Will Pattaya be a ghost town in ten years?

[tropo]

Bigger , larger ? Its definitely going to be heavier. Looks like the third Mac Donalds and counting is under renovation / construction at Soi 13/2 ( Soi Post Office)

You must have been out of town for a long while. I already know of 6 McDonald's in Pattaya (that's including 2 on Sukhumvit). There's probably more than that that I can't think of right now.

[morrobay]

Bigger , larger ? Its definitely going to be heavier. Looks like the third Mac Donalds and counting is under renovation / construction at Soi 13/2 ( Soi Post Office)

You must have been out of town for a long while. I already know of 6 McDonald's in Pattaya (that's including 2 on Sukhumvit). There's probably more than that that I can't think of right now.

Right - I meant to say the third McDonalds from Soi Post Office to Walking st. on Beach rd. It seems that most of this renovation is for the low end mass tourism market.

The high enders sure dont go to McDonalds.

The beach front that used to have atmosphere with bookstores, bars and outdoor cafes is now being transformed to malls and McDonalds.

There is also a very large mall complex under construction between Soi 5 and Soi 6 on Beach rd.

So the answer to the OP question depends on whether all this development is going to be supported from mass low end tourism and of course the ever increasing domestic tourism.

Edited August 21, 2015 by morrobay

[morrobay]

Dog eat dog. The pressures to spend more,drink more quickly to buy more drinks is getting quite noticeable,especially the more popular drinking holes I attend . gets tiresome when want to relax,the bar girls know exactly how much is left when that bottle is enclosed in cooler condom,and on to you like a pack of wolves same - same.

If numbers of farang keep disappearing at this rate of knots it will not be 10 years before its a ghost town ,more like 5. do not know how many of the once popular restaurants manage to stay open now,just one closure after another,empty up for sale is getting more and more popular signage wise

I'm only surprised that you would expect to be relaxing in a Pattaya bar beer.

It's their JOB to get you to buy drinks, and put the pressure on ( especially in low season ). If you want to relax, buy a beer from 7 11 and sit on the walkway, if you can find a seat nowadays, or drink in an hotel.

BTW every barbeer and gogo in Pattaya could close tomorrow and Pattaya would still live on. It's not 20 years ago when Pattaya was a one horse town ( sadly ). Even if every farang left, it would still survive off the Asian trade. Plenty of Indians and Chinese now.

Restaurants don't get customers when they don't care about their customers and I've been in plenty that treat customers like c**p. A certain well known restaurant on 2nd road that has always ignored customers, but survived by providing cheap eats now has expensive eats and I expect it to be closing ( or changing it's ways ) soon.

Also regarding these restaurants with patio tables, it does not help to have bunches of meter taxi and motor taxi guys lounging around on the premises smoking cigarettes all day.

Dont think Im the only one that would keep walking.

Edited August 21, 2015 by morrobay

[1BADDAT]

Dog eat dog. The pressures to spend more,drink more quickly to buy more drinks is getting quite noticeable,especially the more popular drinking holes I attend . gets tiresome when want to relax,the bar girls know exactly how much is left when that bottle is enclosed in cooler condom,and on to you like a pack of wolves same - same.

If numbers of farang keep disappearing at this rate of knots it will not be 10 years before its a ghost town ,more like 5. do not know how many of the once popular restaurants manage to stay open now,just one closure after another,empty up for sale is getting more and more popular signage wise

I'm only surprised that you would expect to be relaxing in a Pattaya bar beer.

It's their JOB to get you to buy drinks, and put the pressure on ( especially in low season ). If you want to relax, buy a beer from 7 11 and sit on the walkway, if you can find a seat nowadays, or drink in an hotel.

BTW every barbeer and gogo in Pattaya could close tomorrow and Pattaya would still live on. It's not 20 years ago when Pattaya was a one horse town ( sadly ). Even if every farang left, it would still survive off the Asian trade. Plenty of Indians and Chinese now.

Restaurants don't get customers when they don't care about their customers and I've been in plenty that treat customers like c**p. A certain well known restaurant on 2nd road that has always ignored customers, but survived by providing cheap eats now has expensive eats and I expect it to be closing ( or changing it's ways ) soon.

Also regarding these restaurants with patio tables, it does not help to have bunches of meter taxi and motor taxi guys lounging around on the premises smoking cigarettes all day.

Dont think Im the only one that would keep walking.

Or the guy that told me I couldn't park in front of gullivers because he needed to park his taxi there. Half the industry tries very hard to push the tourists away (mostly the taxi and your bus drivers)

[robanywhere]

Those dash cams are a survival tool 650 baht I paid

Yes.

I'll never drive in Thailand again without a dash camera.

Unfortunately they weren't widely available at the time of this incident.

It wasn't an accident.

It was a maniac on a motorbike, speeding, in the wrong lane.

I normally do not get a thrill out of anybody's pain, but I was SO, SO, happy that he at least broke his leg and totaled his uninsured motor-scooter.

a bit off topic, but....

i had a dash cam and never had to use it, but my thinking (aside from documenting an accident) was that it would be a good BIB bribe deterence. Kinda like, "smile for the camera" but not as obvious as a phone camera.

[thaibeachlovers]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

Went down to walking street the other night. Could have been 10 years ago, for all the difference there was. Only real difference was that the Russians have been replaced by Chinese tour groups. bad news for the bar keeps though. The Chinese never stop, shop or spend any money on drinks in the street side bars.

While the street was packed with people, take away the Chinese tour groups and the numbers would be quite low.

The most significant difference to me was the number of new buildings going up- wonder if they were started with the Russians in mind? One very high building near the bus station seems to be in the wrong place- not near the scene and no seaviews except at the top.

[tropo]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

Nearly all jobs in Pattaya are directly or indirectly related to the tourism. I'm grouping expats and tourists together here.

The only jobs which aren't would be fishermen or farmers, if there are any left.

[Ling Kae]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

That is absolute nonsense. If the "entire tourist industry could up and leave" then who will they rent out apartments and hotels too? Who will buy the beer and frequent the bars and A Go Go Clubs? Thais? Yeah right. What about the bus drivers? No tourists to drive around, beach vendors, no customers? Yep Thais will fill that gap NOT! And all them tourists buying condos? Take them away and it will become a ghost town. So no tourists = no hotel bookings, no maids needed, no security needed, no bus drivers needed, no cooks needed, no cleaners needed etc........half the town is out of work.

This is clearly not happening, Pattaya is doing ok even for this low season. Bad times will pass, good times will come back, stop talking cr@p. Oh by the way, took me 30 minutes just to go from Jomtien to Pattaya yesterday on the baht bus yesterday, traffic everywhere, very busy.................ghost town my ass.

[thaibeachlovers]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

That is absolute nonsense. If the "entire tourist industry could up and leave" then who will they rent out apartments and hotels too? Who will buy the beer and frequent the bars and A Go Go Clubs? Thais? Yeah right. What about the bus drivers? No tourists to drive around, beach vendors, no customers? Yep Thais will fill that gap NOT! And all them tourists buying condos? Take them away and it will become a ghost town. So no tourists = no hotel bookings, no maids needed, no security needed, no bus drivers needed, no cooks needed, no cleaners needed etc........half the town is out of work.

This is clearly not happening, Pattaya is doing ok even for this low season. Bad times will pass, good times will come back, stop talking cr@p. Oh by the way, took me 30 minutes just to go from Jomtien to Pattaya yesterday on the baht bus yesterday, traffic everywhere, very busy.................ghost town my ass.

Wow, perhaps you haven't realised that Pattaya is a huge place now, not just the beach strip where the tourists stay.

I live in a town where there are almost no tourists, and the few that visit the temple are just passing through, yet it survives,

Obviously, if the tourist industry left there would be a lot of empty places for a while, but it would soon become a dormitory town for Bkk if they put in a high speed train, and it would be an excellent place for expats to live, if rents came down.

First time I went to Pattaya it was a 4 hour trip, now it's just 1 1/2 hours.

[dennis123]

Well I’m noticing quite a strange phenomena regarding business practices in Pattaya based on two separate unpleasant experiences within the space of about one month. I hope it’s not a new trend but we all know how Thai’s are not bashful about increasing prices when there is a downturn in the business to compensate for lost revenue .

In two instances involving two different kinds of business where I have been a regular customer over a long period of time within the last month I have suddenly been excessively overcharged or ripped off to put it bluntly. When you frequent a business regularly you don’t automatically ask the price and you accept over a period time it if it’s a moderate increase . But not when the price almost doubles suddenly.

And it wasn’t just the size of the price increase which shocked me it was the reaction of the two different proprietors when I protested . In one case they laughed at me when I told them they have lost me as a customer and that I would not be going back there again.

So I’m adopting a brand-new policy from now on which is clearly establish the price before every transaction even where I’ve been going to any particular business for a long time.

I can’t understand this mentality at all and they didn’t seem worried about losing me as a customer in both instances so rightly or wrongly I have come to the conclusion that these people in particular may realise the writing is on the wall for them so they may as well salvage as much money as possible while they can. This is the only possible way I can explain such irrational behaviour for a business person.

Well, I've build quite a list of bars I never visit anymore, not necessarily due to increased prices but sure has to do with feeling ripped off, that's my reward to them for messing around with me, whether it happens inside or outside the bar, or if I want to play it mean I just go for one drink and dont buy anyone else a drink, great to see those faces when they see me leave so early and walkt into the opposite bar and stay their all night till I'm completely pissed, that'll teach them.

[1BADDAT]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

Went down to walking street the other night. Could have been 10 years ago, for all the difference there was. Only real difference was that the Russians have been replaced by Chinese tour groups. bad news for the bar keeps though. The Chinese never stop, shop or spend any money on drinks in the street side bars.

While the street was packed with people, take away the Chinese tour groups and the numbers would be quite low.

The most significant difference to me was the number of new buildings going up- wonder if they were started with the Russians in mind? One very high building near the bus station seems to be in the wrong place- not near the scene and no seaviews except at the top.

. Well this post takes the cake. Now Pattaya is not a tourist area anymore. Guess the thousands of hotels are filled with residents.

[Anthony5]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

Went down to walking street the other night. Could have been 10 years ago, for all the difference there was. Only real difference was that the Russians have been replaced by Chinese tour groups. bad news for the bar keeps though. The Chinese never stop, shop or spend any money on drinks in the street side bars.

While the street was packed with people, take away the Chinese tour groups and the numbers would be quite low.

The most significant difference to me was the number of new buildings going up- wonder if they were started with the Russians in mind? One very high building near the bus station seems to be in the wrong place- not near the scene and no seaviews except at the top.

. Well this post takes the cake. Now Pattaya is not a tourist area anymore. Guess the thousands of hotels are filled with residents.

Think he should change his username to Thaibashlovers, gets pretty boring if you ask me.

[SinCityGr8One]

Nah, typical Bull*shit about Pattaya's Doom and Gloom for the last 4 Decades. Pattaya is Pattaya and will retain it's image for Decades to come. Punters from all over the Globe will go to Pattaya and when the old ones die off, new ones will replace them, it's never ending. Sure, some will go to Pattaya and be "Cheap Charlies", if on Pension, however Young ones with money to burn will definitely go there and spend the cash and EVEN take cash advances on their Credit Cards if needed. It will never end as long as the Baht weakens as it should continue to do so. IMHO.

[thaibeachlovers]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

Went down to walking street the other night. Could have been 10 years ago, for all the difference there was. Only real difference was that the Russians have been replaced by Chinese tour groups. bad news for the bar keeps though. The Chinese never stop, shop or spend any money on drinks in the street side bars.

While the street was packed with people, take away the Chinese tour groups and the numbers would be quite low.

The most significant difference to me was the number of new buildings going up- wonder if they were started with the Russians in mind? One very high building near the bus station seems to be in the wrong place- not near the scene and no seaviews except at the top.

. Well this post takes the cake. Now Pattaya is not a tourist area anymore. Guess the thousands of hotels are filled with residents.

You need to get out a bit.

Pattaya is no longer just a tourist city. It has become a city with a tourist element. The tourist area is tiny compared to the overall area of Pattaya. It does go over Sukhumvit, where tourists don't go. Have you not seen all those ticky tacky houses all jammed in together- zero tourists in them.

Many of those hotels are occupied by expats, not tourists, and there are many Thais that cater to the expat community.

[thaibeachlovers]

Nah, typical Bull*shit about Pattaya's Doom and Gloom for the last 4 Decades. Pattaya is Pattaya and will retain it's image for Decades to come. Punters from all over the Globe will go to Pattaya and when the old ones die off, new ones will replace them, it's never ending. Sure, some will go to Pattaya and be "Cheap Charlies", if on Pension, however Young ones with money to burn will definitely go there and spend the cash and EVEN take cash advances on their Credit Cards if needed. It will never end as long as the Baht weakens as it should continue to do so. IMHO.

4 decades- REALLY! 555555555

It's only since Purachai's crackdown that the future of Pattaya began to be questioned. Up till then it was like the party was never going to end. Not helped by the 2007 crash, and the replacement of Russians with Chinese tour groups.

[1BADDAT]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

Went down to walking street the other night. Could have been 10 years ago, for all the difference there was. Only real difference was that the Russians have been replaced by Chinese tour groups. bad news for the bar keeps though. The Chinese never stop, shop or spend any money on drinks in the street side bars.

While the street was packed with people, take away the Chinese tour groups and the numbers would be quite low.

The most significant difference to me was the number of new buildings going up- wonder if they were started with the Russians in mind? One very high building near the bus station seems to be in the wrong place- not near the scene and no seaviews except at the top.

. Well this post takes the cake. Now Pattaya is not a tourist area anymore. Guess the thousands of hotels are filled with residents.

You need to get out a bit.

Pattaya is no longer just a tourist city. It has become a city with a tourist element. The tourist area is tiny compared to the overall area of Pattaya. It does go over Sukhumvit, where tourists don't go. Have you not seen all those ticky tacky houses all jammed in together- zero tourists in them.

Many of those hotels are occupied by expats, not tourists, and there are many Thais that cater to the expat community.

I'm not the one who needs to get out more. I drive to work on hwy 36 everyday and can see the housing developments being built. I go all around Naklua and Pattaya on a weekly basis among other places. I go to the skybar's on beach road where you can see the whole skyline. I don't just sit on the beach promenade and complain about lack of shade a free seating.

Yes Pattaya is huge now. It is huge because of tourism. There may be a lot of expats here now, but most of them, including me, started out as tourists. If you take tourism away, the town would die.

[thaibeachlovers]

Anyone that thinks Pattaya is all about the small tourist area obviously hasn't been there recently. The entire tourist industry could up and leave and the majority of Thais would carry on with their lives and jobs, most of which have nothing to do with tourists. Pattaya is BIG, now, as I discovered when I arrived after a long time away.

Went down to walking street the other night. Could have been 10 years ago, for all the difference there was. Only real difference was that the Russians have been replaced by Chinese tour groups. bad news for the bar keeps though. The Chinese never stop, shop or spend any money on drinks in the street side bars.

While the street was packed with people, take away the Chinese tour groups and the numbers would be quite low.

The most significant difference to me was the number of new buildings going up- wonder if they were started with the Russians in mind? One very high building near the bus station seems to be in the wrong place- not near the scene and no seaviews except at the top.

. Well this post takes the cake. Now Pattaya is not a tourist area anymore. Guess the thousands of hotels are filled with residents.

You need to get out a bit.

Pattaya is no longer just a tourist city. It has become a city with a tourist element. The tourist area is tiny compared to the overall area of Pattaya. It does go over Sukhumvit, where tourists don't go. Have you not seen all those ticky tacky houses all jammed in together- zero tourists in them.

Many of those hotels are occupied by expats, not tourists, and there are many Thais that cater to the expat community.

I'm not the one who needs to get out more. I drive to work on hwy 36 everyday and can see the housing developments being built. I go all around Naklua and Pattaya on a weekly basis among other places. I go to the skybar's on beach road where you can see the whole skyline. I don't just sit on the beach promenade and complain about lack of shade a free seating.

Yes Pattaya is huge now. It is huge because of tourism. There may be a lot of expats here now, but most of them, including me, started out as tourists. If you take tourism away, the town would die.

How can you say it would die? There might be no farang tourists, but the Thai side won't die anymore than in any non touristed Thai town/ city. Where I live I rarely see a farang, but the town thrives.

The tourist side only goes up to about 3rd road. after that it's mainly Thai businesses and residences. A few places away from that area like Mini Siam, Temple of Truth and Nong Nooch would survive if no tourists stayed IN Pattaya.

[lostoday]

I'm not the one who needs to get out more. I drive to work on hwy 36 everyday and can see the housing developments being built. I go all around Naklua and Pattaya on a weekly basis among other places. I go to the skybar's on beach road where you can see the whole skyline. I don't just sit on the beach promenade and complain about lack of shade a free seating.

Yes Pattaya is huge now. It is huge because of tourism. There may be a lot of expats here now, but most of them, including me, started out as tourists. If you take tourism away, the town would die.

I'll prove you wrong in one short paragraph. Do tourists drive cars? No. Does Pattaya have a traffic jam every day and especially holidays and weekends? Yes. Pattaya is jamming because of Thai people from Bangkok and the surrounding areas.

[1BADDAT]

I'm not the one who needs to get out more. I drive to work on hwy 36 everyday and can see the housing developments being built. I go all around Naklua and Pattaya on a weekly basis among other places. I go to the skybar's on beach road where you can see the whole skyline. I don't just sit on the beach promenade and complain about lack of shade a free seating.

Yes Pattaya is huge now. It is huge because of tourism. There may be a lot of expats here now, but most of them, including me, started out as tourists. If you take tourism away, the town would die.

I'll prove you wrong in one short paragraph. Do tourists drive cars? No. Does Pattaya have a traffic jam every day and especially holidays and weekends? Yes. Pattaya is jamming because of Thai people from Bangkok and the surrounding areas.

rental cars, baht busses, taxis, motor bikes, tour busses. All modes of transport by tourists. Try again.

[lostoday]

I'm not the one who needs to get out more. I drive to work on hwy 36 everyday and can see the housing developments being built. I go all around Naklua and Pattaya on a weekly basis among other places. I go to the skybar's on beach road where you can see the whole skyline. I don't just sit on the beach promenade and complain about lack of shade a free seating.

Yes Pattaya is huge now. It is huge because of tourism. There may be a lot of expats here now, but most of them, including me, started out as tourists. If you take tourism away, the town would die.

I'll prove you wrong in one short paragraph. Do tourists drive cars? No. Does Pattaya have a traffic jam every day and especially holidays and weekends? Yes. Pattaya is jamming because of Thai people from Bangkok and the surrounding areas.

rental cars, baht busses, taxis, motor bikes, tour busses. All modes of transport by tourists. Try again.

You have never been to Pattay I take it? Rental cars? Ha ha ha. 98% of the traffic jam is privately owned cars with Bangkok plates. Try again - with some knowledge of Pattaya traffic jams.

[1BADDAT]

I'm not the one who needs to get out more. I drive to work on hwy 36 everyday and can see the housing developments being built. I go all around Naklua and Pattaya on a weekly basis among other places. I go to the skybar's on beach road where you can see the whole skyline. I don't just sit on the beach promenade and complain about lack of shade a free seating.

Yes Pattaya is huge now. It is huge because of tourism. There may be a lot of expats here now, but most of them, including me, started out as tourists. If you take tourism away, the town would die.

I'll prove you wrong in one short paragraph. Do tourists drive cars? No. Does Pattaya have a traffic jam every day and especially holidays and weekends? Yes. Pattaya is jamming because of Thai people from Bangkok and the surrounding areas.

rental cars, baht busses, taxis, motor bikes, tour busses. All modes of transport by tourists. Try again.

You have never been to Pattay I take it? Rental cars? Ha ha ha. 98% of the traffic jam is privately owned cars with Bangkok plates. Try again - with some knowledge of Pattaya traffic jams.

98% of the traffic is from bangkok autos...sure...and since they live in bangkok that would make them...wait for it....TOURISTS... Seriously you pick some strange things to argue about...it can't even make sense to you...

[lostoday]

You have never been to Pattay I take it? Rental cars? Ha ha ha. 98% of the traffic jam is privately owned cars with Bangkok plates. Try again - with some knowledge of Pattaya traffic jams.

98% of the traffic is from bangkok autos...sure...and since they live in bangkok that would make them...wait for it....TOURISTS... Seriously you pick some strange things to argue about...it can't even make sense to you...

They get up and drive to Pattaya for lunch and then drive home for dinner. That does not make them tourists. It makes them Thai people eating lunch. A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels." Only on Thai Visa would one have to define the word tourist.

One has to use accepted definitions of words or communication is impossible. You can't make up your own definitions.

You have never been to Pattaya and are trying to act like an expert. Admit you are in error because you don't have the necessary knowledge to discuss the subject and move on to other areas that you can intelligently converse about.

Edited September 8, 2015 by lostoday

[Anthony5]

You have never been to Pattay I take it? Rental cars? Ha ha ha. 98% of the traffic jam is privately owned cars with Bangkok plates. Try again - with some knowledge of Pattaya traffic jams.

98% of the traffic is from bangkok autos...sure...and since they live in bangkok that would make them...wait for it....TOURISTS... Seriously you pick some strange things to argue about...it can't even make sense to you...

They get up and drive to Pattaya for lunch and then drive home for dinner. That does not make them tourists. It makes them Thai people eating lunch. A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels." Only on Thai Visa would one have to define the word tourist.

One has to use accepted definitions of words or communication is impossible. You can't make up your own definitions.

You have never been to Pattaya and are trying to act like an expert. Admit you are in error because you don't have the necessary knowledge to discuss the subject and move on to other areas that you can intelligently converse about.

A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels."

So one who travels to pattaya to have the pleasure to dine at buffet in the Hilton hotel , and later has some sightseeing at walking street, is a tourist

[lostoday]

They get up and drive to Pattaya for lunch and then drive home for dinner. That does not make them tourists. It makes them Thai people eating lunch. A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels." Only on Thai Visa would one have to define the word tourist.

98% of the traffic is from bangkok autos...sure...and since they live in bangkok that would make them...wait for it....TOURISTS... Seriously you pick some strange things to argue about...it can't even make sense to you...

One has to use accepted definitions of words or communication is impossible. You can't make up your own definitions.

You have never been to Pattaya and are trying to act like an expert. Admit you are in error because you don't have the necessary knowledge to discuss the subject and move on to other areas that you can intelligently converse about.

A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels."

So one who travels to pattaya to have the pleasure to dine at buffet in the Hilton hotel , and later has some sightseeing at walking street, is a tourist

You forgot staying in hotels.

[1BADDAT]

You have never been to Pattay I take it? Rental cars? Ha ha ha. 98% of the traffic jam is privately owned cars with Bangkok plates. Try again - with some knowledge of Pattaya traffic jams.

98% of the traffic is from bangkok autos...sure...and since they live in bangkok that would make them...wait for it....TOURISTS... Seriously you pick some strange things to argue about...it can't even make sense to you...

They get up and drive to Pattaya for lunch and then drive home for dinner. That does not make them tourists. It makes them Thai people eating lunch. A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels." Only on Thai Visa would one have to define the word tourist.

One has to use accepted definitions of words or communication is impossible. You can't make up your own definitions.

You have never been to Pattaya and are trying to act like an expert. Admit you are in error because you don't have the necessary knowledge to discuss the subject and move on to other areas that you can intelligently converse about.

again what an interesting thing to argue about...claiming I've never been to pattaya...bizarre...I've lived in pattaya for 18 months.

by the way look at the definition of tourist..specifically mentions daytrippers too...

[lostoday]

98% of the traffic is from bangkok autos...sure...and since they live in bangkok that would make them...wait for it....TOURISTS... Seriously you pick some strange things to argue about...it can't even make sense to you...

They get up and drive to Pattaya for lunch and then drive home for dinner. That does not make them tourists. It makes them Thai people eating lunch. A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels." Only on Thai Visa would one have to define the word tourist.

One has to use accepted definitions of words or communication is impossible. You can't make up your own definitions.

You have never been to Pattaya and are trying to act like an expert. Admit you are in error because you don't have the necessary knowledge to discuss the subject and move on to other areas that you can intelligently converse about.

again what an interesting thing to argue about...claiming I've never been to pattaya...bizarre...I've lived in pattaya for 18 months.

by the way look at the definition of tourist..specifically mentions daytrippers too...

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1441724007.544459.jpg

Give it a break. Pattaya is busy because of customers from Bangkok and has been since the troubles. As time progresses it will get more focused on Thai people and less on tourists.

No one in their right mind would go to the beach , you know who won't develop the airport, and will never fix the sewers so Pattaya will be left to the only people who don't mind open sewers and toxic beaches; Thais and Chinese and sexpats.

[tropo]

How can you say it would die? There might be no farang tourists, but the Thai side won't die anymore than in any non touristed Thai town/ city. Where I live I rarely see a farang, but the town thrives.

The tourist side only goes up to about 3rd road. after that it's mainly Thai businesses and residences. A few places away from that area like Mini Siam, Temple of Truth and Nong Nooch would survive if no tourists stayed IN Pattaya.

Did you ever watch the documentary "Life After People"? Well, if we tried a similar experiment here in Pattaya - not all people, but spontaneously lost every tourist and expat, Pattaya as you know it would become a ghost town. For some reason you fail to understand that this town has no primary industries other than tourism. Even the expats feed on the industries brought here through tourism. Every business you see services people who profit from tourists. Obviously the suburbs have become big, as you continually remind us, all fueled by the tourist dollar.

[tropo]

A tourist, "a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels."

So one who travels to pattaya to have the pleasure to dine at buffet in the Hilton hotel , and later has some sightseeing at walking street, is a tourist

It doesn't really matter what you want to call the Thai people who travel here to dine at the Hilton Hotel and sightsee at Walking Street. If there weren't international tourists here those places wouldn't exist.

A lot of people have been complaining that Pattaya is becoming too expensive. A couple of very slow years could help to make this place a bargain once again, and undo the overpricing "damage" which seemed to occur with the Russian invasion.

I'm sure the Arabs, Indians, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Malaysians etc won't be missing the Western tourists but rather be quite happy to see the back of them.

Edited September 8, 2015 by tropo

[thaibeachlovers]

I'm not the one who needs to get out more. I drive to work on hwy 36 everyday and can see the housing developments being built. I go all around Naklua and Pattaya on a weekly basis among other places. I go to the skybar's on beach road where you can see the whole skyline. I don't just sit on the beach promenade and complain about lack of shade a free seating.

Yes Pattaya is huge now. It is huge because of tourism. There may be a lot of expats here now, but most of them, including me, started out as tourists. If you take tourism away, the town would die.

I'll prove you wrong in one short paragraph. Do tourists drive cars? No. Does Pattaya have a traffic jam every day and especially holidays and weekends? Yes. Pattaya is jamming because of Thai people from Bangkok and the surrounding areas.

rental cars, baht busses, taxis, motor bikes, tour busses. All modes of transport by tourists. Try again.

If only them there would be no traffic jams. Try again.

[thaibeachlovers]

How can you say it would die? There might be no farang tourists, but the Thai side won't die anymore than in any non touristed Thai town/ city. Where I live I rarely see a farang, but the town thrives.

The tourist side only goes up to about 3rd road. after that it's mainly Thai businesses and residences. A few places away from that area like Mini Siam, Temple of Truth and Nong Nooch would survive if no tourists stayed IN Pattaya.

Did you ever watch the documentary "Life After People"? Well, if we tried a similar experiment here in Pattaya - not all people, but spontaneously lost every tourist and expat, Pattaya as you know it would become a ghost town. For some reason you fail to understand that this town has no primary industries other than tourism. Even the expats feed on the industries brought here through tourism. Every business you see services people who profit from tourists. Obviously the suburbs have become big, as you continually remind us, all fueled by the tourist dollar.

Are you seriously telling us that the thousands and thousands of houses in the Pattaya suburbs are there because of the meagre earnings of service workers in the tourist industry? A service worker earns a pittance and lives in a tiny room in a Thai apartment block, usually sharing with friends, and they DON'T drive cars.

Ever heard of dormitory suburbs?