Business Leaders Tell Mayor Foreign Tourists Have Lost Confidence In Pattaya

[Rimmer]

Business leaders tell mayor Pattaya lacks main selling point

PATTAYA:--Foreign tourists have lost confidence in Thailand and Pattaya isn’t doing enough to bring them back, a panel of academic and business leaders told Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome during his recent “brainstorming” session on tourism development.

“Pattaya still lacks a main selling point,” said Rungrawee Weerawells, an economics professor at the Thai Chamber of Commerce University. “There may be one, but, at the moment, it’s invisible to tourists.”

Problems such as violent attacks on tourists by jet ski vendors, pollution and unsightly utility wires only exacerbate an image problem created by insufficient and conflicting promotional information, attendees at the May 1 Pattaya City Hall forum said.

Pattaya City must resolve the various problems that are destroying the image of the city, such as violence that has led tourists to lose their confidence about their safety in this city,” said Panga Vathanakul, MD of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group. “It has caused Pattaya to lose thousands of tourists per year.”

Full story:http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/business-leaders-tell-mayor-pattaya-lacks-main-selling-point-12771

-- Pattaya Mail 2012-05-18

[Soutpeel]

"Pattaya still lacks a main selling point,” said Rungrawee Weerawells, an economics professor at the Thai Chamber of Commerce University. “There may be one, but, at the moment, it’s invisible to tourists.”

Pattaya's main selling point is there for all to see and it certainly aint invisible to tourists...if one removed Pattaya's main selling point, there would even fewer tourists....what would be left....a shitty beach and jet ski scammers,...

[Semper]

About time.

[Markland]

Pattaya's main selling point is there for all to see and it certainly aint invisible to tourists...if one removed Pattaya's main selling point, there would even fewer tourists....what would be left....a shitty beach and jet ski scammers,...

Not sure what you mean.I will go ask my 20 yr old gf see if she knows

[Semper]

“Pattaya still lacks a main selling point,”

The whole world (maybe except N.Korea and some tribes in the Amazonas) already knows about the "selling point".

[waza]

Pattaya has a lot going for it but its let down by poor policing and aesthetics. Who would want to go to a place where you could be ripped off, beaten or stabbed by locals or expats. Where it stinks of sewerage, floods when it rains and public safety is a minor consideration. I spent my holidays in Nha Trang, that has Pattaya beat in price, cleanliness, aesthetics and service.

[Asiantravel]

something that I was wondering about just today after seeing recently that the mayor was bragging about his accomplishments is whether there are any statistics on the number of pedestrian tourists that have been injured ( or even worse ) as a result of a diabolical lack of pedestrian safety zones? They can't even get the lights on Beach Road

to work properly. I bet the mayor wouldn't like to discuss this issue?

Edited May 18, 2012 by Asiantravel

[Asiantravel]

Pattaya has a lot going for it but its let down by poor policing and aesthetics. Who would want to go to a place where you could be ripped off, beaten or stabbed by locals or expats. Where it stinks of sewerage, floods when it rains and public safety is a minor consideration. I spent my holidays in Nha Trang, that has Pattaya beat in price, cleanliness, aesthetics and service.

there are so many placesin neighbouring countries that are more aesthetically pleasing

Phnom Penh is starting to look amazingly smart following some recent work by the government

( old unsightly vacant land near the river has been landscaped ) and even Sihanoukville looks tidy

Laos has some beautiful French architecture

you have already named Vietnam as having the same qualities

even Malaysia seems to have better appreciation of architecture and planning

Burma despite its economic difficulties is aesthetically pleasing

Edited May 18, 2012 by Asiantravel

[petercool]

Pattaya has so few original locals and has become a city of transients with no real commitment to developing any civic pride. When a fast profit rather than a long term benefit rules, this is what you get.

[londoedan]

Who would want to go to a place where you could be ripped off, beaten or stabbed by locals or expats. Where it stinks of sewerage, floods when it rains and public safety is a minor consideration.

I spent my holidays in Nha Trang, that has Pattaya beat in price, cleanliness, aesthetics and service.

Yeah its just like that - terrible place to live-in or visit. Best stay away.

[LennyW]

Pattaya has a lot going for it but its let down by poor policing and aesthetics. Who would want to go to a place where you could be ripped off, beaten or stabbed by locals or expats. Where it stinks of sewerage, floods when it rains and public safety is a minor consideration. I spent my holidays in Nha Trang, that has Pattaya beat in price, cleanliness, aesthetics and service.

Guess you've never been to Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, London, Manchester, ......... Sad to say but Pattaya is far safer than my home locale of Aberdeen, from my experiences at least.

[nikster]

Just build a wall around it...

[doggie888888]

Clicked on the link to Pattaya Mail and I get this message:

Account suspended

Account for domain pattayamail.com has been suspended

[Darrel]

Looks like some clown forgot to put a shilling in the meter.

Talk about poor management.

[doggie888888]

Oh you are too harsh, I am sure they can manage a f*#k in a brothel very well. That's why Pattaya is the way it is.

[pattayadingo]

Clicked on the link to Pattaya Mail and I get this message:

Account suspended

Account for domain pattayamail.com has been suspended

Same here.

[chops]

What were these family tourists expecting? Disneyland?

[soihok]

Expecting Disneyland but got Pattayaland.

Yeeehaaaa

[Darrel]

Looks like some clown forgot to put a shilling in the meter.

Seems they had a whip-round during the day and scraped together a handful of dollars for another month's hosting fee.

Panic over until June.

[Spalpeen]

"Pattaya lacks a main selling point....". Still chuckling about that one. Thai academics strike again.

[lovetotravel]

Found it here:

http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news06.shtml

I've been to many places that are much more beautiful than Pattaya, but of course, they're NO FUN!!!

I don't understand all the couples visiting here though. Many Russian couples are renting here long term or buying up condos.

I took a walk down Soi Bukhow a few months ago. The sewer smell almost made me gag in several places. Disgusting.

[simple1]

Pattaya has a lot going for it but its let down by poor policing and aesthetics. Who would want to go to a place where you could be ripped off, beaten or stabbed by locals or expats. Where it stinks of sewerage, floods when it rains and public safety is a minor consideration. I spent my holidays in Nha Trang, that has Pattaya beat in price, cleanliness, aesthetics and service.

Agree, I was recently in Nha Trang and Hoi An and the beaches are really clean, less expensive etc. Thought about Pattaya (where I live) and not a positive comparison. The Thais really need to get their act together otherwise going to get hammered in the coming years for tourist revenue

[doggie888888]

The last para is a laugh: "It was decided at the end of the meeting that all points brought up will be accumulated and research will be conducted for further evaluation."

In other words, we shall file it in the too-hard-basket, and thank you all for participating in this silly little bit of play acting.

[pauljones]

The last para is a laugh: "It was decided at the end of the meeting that all points brought up will be accumulated and research will be conducted for further evaluation."

In other words, we shall file it in the too-hard-basket, and thank you all for participating in this silly little bit of play acting.

The Mayor is doing his best. Last year he had all jet skis registered & insured.

[marstons]

Pattaya has a lot going for it but its let down by poor policing and aesthetics. Who would want to go to a place where you could be ripped off, beaten or stabbed by locals or expats. Where it stinks of sewerage, floods when it rains and public safety is a minor consideration. I spent my holidays in Nha Trang, that has Pattaya beat in price, cleanliness, aesthetics and service.

there are so many placesin neighbouring countries that are more aesthetically pleasing

Phnom Penh is starting to look amazingly smart following some recent work by the government

( old unsightly vacant land near the river has been landscaped ) and even Sihanoukville looks tidy

Laos has some beautiful French architecture

you have already named Vietnam as having the same qualities

even Malaysia seems to have better appreciation of architecture and planning

Burma despite its economic difficulties is aesthetically pleasing

Colonisation has some benefits, Hongkong and Singapore aint to bad either.

[Darrel]

I don't understand all the couples visiting here though. Many Russian couples are renting here long term or buying up condos.

I also would love to know why the Russian couples/families come here. It makes no sense at all to me.

[lovetotravel]

I don't understand all the couples visiting here though. Many Russian couples are renting here long term or buying up condos.

I also would love to know why the Russian couples/families come here. It makes no sense at all to me.

One thing I heard is they can get visas here very easy. Unlike many other countries. And it's cheaper than going to to the Med????

[Baloo22]

I don't understand all the couples visiting here though. Many Russian couples are renting here long term or buying up condos.

I also would love to know why the Russian couples/families come here. It makes no sense at all to me.

They probably do not have that many warm-water beaches in Russia, so the Jomtien beach may look very nice to many. Also, I think that for many of the Russian tourists to Jomtien, it may be their first time traveling outside of Russia (or at least first time to an asian destination). So, they probably are more comfortable traveling with a packaged group tour for relatively reasonable rates with other people from their country.

[petercool]

I understand that the Russian tour groups get unique permission to fly into Utapao by chartered planes and that may be a saving and a convenience not open to others.

[ozzieovaseas]

Business Leaders Tell Mayor Foreign Tourists Have Lost Co...

Interesting heading...could think of many ways to end that sentance in regards to Pattaya

hahaha

Edited May 24, 2012 by ozzieovaseas