Pattaya is dead

[balo]

I'm looking forward to it, Sorry about the vendors but not my problem , I support them by buying chicken and some fruit so I've done my "job".

[Jiu-Jitsu]

OK, I get it. Now it's all clear. Suddenly, those early puzzling and wacky posts about this being dead and that being dead now make perfect sense. Now I understand how the malls and shopping centers can be packed but dead. How lots of people can be walking around but nobody's there. How the beaches can be busy but deserted. How the restaurants can be full but crying for customers. How the tourist attractions can be active but empty. How condos can be selling but not selling. How...well, you get the picture. Apparently everything's dead, including Pattaya, unless a farang is in the house. And, not just any farang--only the Western farang counts. Everyone else is a ghost. Guess that explains why Papayasalad recently posted that Pattaya is becoming a ghost town.

It''s all relative. I took a look and it looks a bit sad to me. Once again, it's not that there is no one there, but there is no doubt that the numbers are down. If it weren't for the visiting Asians at the weekend, goodness knows how it would look. As to the fifty five condo buying Chinese...perhaps he's buying for a tour group.

[Renter]

it's about money 1st - 2nd - 3rd

ignore the shiny glitz - businesses are not making money irrespective of traffic volume & walking gawkers

[thaibeachlovers]

it's about money 1st - 2nd - 3rd

ignore the shiny glitz - businesses are not making money irrespective of traffic volume & walking gawkers

I do hope one of those businesses is Central. There are those that say they did their homework before building it, but the proper place would have been Jomptien, not in the middle of Fun Town. Pattaya was already served well with 3 malls, no need for another.

I say I hope Central fails, because if it does, no other big company will build in Pattaya. There are many, many beach towns in Thailand to develop, but only one Fun Town for big boys.

[newnative]

Yes, Central Company did its homework well and built Festival right where it should have. And, no, Pattaya was not really served well by the other 3 malls. Actually, none of the other 3 are what I would call a real mall with a department store anchor. Central Center and Big C Extra are mostly just big supermarkets with some shops and restaurants. The aging CC does have a movie theater but it plays I think only movies in Thai. This year, work is scheduled to start on Asiatique Prime, Pattaya's version of the popular attraction in BKK. Is it going in Jomtien? No, it's going right down the street from Festival. The new Bay restaurant/entertainment complex nearing completion. In Jomtien? No, it's a short walk down the street from Asiatique Prime. Jomtien/Na Jomtien does have enough population at this point to support a version of Central Festival and will probably get one at some point. Pattaya is now more than just a playground for Big Boys wearing their Big Boy pants.

[papayasalad]

Chinese are leaving, thais back to Bangkok .

this place is dead.

empty condo all along jomtions, camel toes didn't come this year.

matrix, hh, and the rest are just lamenting in their office about why nobody call them for their low-quality expensive condo.

prices have been inflated and now the party is over.

people who have been sacked in these condo projects don't know what to do with their shoe box now.

Edited January 4, 2016 by papayasalad

[JHolmesJr]

ignore the shiny glitz -

aka 'The Shizzle'.

[tropo]

it's about money 1st - 2nd - 3rd

ignore the shiny glitz - businesses are not making money irrespective of traffic volume & walking gawkers

I do hope one of those businesses is Central. There are those that say they did their homework before building it, but the proper place would have been Jomptien, not in the middle of Fun Town. Pattaya was already served well with 3 malls, no need for another.

I say I hope Central fails, because if it does, no other big company will build in Pattaya. There are many, many beach towns in Thailand to develop, but only one Fun Town for big boys.

It's the one place which won't fail as the sex industry falters and "normal" tourism increases... and it's THE major draw card for local (Thai) tourism. It also has the Hilton Hotel to drive business there.

Lucky too, because a real shopping mall was one thing which Pattaya lacked up until January 2009. We need more of these.

I understand that whore mongers don't need glitzy shopping malls, but for the rest of the population and tourists it's a huge plus.

I'm sure Jomtien will get a decent Mall one day.

[Tolley]

I think Central changed the whole dynamics of Pattaya.

The building of it coincided with a lot more Thais coming to Patts for holidays and long weekends.

The restaurants, food court and supermarket are usually busy and the cinemas do a fair trade as well.

In fact I would say that Central is a major tourist attraction in the newer modern Pattaya.

[tropo]

I think Central changed the whole dynamics of Pattaya.

The building of it coincided with a lot more Thais coming to Patts for holidays and long weekends.

The restaurants, food court and supermarket are usually busy and the cinemas do a fair trade as well.

In fact I would say that Central is a major tourist attraction in the newer modern Pattaya.

It also forced other malls to up their game. Royal Garden Plaza had no choice but to renovate.

[papayasalad]

how many of you have seen Chinese buying things?

they get out of their bus , take a few pictures and go back into their bus.

I have never seen Chineses with bags...

Edited January 4, 2016 by papayasalad

[onemorechang]

how many of you have seen Chinese buying things?

they get out of their bus , take a few pictures and go back into their bus.

I have never seen Chineses with bags...

Most do have wives. with them.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Pattaya will always be Sex Town.

Y sure about that? I am not so sure how it will all look in say 15-20 years from now on.

But okay you seems to be the expert here, one among thousands here on TV

People just love to talk the place up as a family destination.

but sorry mate its sex town, will always be sex town.

People who bring there families to pattaya from a foreign land

are just mad.

I'm so proud of people taking there kids to walking street.

Great stuff mums and dads

That's my opinion and i don't give a toss what you think.

long live soi 6, massage parlours and BJ bars.

The stuff the town was built on and is still known for world wide.

That,s what the world knows pattaya for.

but some people just have no clue,

You'd have a valid point except that almost every place in Thailand has their own soi 6.

For years I felt so uptight about visiting Pattaya until about 2 years ago. Speaking of.... Phuket is a lot more seedy and dangerous than Pattaya. That's one place I'm never going back to.

[JHolmesJr]

I think Central changed the whole dynamics of Pattaya.

The building of it coincided with a lot more Thais coming to Patts for holidays and long weekends.

The restaurants, food court and supermarket are usually busy and the cinemas do a fair trade as well.

In fact I would say that Central is a major tourist attraction in the newer modern Pattaya.

No expert here, as Im not about to stake out the place 24/7 to write a report, but I don't think Central does what you would call 'even' trade.

The patronage is uneven….i think the shoppers go there more for F&B, cinema…and possibly the supermarket below….dont see too much shopping going on in the fashion/sports boutiques.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I think Central changed the whole dynamics of Pattaya.

The building of it coincided with a lot more Thais coming to Patts for holidays and long weekends.

The restaurants, food court and supermarket are usually busy and the cinemas do a fair trade as well.

In fact I would say that Central is a major tourist attraction in the newer modern Pattaya.

No expert here, as Im not about to stake out the place 24/7 to write a report, but I don't think Central does what you would call 'even' trade.

The patronage is uneven….i think the shoppers go there more for F&B, cinema…and possibly the supermarket below….dont see too much shopping going on in the fashion/sports boutiques.

You just described every shopping mall in Thailand.

[brewsterbudgen]

how many of you have seen Chinese buying things?

they get out of their bus , take a few pictures and go back into their bus.

I have never seen Chineses with bags...

My sister and her husband are currently staying at Cape Dara which is full and 90% are Asian, mostly Chinese. They certainly have money to spend!

[striderman]

plenty here the other night at 20 15 hrs.......

[mcfish]

Pattaya will always be Sex Town.

Y sure about that? I am not so sure how it will all look in say 15-20 years from now on.

But okay you seems to be the expert here, one among thousands here on TV

People just love to talk the place up as a family destination.

but sorry mate its sex town, will always be sex town.

People who bring there families to pattaya from a foreign land

are just mad.

I'm so proud of people taking there kids to walking street.

Great stuff mums and dads

That's my opinion and i don't give a toss what you think.

long live soi 6, massage parlours and BJ bars.

The stuff the town was built on and is still known for world wide.

That,s what the world knows pattaya for.

but some people just have no clue,

You'd have a valid point except that almost every place in Thailand has their own soi 6.

For years I felt so uptight about visiting Pattaya until about 2 years ago. Speaking of.... Phuket is a lot more seedy and dangerous than Pattaya. That's one place I'm never going back to.

Phuket? In what way. I only been there a few times but prefer Pattaya

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

[Jip99]

Pattaya will always be Sex Town.

Y sure about that? I am not so sure how it will all look in say 15-20 years from now on.

But okay you seems to be the expert here, one among thousands here on TV

A forum is about opinions and you are quick to proffer yours.

onemorechang is perfectly entitled to his opinion, which is no less (or more) valid than yours, or mine.

In MY opinion he has got it spot on, Pattaya will always be a sex town. The demand is there and whilst the physical appearance of Pattaya may change the sex industry will continue.

[tropo]

I think Central changed the whole dynamics of Pattaya.

The building of it coincided with a lot more Thais coming to Patts for holidays and long weekends.

The restaurants, food court and supermarket are usually busy and the cinemas do a fair trade as well.

In fact I would say that Central is a major tourist attraction in the newer modern Pattaya.

No expert here, as Im not about to stake out the place 24/7 to write a report, but I don't think Central does what you would call 'even' trade.

The patronage is uneven….i think the shoppers go there more for F&B, cinema…and possibly the supermarket below….dont see too much shopping going on in the fashion/sports boutiques.

You just described every shopping mall in Thailand.

Yep, Central in Bangkok is no different. High end stores always appear deserted... yet, most of the top brand stores have been open for 7 years. (Central Pattaya opened in January 2009)... and it hasn't collapsed yet either.

[tropo]

Pattaya will always be Sex Town.

Y sure about that? I am not so sure how it will all look in say 15-20 years from now on.

But okay you seems to be the expert here, one among thousands here on TV

A forum is about opinions and you are quick to proffer yours.

onemorechang is perfectly entitled to his opinion, which is no less (or more) valid than yours, or mine.

In MY opinion he has got it spot on, Pattaya will always be a sex town. The demand is there and whilst the physical appearance of Pattaya may change the sex industry will continue.

My prediction is that in 15 - 20 years the sex industry will be operating in isolated areas, such as what we see in Bangkok. Walking Street and the whole of Beach Road will be dedicated to real tourists. Sooner or later some developers will realise the amazing gem that Walking Street could be and make it more Thai tourist oriented. Already the Thais flock to Bali Hai Pier in their thousands to attend many special events throughout the year - they love it. If they do it right, Thais will keep Pattaya afloat and the international tourists will provide the cream.

Edited January 4, 2016 by tropo

[Jip99]

Pattaya will always be Sex Town.

Y sure about that? I am not so sure how it will all look in say 15-20 years from now on.

But okay you seems to be the expert here, one among thousands here on TV

A forum is about opinions and you are quick to proffer yours.

onemorechang is perfectly entitled to his opinion, which is no less (or more) valid than yours, or mine.

In MY opinion he has got it spot on, Pattaya will always be a sex town. The demand is there and whilst the physical appearance of Pattaya may change the sex industry will continue.

My prediction is that in 15 - 20 years the sex industry will be operating in a very isolated manner, such as what we seen in Bangkok. Walking Street and the whole of Beach Road will be dedicated for real tourists. Sooner or later some developers will realise the amazing gem that Walking Street could be and make it more Thai tourist oriented. Already the Thais flock to Bali Hai Pier in their thousands to attend certain events throughout the year - they love it.

Oh for a properly constructed development plan 30 years ago!

I agree with your prediction except that I am not sure Walking Street could be transformed in that time-frame - maybe?

The evidence is there already on Beach Road if you take a walk from the Amari to Central Festival.

You have to that sois 6,7 and 8 days are numbered.

I still doubt that the sex industry will be "isolated". I can see it becoming more zoned, as it should have been in the first place - difficult perhaps when prostitution is illegal in Thailand!

[phycokiller]

how many of you have seen Chinese buying things?

they get out of their bus , take a few pictures and go back into their bus.

I have never seen Chineses with bags...

of course they buy stuff, the whole idea of the tours is that they buy stuff. those buses dont just stop at hotels. but funny how some farang find it important to believe they spend more the other nationalities as if Thailand really cares

[phycokiller]

My prediction is that in 15 - 20 years the sex industry will be operating in a very isolated manner, such as what we seen in Bangkok. Walking Street and the whole of Beach Road will be dedicated for real tourists. Sooner or later some developers will realise the amazing gem that Walking Street could be and make it more Thai tourist oriented. Already the Thais flock to Bali Hai Pier in their thousands to attend certain events throughout the year - they love it.

Oh for a properly constructed development plan 30 years ago!

I agree with your prediction except that I am not sure Walking Street could be transformed in that time-frame - maybe?

The evidence is there already on Beach Road if you take a walk from the Amari to Central Festival.

You have to that sois 6,7 and 8 days are numbered.

I still doubt that the sex industry will be "isolated". I can see it becoming more zoned, as it should have been in the first place - difficult perhaps when prostitution is illegal in Thailand!

I can see it becoming a lot more expensive which has the effect of isolating and zoning it. days are numbered here as people find other friendlier and cheaper options elsewhere. already many i know that come here yearly are going elsewhere because what they want is no longer here

[thaibeachlovers]

it's about money 1st - 2nd - 3rd

ignore the shiny glitz - businesses are not making money irrespective of traffic volume & walking gawkers

I do hope one of those businesses is Central. There are those that say they did their homework before building it, but the proper place would have been Jomptien, not in the middle of Fun Town. Pattaya was already served well with 3 malls, no need for another.

I say I hope Central fails, because if it does, no other big company will build in Pattaya. There are many, many beach towns in Thailand to develop, but only one Fun Town for big boys.

It's the one place which won't fail as the sex industry falters and "normal" tourism increases... and it's THE major draw card for local (Thai) tourism. It also has the Hilton Hotel to drive business there.

Lucky too, because a real shopping mall was one thing which Pattaya lacked up until January 2009. We need more of these.

I understand that whore mongers don't need glitzy shopping malls, but for the rest of the population and tourists it's a huge plus.

I'm sure Jomtien will get a decent Mall one day.

Oh my deity, why would a Central be a tourist attraction for Bkk Thais?????? They have dozens of them in Bkk, and how many guests exactly does the Hilton Hotel accommodate? I don't know, but it's certainly not driving any tourist boom. IMO you are grasping at straws. Have you not been reading any of the posts- tourist numbers are down. It was the Russians that made Central work anyway. Sure, the Thais go to the cinemas and fill the restaurants, but how much do they spend in the fashion shops etc. They can buy any of that stuff for same price in Bkk.

We need more of these

55555555555555 Are you Thai? That's Thai logic, one mall makes money so let's build more within walking distance ergo, none make money. The Chinese tourists go to Mike's, not Central, so don't count on them to make money.

Anyway, what's the attraction of Pattaya? It's a c***hole, with a horrid polluted beach, a broken walkway that the Thai tourists don't use, no attractions ( I am perfectly aware of every attraction near Pattaya, and other than Tiffanys and Alcazar none of them are actually IN Pattaya ) except restaurants, which are everywhere in LOS, and EVERYTHING in the public use is broken and falling apart. Have you ever actually walked along Beach Rd on the land side? Same broken pavements as 20 years ago.

Place is full of crooks and hawkers.

Even Bali Hi, which isn't very old is disintegrating, the car park outside is a disgrace, and the speedboats have destroyed the once pleasant walkway to the lighthouse. Even the marina is a disaster, and that monstrosity in front of the lookout is an embarrassment.

Traffic is appalling and parking other than in Central is impossible.

I just don't get how any sane person would make the decision to spend millions of baht to build another mall there.

They had the chance to get it right in Jomptien, but that ship has sailed and it's just as bad as Pattaya now.

[thaibeachlovers]

how many of you have seen Chinese buying things?

they get out of their bus , take a few pictures and go back into their bus.

I have never seen Chineses with bags...

of course they buy stuff, the whole idea of the tours is that they buy stuff. those buses dont just stop at hotels. but funny how some farang find it important to believe they spend more the other nationalities as if Thailand really cares

In Pattaya Chinese tourists are bussed into Mike's to buy stuff there, though why they would I have no idea as most of it is probably made in China anyway.

[thaibeachlovers]

how many of you have seen Chinese buying things?

they get out of their bus , take a few pictures and go back into their bus.

I have never seen Chineses with bags...

My sister and her husband are currently staying at Cape Dara which is full and 90% are Asian, mostly Chinese. They certainly have money to spend!

Why would rich Chinese buy anything in LOS? Whatever they want/ need is available in China and probably cheaper.

[papayasalad]

jomptien is a c.. hole. just came back, it s dirty, just go 500 meters inside land, it s abandoned. many new high rise building, no one rat. nothing drying on terrasse, no shops around, the only place that is occupied is around the immigration on soi 5. the rest is a dead zone.

don't tell me the area is booming of tourists. just get a scooter and go around. this place is sheet!

Venezia , 7 islands, porchland, another building in a U, 2 giant towers, and plenty of buildings finished and under constructions, all vacants....

explain to me, where are the buyers? because my eyes don't see anybody there?

Edited January 4, 2016 by papayasalad

[thaibeachlovers]

My prediction is that in 15 - 20 years the sex industry will be operating in a very isolated manner, such as what we seen in Bangkok. Walking Street and the whole of Beach Road will be dedicated for real tourists. Sooner or later some developers will realise the amazing gem that Walking Street could be and make it more Thai tourist oriented. Already the Thais flock to Bali Hai Pier in their thousands to attend certain events throughout the year - they love it.

Oh for a properly constructed development plan 30 years ago!

I agree with your prediction except that I am not sure Walking Street could be transformed in that time-frame - maybe?

The evidence is there already on Beach Road if you take a walk from the Amari to Central Festival.

You have to that sois 6,7 and 8 days are numbered.

I still doubt that the sex industry will be "isolated". I can see it becoming more zoned, as it should have been in the first place - difficult perhaps when prostitution is illegal in Thailand!

I can see it becoming a lot more expensive which has the effect of isolating and zoning it. days are numbered here as people find other friendlier and cheaper options elsewhere. already many i know that come here yearly are going elsewhere because what they want is no longer here

People just have to know where the cheap places are, and they still exist in their hundreds.

The farang sex industry in Bkk is expensive and still survives and thrives, so there is no reason to believe it won't in Pattaya where accommodation is still a lot cheaper than Bkk.

[brewsterbudgen]

how many of you have seen Chinese buying things?

they get out of their bus , take a few pictures and go back into their bus.

I have never seen Chineses with bags...

My sister and her husband are currently staying at Cape Dara which is full and 90% are Asian, mostly Chinese. They certainly have money to spend!

Why would rich Chinese buy anything in LOS? Whatever they want/ need is available in China and probably cheaper.

Food, hotel rooms, trips and excursions, and holiday souvenirs - just like all tourists.