers were on hand over the two days to make sure security was tight and that the traffic was disrupted as little as possible.

The amount of tourists walking in and around the central areas of Pattaya over the New Year break had increased dramatically from that of the last 18 months. Once again though it was an increase majorly in the Asian and Middle Eastern tourism sectors that was evident, suggesting that the economic downturn is still severely affecting the “farang" tourist’s holiday plans. With so many people reportedly exiting the city over the weekend it seems that the increase in tourists was only short lived and that the relative lull in the high season will continue into 2010.

pattayadailynews.com

[gotlost]

With so many people reportedly exiting the city over the weekend it seems that the increase in tourists was only short lived and that the relative lull in the high season will continue into 2010.

And someone thought that Thailand would actually have a high season.

[Graham101]

Was there a high season? Where did it go? It was just like a tsunami. Here one minute and gone the next. Just like a tsunami it left a trail of destruction behind it too.

Down Jomtien Beach there's a mountain of trash and garbage left behind.

Why should us from the west reduce our energy consumption so polluting, energy gluttons in developing nations don't end up underwater when people can't even take their somtom packaging home with them?