Pattaya Beaches empty, following Jet Ski Crackdown

[Inn Between]

I suspect they're like cockroaches -- you can spray and get rid of them for a while but eventually they'll creep back unless there's routine upkeep of the extermination. I've never seen clampdowns last longer than a short time here, so I won;t hold my breath that we'll not hear of the scams again before long. I hope I'm wrong.

Besides, these guys are used to a certain lifestyle that won't be satisfied by working at 7-11, so do they really want more necklace snatchers on the streets of Pattaya?

[Mot Dang]

Water quality should improve.

As others have said, this should have happened years ago. This industry has been a boil on Pattaya's butt ever since I came to Pattaya in '81.

[Equalizer]

What a ridiculous article. For one i could see at least 5 jet skies in the photograph along with a speed boat. It was persisting down all night and it was threatening it all day. The beaches are empty because the place is empty.

[spermwhale]

Thailand and Thais need to get over the idea of having to squeeze some revenue out of every place where people go. It's because of this rampant capitalism that all types of shady characters are attracted to places where tourists are ripe for being taken advantage of.

Go to some of the nicest beach destinations around the world, and you aren't going to see jet skis and scummy beach vendors trying to hawk cheap crap to the visitors. They are nice beach destinations because there is no noise pollution, the beaches are clean and people aren't harassed every five minutes for a foot massage or three day old fried crab on a paper plate.

Unfortunately, Thailand will never get it. And while some say this is the charm of this place, others, like me, think that this is why the country will never be a world-class destination.

[Yann55]

if only Phuket could be so lucky...

Not to mention Koh Larn, where jet skis are an abomination : dangerous, noisy, absurd and run by a mafia that is just as bad as the Pattaya one (probably the same bosses anyway). Plus, it's on an island, where buying the local brown boys and involving them in the scam is 'fair' game in this country.

Some Koh Larn beaches are long gone, utterly destroyed by tourism operators, but one or two such as Samae Beach and Thian Beach are still attractive. Hell, if it wasn't for those wretched jetskis AND the long tail boats that ship Russian and Chinese cattle between a bigger boat and the beach, the place would be a little paradise. Which it was, once upon a time.

[hutchings1963]

So people only go to Pattaya beach to go on the jet ski,what useless reporting.

So they think people only go on because because of jet skies what a load of rubbish,perhaps a bomb going off in Bangkok is the reason

[williamgeorgeallen]

wrong way around. no tourists in pattay, no also no one renting out jetsiks. maybe they gave up as they have no one to rent them out to. man its quiet here. apart from lots of busses on the roads that is.

[alocacoc]

We all know that the legal process via Courts in Thailand can take months or even longer - what hope does a Tourist on a few weeks holiday have to get his case resolved if the Police simply pass it up to the Courts and do nothing immediate themselves?

Patrick

Yes, i thought actually the Pattaya Tourist Court would step in for such issues. But obviously this was just another useless invention.

Thailand's first tourist court will open tomorrow in the popular beach resort city of Pattaya as part of the government's move to reassure travellers of their safety while visiting the country.From 4.30pm to 8.30pm, foreign tourists can come and lodge complaints, especially over unfair services and personal security. Consideration of cases will be cut to one day for uncomplicated disputes from the usual six months, Wirat Chinwinigkul, secretary-general of the Judiciary, said yesterday.

Edited September 14, 2015 by alocacoc

[Braddockrd]

No tourism is great for tourists. No one cares about hardworking locals and expats.

[phycokiller]

heres the low down. its true there are no jetskis at the beach today. there are also no boats going to the islands and no paragliders. on days that are considered too windy there are no boats allowed at all on the beach and today is one of those days (how they can ban the whole beach but not a few scammers is a mystery but if you study the history of pattaya politics it is possible that they value them and their families lives). there is no change at all as far as the scammers go, they will be back very soon

[waldroj]

And the message from the scammers is:

[Ulic]

What on earth are they talking about, there are three jet skis in the picture.

[fullcave]

Mu god looks almost safe enough to go swimming...

[realenglish1]

This is ridiculous such a waist of resources. It simple force the jet ski operators to get insurance then post signs that are mandatory that saying that punters must inspect the jet ski prior to use and it's suggested they photograph it before they go for a run on it

Simple

[Nobb]

Great news to her that the jet ski scam artists are gone and that the beach is peaceful and quite! Now i will take my family there and enjoy the ocean and sand beaches. Great job on crack down!

[sandyf]

Beaches are empty because there are no tourists not because of the jet-ski "crackdown".

Quite. We went down to Pattaya one morning mid July and the beach was deserted. There were a few out paragliding but the deckchairs were virtually empty. We went into the LK Empress for breakfast and there were only about 7 or 8 tables in use.

Before anyone tries to rubbish that last comment, we actually stayed there one weekend last July and the hotel was very busy. Completely different this year.

[stoffel45]

I was on Pattaya Beach a couple of weeks before the "Jet-ski" (temporary) ban.

I was selfishly delighted to see there were very few farang tourists.

Notably the deck chair lines were much shorter than normal (all that trouble to put back the unused ones?).

On "Pratamnak Beach" there were no jet-skis for rent (5 days). On JomThien beach a few - but no one was interested.

The empty beaches are nothing whatsoever to do with a "Jet Ski Ban."

The 'emptier than normal beaches' are due to a shortage of tourists.

The "Slugs" - those loathsome coaches full of rude tourists who travel in packs - don't go "To the Beach". In Pattaya they just cross the beaches to "get to the island".

So thank God they are not a market.

The Russians were sunk by their rouble and they've gone.

The Euro folks - well their money is in nearly the same boat as the Russkies and is sinking fast.

So no - it is NOT the Ban on Jet Skis, nor the military Government, not even the Bangkok bombings - it's money and it's going to get worse next year.

THAI are in trouble - difficult to make a profit with half empty flights and loads of freebie folk. They could bring in a lot more people if they just got in line with the other airlines - but that extra 30% is a killer.

[Madaussie]

So people only go to Pattaya beach to go on the jet ski,what useless reporting.

Noo, you you are missing the point! The beach goers only go to get scammed. With no scamming about, they go somewhere else looking for a scam to get fleeced!

What do you mean??---------- There down the Embassy getting married?? That's a proper scam.... Tin Pot Jet Ski's have nothing on a wife.

[cumgranosalum]

Can somebody explain why this is due to causation rather than association - personally i can't see a connection. Are they saying the public is staying away because the jet-ski boys aren't there?

[mikemac]

"Following the recent Jet Ski Crackdown led by the Crime Suppression Police from Bangkok last week, Beaches in Pattaya are reportedly empty and the Jet Ski Operators are nowhere to be seen."

Makes it sound like people were flocking to the beach to be ripped of by jet ski renting scumbags !

..................."It is thought that the majority of Jet Ski Operators have decided to stay away from Pattaya Beaches for now until the crackdown finishes"...................

Yes, they know how Thai crackdowns work.

[AG1]

There just go somewhere else !

Today between 10am till 11am the Beachroad was absolut quiet, i start cycling from South Pattaya, and the first Human I discovered were a view ugly Coconut Ghosts near Starbuck's Coffee. I couldn't see even a single Jet Ski, or one of the Jet Ski Scammers, the Beach Road was never so quite as today ( a lucky Day for Cyclists?). It seams that all Scammers got suddenly Panic, but I wondering why the honest Jet Ski Operater don't show up, or does the honest Jet Ski Operator not exist?

[cekipa]

Jet ski crackdown has nothing to do with beach emptiness. BTW... somebody warned jet ski thugs in advance thus fleeing in time. They will come back at the end of crack down. Typical thai way to tackle issues.

[balo]

I did not see any jet ski vendors operating from Pattaya beach yesterday , but in Jomtien beach it's business as usual from both jetskis and boat operators . And we do not hear about scams in this area. Both Chinese, Koreans, Indians and Russians hire jetskis without much trouble it looks like.

Edited September 14, 2015 by balo

[hawksway]

I wonder when the picture was taken?

This is the lowest point of the year in most of Thailand. Many Foreigners will have left to get their kids back to School as education is a hot topic in their home countries. September is often the time when the weather discourages going to the beach and swimming.

While the crackdown on racketeering is commendable the vast number of Tourists do not use the Jet Skis.

[sambum]

"It is thought that the majority of Jet Ski Operators have decided to stay away from Pattaya Beaches for now until the crackdown finishes and other workers who make their living from beachgoers report low numbers over the weekend."

So how long until the "crackdown" finishes, and then I presume everything will revert back to the "same old, same old"?

Same as the "crackdown" on the "meter" taxi drivers in Bangkok I suppose - I was there last week, and had to flag down 4 taxis in Sikhumvit before one would take me to Don Muang Airport using the meter.

[cumgranosalum]

Low season, visa ru complications, bombings and murders.....but Pattaya is missing their jet-ski scammers? Doesn't sound like a fair assessment to me...is someone paving the way for their "comeback" as a necessary evil?????

[easybullet3]

why would a beach be empty because of no jet ski's?

people go to the beach to sunbathe and relax.

only a very small amount of people jet-ski.

they are totally unconnected.

terrible reporting skills of this journalist !!!

[Basil B]

I doubt if the jet ski crackdown has anything to do with the low numbers. I live in Bang Saray and drove into Pattaya yesterday (Sunday)and was expecting the usual traffic jams of w/e holiday makers from Bkk and elsewhere heading for Pattaya, Nam Ram or Bang Saray beaches. But no it was plain "sailing" all the way, a pleasure to drive for a change.

Tractors towing strings of Jet Skis and Speed Boats are a cause of many traffic hold ups in the Pattaya area.

[kg1947]

So people only go to Pattaya beach to go on the jet ski,what useless reporting.

Indeed NOT THE MAIN REASON , it's LOW season and those so called " quality" tourists

from India Subcontinent and Mainland China - are definitely NO BIG SPENDERS .....

CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF .

[cookee68]

Lets hope it picks up otherwise many hard working Thais and expats are going to lose their shirts , Government you need to fix the problems that affect tourism

This is one of those problems, and they are trying to fix it, looks a much better place now on the beach