Bangkok's New Airport To Change The Face Of Seedy Pattaya

[george]

Bangkok's new airport to change the face of seedy Pattaya

PATTAYA: -- For many tourists, the Thai resort of Pattaya conjures up images of criminals on the run, girls enticing westerners into sleazy bars, and most disturbingly, child sex tourism.

But the town is undergoing a renaissance as the new Suvarnabhumi Airport prepares to open nearby, creating a rush among high-priced hotel chains for beachfront property aimed not at the single guy, but wholesome families.

"Developers are buying land to develop shopping malls, five-star hotels, and in a few years Pattaya will change its face," says Chaiwat Charoensuk, the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Pattaya.

"We need the families to visit Pattaya, so it is our job to do something to change the image," he adds.

Pattaya was once a quiet fishing town, but the arrival of US soldiers on leave during the Vietnam war soon put an end to that, with go-go bars and brothels sprouting up to cater for company-starved GIs.

Tourist authorities are now hoping the resort will undergo another transformation, from sleazy sex destination into family-friendly beach town.

The new airport is located 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Pattaya, and will open as planned on September 28 despite the military coup on September 19 which ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Chaiwat says he hopes the opening of the 113 billion baht (3.0 billion US dollars) hub will boost the number of Thai and foreign visitors to Pattaya from 5.8 million per year to 6.5 million.

Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of the Dusit Resort and president of the Pattaya chapter for the Thai Hotels Association, says this predicted boom has caused land prices to rocket.

"There are many new hotels opening like the international chain hotels," he says. "In just three to four years the price has gone up 100 percent in the prime areas."

One place looking for a new brand of holiday-maker is the Sheraton. The five-star beachfront property opened in August 2005, and is aimed at couples.

"We are hopefully bringing a new market to Pattaya," says Gavin Maloney, director of sales and marketing, who also predicts a boom in business travellers, many of whom visit factories nearby.

But there are worries that Pattaya's seedy side may not disappear, instead vanishing behind the closed doors of plush new hotels and apartment blocks.

Anthony Burnett, a spokesman for ECPAT, an international NGO that works to end the sexual exploitation of children, says that once a region has established a reputation for sex tourism, it can be difficult to alter.

"In central areas of the city, a profusion of bars host young women who engage in sexual acts for payment," he says.

Most of these women are over 18, but he says that young teenage girls walk the streets looking for customers, while underage boys are offered up as 'masseuses'.

Burnett acknowledges TAT's efforts to clean up the city, but says there remains much to be done, and warns that the recent boom could have consequences.

"The proliferation of foreign-owned or rented apartments can make child sexual abusers harder to detect, as instead of abusing children in bars or hotels, they are now able to do so in their own homes," he says.

All tourism officials and hotel owners say they are committed to getting rid of child sex tourism, but concede that the wider adult entertainment industry attracts a lot of people.

"Another kind of tourist wants entertainment and relaxation," says TAT's Chaiwat. "As long as it is not illegal they can come and enjoy life, that's fine for me, it is not dirty, it's normal."

Along the beachfront, where mostly British tourists clad in football shirts, shorts and the obligatory sunburn enjoy the baking weather, holiday-makers agree that Pattaya is a fun destination.

"I think it has got something for everyone. It's good for families, it's good for young lads like me," says Michael Johnson, 23, an entrepreneur from Britain.

But most tourists agree that Pattaya is not appropriate for children.

"In our hotel they let guys come back with boys or girls," says Karen Yeo, 47, from the UK.

Aoife Lowe, a 27-year-old recent graduate from Ireland, says that if she had children, she would not bring them to Pattaya.

"I just don't think they should be exposed to that sort of thing," she says.

But Chaiwat says there are plenty of attractions for children to enjoy, including a zoo, a submarine and a water park.

"Pattaya is like Disneyland, but you don't pay an entrance fee," he says. — AFP

— AFP 2006-09-26

Edited September 26, 2006 by Jai Dee

[lemel]

Why would more people come to Pattaya just because the airport is 30 minutes closer??? do they look at the travel brochure and say" ooh! look, lets go to Pattaya instead of .......... it's only 1hour 30 mins to the beach instead of 2 hours ummmm??

[chatters]

Why would more people come to Pattaya just because the airport is 30 minutes closer??? do they look at the travel brochure and say" ooh! look, lets go to Pattaya instead of .......... it's only 1hour 30 mins to the beach instead of 2 hours ummmm??

Well I pray all that has been said comes to frusion we really need a lift in dodge city and may we start with city hall and get the infrastructure under way, god its needed, and fast. We could start on the plastc bags, get rid of them.... I am sure big c would have a few ideas, or would they??

[Mason45]

I live amongst Thais in Bankok, many of my wifes friends and our neighbours are self employed in their own businesses. Ive been listening to the same story for at least twelve months now and that is the new airport will be the answer to every ones financial woes. Do tourist go to enjoy the country and culture or just go to look at the airport? Thais think this new airport will fix up more things than the magical jar of Tiger Balm.

[djinn]

Why would more people come to Pattaya just because the airport is 30 minutes closer??? do they look at the travel brochure and say" ooh! look, lets go to Pattaya instead of .......... it's only 1hour 30 mins to the beach instead of 2 hours ummmm??

I think exactly the same.

Wishfull thinkings have made prices rocketing.Everybody wants a piece of the expected "families-retired-wealthy cake"

But to attract these people the city has not only advantages

Polluted beach and sea;crime rate;crazy traffic ;no pedestrian facilities;water shortages;etc etc etc

I fear there will be a lot of desillusion in the coming years in the area

[lemel]

Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of the Dusit Resort and president of the Pattaya chapter for the Thai Hotels Association, says this predicted boom has caused land prices to rocket.

Isn't he in the hotel industry? what does he know about land price increase? if land on the beach is going up it's because of the hotel industry buying it all up not the other way round? Pattaya has a lot going for it and I and my family like it here, I just hope people are not reading too much into the so called airport boom!!

[BROWNY]

I am expecting the beach road to become an area for upmarket hotels - have been for years. But the beach is too polluted ! Will people just stay by the pool in their 5 star hotels, watching "traditional" thai entertainment laid on by the Hotel staff ? Sounds a bit Benidorm to me. But it will happen. The Russian market will jump on this one. Just watch.

Soi Bhukow and the nearby Sois will become the Entertainment zone - with all the bar-scene pushed away from the 5 star Beach road.

[Mr_Pedantic]

Why would more people come to Pattaya just because the airport is 30 minutes closer??? do they look at the travel brochure and say" ooh! look, lets go to Pattaya instead of .......... it's only 1hour 30 mins to the beach instead of 2 hours ummmm??

The worst part of a trip to Pattaya from Don Muang airport is the daunting task of getting a taxi to take you there without being ripped off. It was well worth the walk to the domestic terminal to get a Thai limousine taxi for a fraction of the price charged at the international terminals. I'm sure the infrastructure for a better service to Pattaya from Suvarnabhumi Airport will be in place for the people who don't want to be herded around like cattle by tour operators and make the airport trip a quick 60 minute transfer.

[johnh101]

Most of these women are over 18, but he says that young teenage girls walk the streets looking for customers, while underage boys are offered up as 'masseuses'.

I along with 99.9% of people abhor paedophilia, but I personally have never seen it being touted around the streets of Pattaya.

I would love somebody to take one of these NGO spokesmen to task about showing evidence when making statements like this. If they could actually provide evidence I am sure the police would arrest the perpretrators and the problem would cease to exist, and the reputation of Pattaya would eventually improve also.

But unfortunately these people never actually seem to be very good at providing evidence, just good stories.

Oh and by the way, IMHO,.........30 mins closer is not going to bring in Thousands of more tourists

Edited September 26, 2006 by johnh101

[marquess]

One real way to transform Pattaya, would be to have a decent high speed rail link not only to the airport, but to Bangok too. Then perhaps you might start to get people living there who commute to Bangkok for work, that would change the nature of the services and the housing! But at the moment it is just roads, roads roads!

[danone]

if pattaya changes, whats the reason to go there then?

[gharknes]

as bad and mixed up pattaya is right now I fear that over the coming months some really stupid legeslation is about to happen here in the name of family tourism.....................trying to fit a round ped into a square hole............watch how they ruin it further

These people seem to launch stupid ideas then go through costly cycles of failure, when will they learn, if they want family tourism surely pucket is the ideal place not dirty crime ridden congested polluted pattaya.

Edited September 26, 2006 by gharknes

[wilko]

I've just skimmed this article but it seems to me that TAT has only one vision for tourism anywhere in Thailand and that is a proliferation of high-rise developmnets and shopping malls.

Is there any mention of cleaning up the sea, the environment or anything that an educated tourist from western countries would look for?

It can only come down to the lowest common denominator....and a characterless seaside concrete lanscape catering for busloads of mindless sheep frogmarched from hotel to beach to restaurant and back to hotel.

This vision is wheeled out for every inch of coastline in Thailand.

[rexall]

I am expecting the beach road to become an area for upmarket hotels - have been for years. But the beach is too polluted ! Will people just stay by the pool in their 5 star hotels, watching "traditional" thai entertainment laid on by the Hotel staff ? Sounds a bit Benidorm to me. But it will happen. The Russian market will jump on this one. Just watch.

Soi Bhukow and the nearby Sois will become the Entertainment zone - with all the bar-scene pushed away from the 5 star Beach road.

Tue 26 Sep 06, 4:12 p.m.

I don't claim to be very smart about these things, but I am with you Browny. Maybe the developers and speculators don't give a shit about the future, only interested in cashing in on artificial land boom feeding frenzy. Sex tourism aside, Pattaya has always seemed a second-class resort destination mostly because of the pollution and infrastructure. Not terrible, just second-class to places such as Phuket and Ko Samui. Now, with frenzied development, infrastructure (water, roads, traffic belching leaded exhaust into the air, parking, fleets of tour busses, sewage disposal, etc., etc., etc.) becomes more critical than ever. I lived in Pattaya for five years and when I left in 1993, the charm was already beginning to wear off. On some afternoons, thirty minutes to get from Pattaya Klang to Pattaya Tai over via Third Road or Soi Bukhau. I can't imagine what it must be like now, or will be in another few years.

Aloha,

Rex

[Losangels]

I live amongst Thais in Bankok, many of my wifes friends and our neighbours are self employed in their own businesses. Ive been listening to the same story for at least twelve months now and that is the new airport will be the answer to every ones financial woes. Do tourist go to enjoy the country and culture or just go to look at the airport? Thais think this new airport will fix up more things than the magical jar of Tiger Balm.

Average Thai are led to believe that the new airport will create a lot of jobs and prosperity. The government claims it will be the hub or gateway to wherever, plus they're planning to build a city there, what kind of logic is that

Its sad to see people believing this nonsense

[cclub75]

Like always : boiling room.

They are like mountain goats, repeating and jumping : "new airport ! new airport !"

Pattaya is a bordello. No way a normal family would choose Pattaya for holiday, because Suva is opening.

This is surreal.

Just imagine the small talk in the bedroom, around 11 PM (the diner was good, but no sex tonight, monsieur is tired) : "Darling ? Hum... ? I really think we should go to Pattaya, with Sally and Kevin. And grand' ma could come too. They have just opened the new airport. It looks gorgeous. But why Pattaya ? Because it's sooooo close to the new airport. Well... Actually, wait, we should go on holiday to the new airport. Yeah, it could be even better".

[skippybangkok]

"Pattaya is like Disneyland, but you don't pay an entrance fee," he says. — AFP

— AFP 2006-09-26

Yeh, but the rides are more expensive

[jbsears]

Yeah, I agree with the logic that the airport is not going to bring in more people or business even if it is a hub. I fly to the US a lot and the main hub is Taipei but I have never actually left the airport. I will be the same way here if it does become a hub. A lot more people may come but most won't leave the airport. Also, I have never heard of anyone choosing a city/country to visit because of an airport. I will choose a certain city to fly through because of an airport if I have a long layover. But an airport has no influence on my final destination. Just my thoughts.

[snoophound]

So where will the new home of the 50 year old desparate and dateless sexpat be?

Chonburi?

Pattaya is getting a bit too expensive for most

[jingjoe]

Most of these women are over 18, but he says that young teenage girls walk the streets looking for customers, while underage boys are offered up as 'masseuses'.

I along with 99.9% of people abhor paedophilia, but I personally have never seen it being touted around the streets of Pattaya.

I would love somebody to take one of these NGO spokesmen to task about showing evidence when making statements like this. If they could actually provide evidence I am sure the police would arrest the perpretrators and the problem would cease to exist, and the reputation of Pattaya would eventually improve also.

But unfortunately these people never actually seem to be very good at providing evidence, just good stories.

I guess the difference is that the NGO's go "looking" for this type of activity, where-as you, fortunately do not.

[sossn]

mmmm could Pattaya become another Hua Hin I hope not

[skorchio]

Bangkok's new airport to change the face of seedy Pattaya

"Pattaya is like Disneyland, but you don't pay an entrance fee," he says. — AFP

— AFP 2006-09-26

If only Pattaya were like Disney - where you pay an enterance fee and all rides are free......

[jvc]

It was well worth the walk to the domestic terminal to get a Thai limousine taxi for a fraction of the price charged at the international terminals. I'm sure the infrastructure for a better service to Pattaya from Suvarnabhumi Airport will be in place for the people who don't want to be herded around like cattle by tour operators and make the airport trip a quick 60 minute transfer.

So whats the price of a limo at the domestic terminal. I pay B2000 at the international terminal.

[manjara]

Yeah, I agree with the logic that the airport is not going to bring in more people or business even if it is a hub. I fly to the US a lot and the main hub is Taipei but I have never actually left the airport. I will be the same way here if it does become a hub. A lot more people may come but most won't leave the airport. Also, I have never heard of anyone choosing a city/country to visit because of an airport. I will choose a certain city to fly through because of an airport if I have a long layover. But an airport has no influence on my final destination. Just my thoughts.

It might have made sense for the expat visa-runner with jobs in the rest of Asia to have a place for R&R near the beach instead of Bangkok. I even considered it myself (though I have a business and wife in Thailand).

Basically, I would quite like to live near the beach with my family, but it would have to be close-ish to a decent airport to make it practical to come back for weekends without spending 12 hours in transit!

If the rules on visa runs make it impossible for people to 'live' in Thailand, while working abroad, then I don't see much change happening in Pattaya, if, on the other hand, it is easy to come in to Thailand for weekends/breaks and 'periods of rest', then I think people will consider Pattaya an attractive location.

Flights from somewhere nicer to Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai, Taipei, Beijing, Tokyo and Australia would nullify the advantage.

Cebu is nice this time of year...

[awayfoe]

I live amongst Thais in Bankok, many of my wifes friends and our neighbours are self employed in their own businesses. Ive been listening to the same story for at least twelve months now and that is the new airport will be the answer to every ones financial woes. Do tourist go to enjoy the country and culture or just go to look at the airport? Thais think this new airport will fix up more things than the magical jar of Tiger Balm.

Average Thai are led to believe that the new airport will create a lot of jobs and prosperity. The government claims it will be the hub or gateway to wherever, plus they're planning to build a city there, what kind of logic is that

Its sad to see people believing this nonsense

agree with you ! they need dream ........bcz no more freedom ...............

[aznyron]

One real way to transform Pattaya, would be to have a decent high speed rail link not only to the airport, but to Bangok too. Then perhaps you might start to get people living there who commute to Bangkok for work, that would change the nature of the services and the housing! But at the moment it is just roads, roads roads!

I could not agree with you more I also would like to ad is why not change the visa service like give a 90 day tourist visa and give a long stay visa for 1 year without having to check in to the immigration office every 3 months and stop BS about how much money you have to deposit in thailand banks any one who applies for a 1 year visa has the money coming in or has it in his/her bank account when it comes to my money I like to spend it not put in some bank to prove I have the money to live here As a guest in Thailand I do not choose to tell them how to run there country but they could take some lessons from there neighbors like Malaysia I got off the plan no visa and was given 90 days tourist at the airport at no charge now that a lesson Thailand should adopt may I say any more thank you for letting me speak to your readers

[fourbaht]

Needs a coup to oust the current TRT Mayor and his cronies.. This one has not finished one infrastructure project he has started whilst in Power.

Does anyone honestly think that 30 minutes of of the travel time will change the type of tourist pattaya gets?

Clean the beaches, put some sand back, complete the infrastructure, stop coaches parking in congested areas.. then you might attract a different class of tourist, however all that will do is put the price of a bar fine up rather than removing it.

Too many wealthy People making too much money from Pattaya for it to stop in the near future.

Edited September 26, 2006 by fourbaht

[joker]

True Pattaya is changing but for the better?? More traffic congestion, more pollution, more crime and more unfriendly people trying to rip-off gullable tourists. It is quite disgusting what I see.

Pattaya might LOOK better to the 'sometime' visitor and facilities have improved generally but just because the new Airport is closerby, doesn't mean there will be an upsurge of foreign visitors.

Most people choose their tour or holiday destination in advance at home and that is based on many

factors. Certain types of people will choose Pattaya as their holiday destination but others will choose Hua Hin, or Samui, Phuket etc. Pattaya for families?? On a Benidorm/Blackpool level maybe

what with all the planned shopping malls(boring!) and overpriced hotels. BUT at the same time, there are MORE AND MORE GO-GO/ BEER bars opening every week!! = FOR FAMILIES??

Not to mention the overspil of Prostitution on the beach road (Male/Female/Katoeys)and the crime

often involved. Instead of 'cosmetic' beautifying the area(with caved in streets after some rain!),

Pattaya should decide what it wants to be.

[monkey woods]

"Pattaya is like Disneyland, but you don't pay an entrance fee," he says.

Hmmm...let's just ask the staff at Disneyland for their take on that one...

[castelleone]

Most of these women are over 18, but he says that young teenage girls walk the streets looking for customers, while underage boys are offered up as 'masseuses'.

I along with 99.9% of people abhor paedophilia, but I personally have never seen it being touted around the streets of Pattaya.

I would love somebody to take one of these NGO spokesmen to task about showing evidence when making statements like this. If they could actually provide evidence I am sure the police would arrest the perpretrators and the problem would cease to exist, and the reputation of Pattaya would eventually improve also.

But unfortunately these people never actually seem to be very good at providing evidence, just good stories.

I think we all agree that child abuse is evel and should be punished. But some of them NGO`s could not exist with their good jobs, salary, fringe benefits etc. if they would not keep the topic cooking. I am also living here for about 4 years but - admittedly never looking for it - never came across this business whereas in Pnom Penh I had those offers for children at the first evening.