The only indicator of this Ive noticed is long lines of parked baht buses at 2nd road/Pattaya Tai & Pattaya Klang. Ive never seen so many lined up and parked for so long each day.

Have you noticed the lack of tour buses parked at night and the fewer number of baht buses or tooting their horns for fares or motorbike taxis sitting around aimlessly waiting for a fare?

Can anyone interpret the above reply ??

Yes I have noticed many price increases for sure. Like a buffet I used to like went went up 25 percent since last month so I looked at it but they had stopped offering the main dish I used to go there for. Good move ... they got nada from me. Raise the price and offer less, good business IF you can get it.

Yes, I have noticed that prices are not going down. Very curious. The worldwide tendency to exercise the competitive edge seems to not exist here. Am I missing something? One would think you would be looking to fill up your restaurant, your rooms in your hotel, or your establishment with patrons. Half price drinks, discounts, etc? Raising prices when biz is low is insanity, and a complete lack of common sense and reason. Wait a minute, did I just describe planet Thailandia?

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

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The problem is prices have risen over the past few years. Its impossible to offer a 50 baht bottle of beer at half price when the purchase cost per unit us 30 baht

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Interesting...but many bars can somehow afford to charge me 90 baht or more for a GLASS of soda-manow when I can buy a two-glass bottle (sans manow) for 14 baht at the 7-11 on the corner. I always wonder how they can afford to do that and still stay in business?

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Yes I have noticed many price increases for sure. Like a buffet I used to like went went up 25 percent since last month so I looked at it but they had stopped offering the main dish I used to go there for. Good move ... they got nada from me. Raise the price and offer less, good business IF you can get it.

A few people have got it right and are offering discounts. Draft Beer at Robin Hood Bar in Jomtien now 35 Baht!

The only indicator of this Ive noticed is long lines of parked baht buses at 2nd road/Pattaya Tai & Pattaya Klang. Ive never seen so many lined up and parked for so long each day.

Have you noticed the lack of tour buses parked at night and the fewer number of baht buses or tooting their horns for fares or motorbike taxis sitting around aimlessly waiting for a fare?

Can anyone interpret the above reply ??

Sure, you said only, so I pointed out some of the other indicators.

Phuket is also the quietest it's been in years, too.

Driving through Patong yesterday was lovely. It was tantamount to driving through a regional town like say...Ranong. The traffic is significantly reduced and it also flows now because many of the tuk tuk are off the road. I often go to a little out of the way bar that has a half dozen or so girls working there. None of them have had a fare for over a week now. Given that all of the loan payments are due at the end of this month, I think many of the girls are going to have a crisis.

Apparently I am extremely handsome at the moment.

Phuket is also the quietest it's been in years, too.

Driving through Patong yesterday was lovely. It was tantamount to driving through a regional town like say...Ranong. The traffic is significantly reduced and it also flows now because many of the tuk tuk are off the road. I often go to a little out of the way bar that has a half dozen or so girls working there. None of them have had a fare for over a week now. Given that all of the loan payments are due at the end of this month, I think many of the girls are going to have a crisis.

Apparently I am extremely handsome at the moment.

Wow imagine that, they may have to get up off their butts and get a real job...lucky for them Thailand has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world!

Yes, I've suddenly become visible on the streets now. More "hansum" and more "welcum". I've even been called to come in and eat something. A sure sign of low season. But the calls have become just a little more insistent, it seems to me. Market and street food stalls are empty. I've seen bars dark or shuttered early, some not having opened at all.

The clincher for me though was two recent forays onto Beach Rd. in the afternoon. But for the baht buses, it was empty of traffic. The baht bus I was on didn't pick up a single person along Beach to Klang (on one trip) and Mike's Mall (on another). At Mike's I was pestered constantly to buy something as I walked the entire length to get to 2nd Road. Saw a couple of Russian couples. That's it.

Well, for me, it makes motorcycling along Klang and 3rd much easier.

... soon to be followed by the 'Have you ever seen the rainy season wetter?..' the 'When will high season begin?...' the 'Is it colder or is it just me?...' and eventually, 'When does songkran start in Patts...?' threads.

The only indicator of this Ive noticed is long lines of parked baht buses at 2nd road/Pattaya Tai & Pattaya Klang. Ive never seen so many lined up and parked for so long each day.

Have you noticed the lack of tour buses parked at night and the fewer number of baht buses or tooting their horns for fares or motorbike taxis sitting around aimlessly waiting for a fare?

Can anyone interpret the above reply ??

Sure, you said only, so I pointed out some of the other indicators.

I dont know about the supply and demand situation on tour buses, all I see are s**t loads of them.

But it looks like all the others: baht buses, meter taxis , moto taxis have all increased/overshot their supply in the last several years,way over demand. So its not just fewer tourists tourists

LOL...so true.....funny how the same old topics get recycled year after year...every year is the lowest low season ever....

maybe it's time for the dude who did the Songkran FAQ thread to put together the "OMG this is the lowest low season ever FAQ thread"

... soon to be followed by the 'Have you ever seen the rainy season wetter?..' the 'When will high season begin?...' the 'Is it colder or is it just me?...' and eventually, 'When does songkran start in Patts...?' threads.

The only indicator of this Ive noticed is long lines of parked baht buses at 2nd road/Pattaya Tai & Pattaya Klang. Ive never seen so many lined up and parked for so long each day.

I noticed that too. It was quite a sight.

Be careful of crime....a lot of the Thais live from day to day, they don't save much...so quite a few will be getting desperate

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What's striking to me is that I have been for years and this is really the emptiest I've seen it. I'm afraid I'll get spoiled! Fishing village redux?

I agree with you Jingthing. we already have the previous thread asking where all the Russian tourists had disappeared to. Then we keep getting all these daily indoctrination reports in the newspapers saying how things are picking up whereas in fact to me as every day passes by, it seems to be getting even worse. And if people like TAT are correct that tourists are coming back to Thailand they are certainly not evident in pattaya.

Hard to miss when bars empty, shops empty, hotels empty.

Will be interesting to see how many business will close down shortly.

Interesting not the excitement but rather curious.

Few hours ago I was the only customer in bar in soi buakhao

What you need to consider is how many of the local businesses rely solely on tourists

compared to how many rely on Thai's and expats?

I think the majority rely on Thai's and expats.

I've also noticed more Thais visiting Pattaya from other areas than in previous years,

especially during the weekends.

And there's still quite a few of our Russian & Indian speaking friends roaming around.

I have to disagree with you. Majority of businesses rely on tourists. Locals and expats hardly pay the rents let alone bills and wages.

Yes more Thai come to visit over the weekend but they seem to drive in, drive around and drive out.

Russians that I see are all on pre paid tours.

Someone mentioned discounts. Works in theory, but at the moment not much point to offer discounts if no people around at all.

Also keep in mind, locals have much less spending power because they do not make any money .

Noticed a number of developments frozen as well

ACTUALY THAIS BOOK IN HOTELS AND GO TO THAI RESTARAUNTS

Hard to miss when bars empty, shops empty, hotels empty.

Will be interesting to see how many business will close down shortly.

Interesting not the excitement but rather curious.

Few hours ago I was the only customer in bar in soi buakhao

What you need to consider is how many of the local businesses rely solely on tourists

compared to how many rely on Thai's and expats?

I think the majority rely on Thai's and expats.

I've also noticed more Thais visiting Pattaya from other areas than in previous years,

especially during the weekends.

And there's still quite a few of our Russian & Indian speaking friends roaming around.

I have to disagree with you. Majority of businesses rely on tourists. Locals and expats hardly pay the rents let alone bills and wages.

Yes more Thai come to visit over the weekend but they seem to drive in, drive around and drive out.

Russians that I see are all on pre paid tours.

Someone mentioned discounts. Works in theory, but at the moment not much point to offer discounts if no people around at all.

Also keep in mind, locals have much less spending power because they do not make any money .

Noticed a number of developments frozen as well

ACTUALY THAIS BOOK IN HOTELS AND GO TO THAI RESTARAUNTS

Actually you do not need to shout and actually do you have any evidence to back up your claim or just like to blow gas into the hot air?

I am finding Thais spending money (rather than working) more visible here perhaps largely because of the relatively small number of foreigners compared to normal, even low season normal. If some are here on holiday, that's understandable, it's much more PLEASANT here without the large crowds and heavy traffic! It's called internal tourism. That's good but hardly enough to keep most of the local businesses afloat.

I had some visitors from my country for a few days and we went shopping at Central. Not a lot of people around but the staff inside the shops was very helpful, all smiles and they gave us the wai on our way out. So pleasantly surprised about the service we got in most places we went to.

Lets hope it will contnue like this.

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This isn't about Pattaya but I wonder if there's a connection.

Last evening in beautiful downtown Ubon I drove past a street that is normally full of little karaoke bars (the ones with the (fairy) Christmas lights for decoration and nothing but provacatively dressed women sitting outside) and every single one of them were closed. 9 pm on a Friday night, very strange.

I don't know if the police/military shut them down or what but as far as I know they've been there for months, probably years and now all of a sudden they'd shuttered up on a week end night.

Be careful of crime....a lot of the Thais live from day to day, they don't save much...so quite a few will be getting desperate

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This is sound advice. Be very careful. In Patts and Patong and BKK.

During the last World Cup there was a noticeable spike in crimes against the person. Got to pay those gambling debts.

There is something of a perfect storm brewing for crime here in Phuket. Tuk tuk income gone, beach front business income gone, beach chair income gone, massive vacancies in the hotel sector AND the world cup.

Take care one and all.

I started visiting Thailand in 2004. The last time I remember Pattaya not being busy was around 2006. Back then, there really was a slow season and it was very noticable and fine with me. I have been over a dozen times and at all times of the year depending on when my job contracts end. I didn't mind the hot season because it was quieter. The last 3 or 4 years the Pattaya traffic has gotten out of hand. Soi Bukhao busy all the time, hard to walk across second road safely.

I am finding Thais spending money (rather than working) more visible here perhaps largely because of the relatively small number of foreigners compared to normal, even low season normal. If some are here on holiday, that's understandable, it's much more PLEASANT here without the large crowds and heavy traffic! It's called internal tourism. That's good but hardly enough to keep most of the local businesses afloat.

And there are alot more of those local businesses to keep afloat now compared to 3-5 years ago..There has been nonstop addition of strip malls,, and these box shops.

So when combined with unusually low tourists numbers this will have a negative synergistic effect : -1 (+) -1 = -3, on local businesses.

I got a massage on Soi 13 yesterday. They have 10 women working there. The one that gave me a massage said I was her first in 8 days, and that they were only getting one customer a day. Yes, it is extremely slow. I would imagine the buses going back to Issan are full.

I must say I really enjoy the lack of traffic and slower pace of Pattaya at the moment long may it remain quiet.

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same story every year indeed...... yes every year something different and new is hitting and affecting the Thai tourism scene, but they always come back...... I read the same stories in 2004 already, and was made believe by some members here, that in 3 years from now, Thailand and Pattaya and Phuket and Koh Nowhere would be void of tourists.... and in fact numbers are rising.

The only difference is that the number of package tourists from the likes of China, India and Russia is increasing steadily, and they don't help local businesses a lot, but rather scaring the individual "Farang" travellers away. But Thailand always had its problems and is always bouncing back...... that is as sure as the next Coup ;-)

It seems that the business is not so bad in Walking Street.

I work/live in Pattaya 10 years now... about 1-2 times a month I hit Bangkok for my R&R, shopping, and visit friends. I was there last weekend and was amazed how empty the night market stall areas were of people-could actually walk at a fast pace for once along these sidewalks that are usually jammed with curious tourists. Then the hotels...mostly empty. I have been here during other "challenges" -coup/ floods-- but this is the worse for sure.

Pattaya was certainly rather quiet last Thursday evening when I went but bizarrely the Avenue car park was completely full right up to the top floor. I had to drive out and park in Central instead.

I have never seen the Avenue car park full before and I have no idea why they were all there.

Pattaya was certainly rather quiet last Thursday evening when I went but bizarrely the Avenue car park was completely full right up to the top floor. I had to drive out and park in Central instead.

I have never seen the Avenue car park full before and I have no idea why they were all there.

Probably the movie theater, some new movies just released.