Sex tourism: Thai trade boosted by 'repressed' tourists in Pattaya

[onemorechang]

The Arab quarter of pattaya, is only good for a Kebab at the entrance from second road, the rest nasty

It also has a lot of very fat ugly sex workers there,

must be a market for them there, it could be the quality tourist area we hear so much about.

[Thaidream]

There are certainly many opinions related to this subject and represent a cross section of nationalities and also morals. I. for one. believe that if a person wants to engage in prostitution, that is their right and the government needs to keep out of it except for collecting the taxes the same it does for any profession. I do not look down on Thai women who engage in the practice. Throughout my many years in Thailand I have had numerous conversations with them and found as many differences as we can find on this board. However, one thing seems constant- they all do it for the money and not the pleasure. Some continue it for both the money and 'excitement' and the travel opportunities. Some are shy about doing it; while others could care less. Their personalities are all different just like ours are different. Whatever they feel, most hide their true feelings as do most Thais in general. I have met really nice Thais who are in the business and some real evil ones who are not.Generally speaking, the longer they are in the business the more baggage they carry. Many broken promises on both sides; alcohol and drug abuse; and a general hopelessness about them.Thai society is very tolerant and certainly tolerates the business because everyone knows the alternatives are few for many people.

[mesterm]

Most Muslims are such hypocrites. Well at least those guys in black in Syria are practicing according to actual scripture..

Most Muslims are such hypocrites

Yeah nice try. But the most violation of human rights and terrorism in the world is related to those of the Islamic faith.

No other religion advocates death for apostasy, or actually carries it out.

Edited May 16, 2016 by mesterm

[dunroaming]

This is Pattaya where for many, many years it has attracted men from everywhere because of it's sex trade. Some come for the boys and some come for the dark side and some come for the lovely young Thai girls and yes, some come for the ladyboys. Pattaya is the sin bin of Thailand and probably S.E.A. Either embrace the sleaze or stay away. It is an enormous money earner and corruption reigns supreme. Thailand would be a poorer place without it (literally).

[OMGImInPattaya]

Truth remains that Thailand is a county that relies on prostitution for a substantial part of it's economy, both as a part of the tourist trade and as a larger part catering to the home market.

Actually it doesn't, but peoplele who themselves spend their days emersed only in this world often get this mistaken impression.

Total tourism makes up only about 10% of GDP and sex-tourism is some component. For the sake of argument, let's say it's half so 5% of GDP... I'd hardly call that "substantial." The substantial parts of mthe Thai economy are agriculture and export manufacturing.

[ujayujay]

The title said repressed tourists,I started to read thinking ir was about Canadian and US men coming here. The way feminist nazi's step all over the men in Canada and the us,you could probably rewrite this article and make it about the Us and Canada men who come here.

Typical comment of an inept, frustrated that he no finds a partner in own Country ...... Who is there probably to blame?

[gandalf12]

Here we go..Muslims and Arab bashing by some ignorant racist plonkers.The article seems to advertise Thailand to middle eastern youngsters as if they don't know it.Sad to publish Thailand in that sense Prostitution and more...very unhealthy

Have you ever been to the Arab world? I think not. I have spent 18 years in Arab countries. Nothing to do with being racist but if you want I guess I am. You live in their countries then open your mouth

[oldlakey]

add Oman, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Libya, Tunesia, Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangla Desh

Who knew that all these Muslim countries were so tolerant and liberal. I assume that scantily clad hostesses serve the drinks in the countries named?

All things are readily available in Malaysia if you move in certain social circles

Malaysia is no place for paupers unless you are a dog lover

This is what I have found but no doubt others will have had different types of experiences

Indonesia had its moments and I really dont want to talk about Egypt

[connda]

That Arab quarter in Pattaya is huge. It's like walking into another world. I use to go there for great kebabs!

I see the Salafi / Wahabi pretense is left at the boarding gate at their home countries. Agreed. Love the food.

Edited May 16, 2016 by connda

[TKDfella]

I don't know about the Arab community in Pattaya but I visited there with my Thai wife for a few days as I had never been there. Even with my wife I lost count the number of times I was approached for sex and we cut short the visit when it happened while sitting eating evening meal. No problem with chaps who go there for the obvious but for me, no thanks.

[ScotBkk]

Yes, the Kuwaiti's come for what is not allowed in their Islamist country, that being alcohol and sex on display everywhere and allowed whenever chosen.

Are we just misinformed per chance?

If we want to call a Spade a Spade in all respect they're just hypocrites regarded their faith. Everything is totally in reversal mode once they hit the Pattaya circuit

Well known for their same sex preferences, this den of iniquity, is the perfect place for people of this ilk to blend in like a chameleon. Especially,if one wishes to pay for its somewhat blatant sexual menu

I'm just a boring Bastard and prefer chatting to the pretty bar girls costing me untold fortunes telling me so Hansum every two frogging minutes.

Such is life ... Then u die !!!!

Edited May 16, 2016 by ScotBkk

[SunsetT]

That Arab quarter in Pattaya is huge. It's like walking into another world. I use to go there for great kebabs!

I would think it is an area to avoid now as if ISIS are operating in Thailand it must be a prime target given it breaks all the rules of Islam. Unless, of course, their leaders holiday there themselves.

[mrfaroukh]

It is disgusting the way this Kuwati express his feeling about Pattaya. They rap their woman in black dress so no one see them and then move to Pattaya for their stuff. At least have a decency of respecting the Thai ladies and their culture.

Ane by the way Thailand is not the only place just take a trip to Amsterdam and see what is happening there, or to Germany for many clubs offering the same.

[Thunderbirds20]

Another sign of the changing times in Thailand. Farang from Europe, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand used to be the preferred tourists. We came and spent our money while enjoying the Thai Culture, customs, people and food. Indeed, .. go to almost any village in Isaan or anywhere else for that matter and there are Farang, living with a Thai woman and supporting her and her family, but for some reason we are no longer welcome, which is evident in the ever changing rules of Immigration, .... tourist visa length and number reduced, we are now required to carry our passports or go directly to jail, we are now banned from teaching English in public schools, Retirement Visa is now only given to the expiry date of our passport. For example, my passport expires next May. I have to renew my Retirement visa in august. Before it would be given for a year and simple transferred to the new passport, ... now it ends when the passport expires!

For some reason bad tourists like Russians and Chinese are now more welcome than we are, and other shady elements like Arabs, Black Africans and Indians are coming in droves. None of these people come for your culture or customs. Indeed they do not even like Thai food or people. No wonder revenue is down and crime is up.

[lostinisaan]

Terrible piece of journalism, this article and.....where is the news ???

Would be great to ask the freelance correspondent Matthew Clayfield in Pattaya this question.

Edited May 16, 2016 by lostinisaan

[Baerboxer]

You try having a drink in Kuwait and see what happens. They should be banned from the country in an effort to help them be good Muslims

Not sure about Kuwait, but I lived in the UAE for 10 years and alcohol was available from state-owned shops and in hotels. Technically is was not to be consumed by Muslims, but that was never an insurmountable hurdle.

I lived in Abu Dhabi, which is far more conservative than Dubai. At that time, several years ago, there were 3 or 4 outlets where you could purchase alcohol. You had to buy a license from the police which allowed you to buy it, transport it, and store it in your home. The shops had no windows and no signs on the door. Your purchases were wrapped in very thick black plastic bags which has to be put straight in your boot and taken straight home. Muslims could not buy officially.

Reality - the shops were staffed by Indians who understood you sometimes forgot to bring your license - just show it next time or whenever. In one outlet in particular you could expect to queue behind locals. But, very expensive.

Prostitutes - 2 or 3 very well known pick up points for ladies of the night - Chinese, African, East European / Russian, Pinnay, Arabs and Indians, all there. Plus the on-line escorts mainly based in Dubai. Again expensive.

Last time I was there, last year, things were more liberal. Irish Pub tucked away not too far from the Cornish, plus all the hotel bars that were always able to sell alcohol and were some of which were noted pick up places.

Downside is very expensive so the lads can come here, they're relatively wealthy and things are tremendously cheaper and very easily available. Like kids in the proverbial candy shop!

Dubai is far more booze and whore orientated. I know of organizations in KSA and Qatar who will not allow staff to attend training or exhibitions in Dubai anymore.

As for Kuwait - no idea but from what others say, far more like KSA than Dubai or Bahrain.

[fishhooks]

The Thai women that enter the sex trade do not do it because they like sex. They do it to avoid starvation for themselves and their families. Most are from Issan where there are hardly any jobs that pay a living wage. Most of the available joba pay around 7K Baht per month. Could you live on this while taking care of 4 people?. They migrate to Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket in search of a way to sustain their life. They become actors in a way of life that they do not like, but have to endure. Some of them get into alcohol and drugs to ease the pain and humiliation at the hands of 'customers'. Many of them dream of finding that one person who will 'rescue' them from the life they must lead to survive. Once they get into their late thirties and onward- they begin to realize that their time is running out and start to lose hope. Some go insane; others steal; most just fade away and let the next generation take care of them. The cycle starts again.

The tourists in this article have no understanding of the cycle of poverty these women endure and some of these tourists exploit the women. The fact is most Thai women in the sex industry do not like men at all and feel exploited by men. They will never tell you so but if you learn and understand Thai- you will hear it in their voice and see if in their face once they let their guard down. If given the choice between a job that pays a living wage and being a prostitute- most will leave the sex industry. As long as the tourists keep coming and the lack of economic assistance to impoverished Issan continues. the sex trade will continue sadly to be a growth industry.

I have a story to relate that contradicts your conclusions.

A few years back i was opening my guest house and restaurant in Rayong and was looking for English speaking staff. It turned out to be very difficult in Rayong so we went to Pattaya to place some job ads in local print and to post fliers in local shops. By the end of the day we had about 30 flyers left so we took a walk down the beach road where the older ladies were gathering to wait for the even older customers. My thinking was exactly as yours: "If given a chance to earn a living wage the ladies of the night, especially the ones way past their prime, would leave the game." The reality was very surprising. We gave out all of our remaining flyers and my Thai partner had conversations with almost every woman who took a flyer. We were offering 12K salary + tips + room/board. Pretty good for unskilled labor. Guess how many callbacks we got. Big, fat zero. Not a single one was interested.

Of course 30 is pretty small sample size and one cannot make statistically significant conclusions. And yet it did illustrate that the dynamics and motivations of the game are more complex than you make them out to be.

The majority of dynamics and motivations you speak of are inflicted by the parents, mostly in the areas I do not need to name in the north.

They have seen their relations , friends and neighbours, suddenly be promoted to a bigger better house, lifestyle and trimmings that come with such, soon after "the daughter" left the village to work in a restaurant, "ha ha" in a place not too far from Bangkok.

[luckyman]

Terrible piece of journalism, this article and.....where is the news ???

Would be great to ask the freelance correspondent Matthew Clayfield in Pattaya this question.

or...even better, catch him in some lewd act over there and film it and .....

[OMGImInPattaya]

Another sign of the changing times in Thailand. Farang from Europe, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand used to be the preferred tourists. We came and spent our money while enjoying the Thai Culture, customs, people and food. Indeed, .. go to almost any village in Isaan or anywhere else for that matter and there are Farang, living with a Thai woman and supporting her and her family, but for some reason we are no longer welcome, which is evident in the ever changing rules of Immigration, .... tourist visa length and number reduced, we are now required to carry our passports or go directly to jail, we are now banned from teaching English in public schools, Retirement Visa is now only given to the expiry date of our passport. For example, my passport expires next May. I have to renew my Retirement visa in august. Before it would be given for a year and simple transferred to the new passport, ... now it ends when the passport expires!

For some reason bad tourists like Russians and Chinese are now more welcome than we are, and other shady elements like Arabs, Black Africans and Indians are coming in droves. None of these people come for your culture or customs. Indeed they do not even like Thai food or people. No wonder revenue is down and crime is up.

I'm not really sure where you're coming from. As a Westerner, you're perfectly welcome to holiday in Thailand. If you have the skills or funds, you're welcome to work, invest, or start a business here,and if you meet the requirements, you're perfectly welcome to even retire and die here.

[Alwyn]

Well that's okay then, as long as they're repressed at home...

[SOTIRIOS]

...nothing to do with the countless bars....dozens of girls at every street corner...and all up and down the streets...

...the foreigners are to blame....

...wow....

....self-righteous psychos....

...how many 'working girls' are there in Thailand....aside from the ones that marry the foreigners.....

...if there are 30-60 million visitors a year.....maybe 1-2 million.....maybe more...???

....100% employment....

[SOTIRIOS]

...open your borders.........

...take all their money.....

...abuse and insult them at every turn.....

...and blame them for your social dysfunction.....

[happysanook]

The article seems primarily to be aimed at creating an image of the Arabs in Thailand - although it does give a nod to other aspects of prostitution , just to cover arse...as t were.

Truth remains that Thailand is a county that relies on prostitution for a substantial part of it's economy, both as a part of the tourist trade and as a larger part catering to the home market.

It seems that a country that sees of the exploitation of women as an integral part of its economy will continue to do so so long as those in power refuse to accept that their own use of women in this way is unacceptable. so long as leaders view women as "wrapped candy" I can't see a fundamental change happening soon

Haha. Really, man? Exploited women? Yea, the working girls in Pattaya look so sad. So sad they're not working 80 hours a week in a factory for 1/10th the money. It's not the girls who are getting taken advantage of; it's the lonely, old, ugly foreigners.

[Rimmer]

Some racist troll posts have been removed

[bangkapi]

ZZZZZZZZZ.... about this topic. People are selling a service that others are purchasing.

[darren84310]

When I read stories like these, I am saddened by how I spend my time.

The topic is uncalled for if thai visa wants to be a leading neutral news agency. This is something that some drunks would describe in a pub or a closed group of similar interests at home....I hope the editorship maintains a high standard in content, privacy and journalistic ethics. Why highlight a Kuwaiti....even if it be true. What is the purpose to scorn ..... I am trying to understand the angle. I do in most of my posts try to hit home the need to educate locals and to bring them to being responsible. Thai visa should be a beacon light with the privilages of the platform it has in the eyes of locals and foreigners. I agree with Puukao... We the expat community is looking for authentic content where we can interact with one another to the betterment of our envioroment and society. Not the gossip column for those negatively inclined to get over a chip that they have on their shoulder.

Maybe it's to highlight the hypocrisy of the Arab culture..... though some other cultures (daren't mention) are just as hypocritical.

[slipperylobster]

Arab men have been coming to Pattaya and other areas in Thailand for decades now,

with the free flowing of sex, both male and female and the tranny they love so much,

the booze, the drug, the cheap costs, and most important, away from all those fierce

looking moral police, that if caught in their countries, they will be flogged, shamed and

jail for many years....

"Arab men have been coming to Pattaya and other areas in Thailand for decades now ..."

Keep in mind that the Disneyland of booze and sex got its biggest kick-start from western troops exhausted from laying waste to Vietnam.

And when I was working in the Middle East, the vast majority of people on board each flight I took to Bangkok were westerners (apparently) on holiday from their (presumably well-paid) employment in those same countries so many posters in this thread are eager to put down. Presumably some of the bashing here is coming from those westerners who accept minimum-wage jobs in Thailand (unqualified for better employment elsewhere) in order to experience the same sort of thing they could never afford otherwise. Envy and jealousy make some people quite nasty.

You mean nobody sold sex before western troops came?

OMG....

I thought Thai men were buying sex...but turns out they were getting it free.

So it was us, that taught Thai men how to drink booze and buy sex.

We ruined Thailand! Well, I suppose those Japanese troops that came here during WW II were unable to get P&B, but they sure are making up for it now. Good thing we won the war....or there would be no P&B....?

Edited May 16, 2016 by slipperylobster

[Jdiddy]

The title said repressed tourists,I started to read thinking ir was about Canadian and US men coming here. The way feminist nazi's step all over the men in Canada and the us,you could probably rewrite this article and make it about the Us and Canada men who come here.

And it would be 100% correct hehe

[DaveinAsia]

The article seems primarily to be aimed at creating an image of the Arabs in Thailand - although it does give a nod to other aspects of prostitution , just to cover arse...as t were.

Truth remains that Thailand is a county that relies on prostitution for a substantial part of it's economy, both as a part of the tourist trade and as a larger part catering to the home market.

It seems that a country that sees of the exploitation of women as an integral part of its economy will continue to do so so long as those in power refuse to accept that their own use of women in this way is unacceptable. so long as leaders view women as "wrapped candy" I can't see a fundamental change happening soon

"It seems that a country that sees of the exploitation of women as an integral part of its economy will continue to do so so long as those in power refuse to accept that their own use of women in this way is unacceptable. so long as leaders view women as "wrapped candy" I can't see a fundamental change happening soon"

Seems like a little middle class moralising going on here (sex can't be recreational, sex can't be part of a business transaction, etc.). What leads you assume that a sex industry is synonymous with the exploitation of women? Certainly, there are women in the industry who are exploited and abused, and everything possible must be done to combat this. But some women have no qualms about 'selling sex' and some men have no qualms about purchasing it, and where such consent exists, we shouldn't patronisingly suggest that the activity is exploitative. A woman using her body to make money is nor more exploitative than an athlete, male model, or coal miner using his. People like yourself believe that you'd be doing women a favour by shutting down the sex industry (does sound patronising, right?), but I don't think you'd find much support among the women themselves ... and I doubt that many would consider themselves 'exploited'. [Of course, the retort would be that they need to be 'educated' or have their 'consciousness raised' .... more than a little insulting].

After reading your philosophical attempt to justify the male exploitation of prostitutes I wanted to give my 2 cents on this topic. It seems that you tried your uttermost best to defend the usage of the oldest profession in the world. Good job in doing so btw but I think you were looking at it in a western way and through the eyes of a prostitute back home who decided to make some money on the side to buy a new car for example.I think it works a bit differently here. Most women here are forced into prostitution out of poverty or not having any other opportunity to make enough money to take care of her family. Of course there are plenty of girls who just want a new iPhone 6 or a nice condo but most are there out of desperation and not free will.

Your comparison between lying down to let some stranger take advantage of your body and a coal miner using his body power to make money is hilarious btw! 555

[cheapcanuck]

I fail to see the point of this article. Usually there is the 5W's to an artical. It comes up short and is missing the why.

Edited May 16, 2016 by cheapcanuck