Zero-dollar tourism clampdown is affecting Pattaya’s businesses

[terminatorchiangmai]

On 10/3/2016 at 2:32 PM, yellowboat said:

Ah, Thai business and officialdom and their ability to shoot themselves in the foot.  Were told that the Chinese did not spend any money.  Now we are told they do.  Perhaps they should have done a complete financial analysis before overreacting.    

 

Biting the hand that feeds them comes in my mind

[thaibeachlovers]

On 10/3/2016 at 5:21 PM, newnative said:

So, let me sum up.  The Chinese tourists aren't spending any money at all in Pattaya, it all flows back to China.   But now that fewer are coming, Pattaya businesses are hurting. 

Apparently they travel on Chinese buses, stay in Chinese hotels, get bused to Chinese shops. Other than that, they have to spend some money on Thai businesses, like the speedboats in the photo, maybe parasailing, certainly seafood restaurants on Larn ( and the ferry, baht buses to get to the restaurants ). So a segment of Pattaya businesses will be hurting.

 

Personally, I think the business community of Pattaya deserve to be reduced to penury. For years they have put nothing into Pattaya infrastructure while exploiting the tourists to the max. Prices have risen despite costs not doing so. Pattaya remains <deleted> without a concert venue, a public park, decent public transport or enforcement of traffic rules. That one has to run across a road because there is no enforcement of pedestrian crossings is a disgrace to the city management and police.

Almost every pavement in the city is illegally encroached by the shops, forcing people to walk in the traffic, the overhead wiring is dangerous, the pavements also. Yet the city has money to put into a shadeless, seatless decrepit beach promenade, a car park that doesn't work and a marina that is derelict, while the roads fall apart, and Walking Street, the so called premier tourist attraction of Pattaya is filthy.

I hope the business community of Pattaya comes to suffer much for the decrepitude they have foisted on Pattaya in the grab for the tourist $.

 

One thing does make me chuckle though. Every day I look at the horrible tower greedy unsocial people built in front of the lookout, and I rejoice that they are losing money big time on that monstrocity. I hope it remains empty till they either tear it down or it falls down.

[morrobay]

51 minutes ago, terminatorchiangmai said:

 

Biting the hand that feeds them comes in my mind

 

Alot of comment like this and about few tourists , businesses closing and so on.

But Pattaya seems very crowded with tourist everwhere.

So just how does this square up ? It looks conflicting ?

Edited October 6, 2016 by morrobay

[sharecropper]

2 hours ago, mikebell said:

Pattaya businesses are failing and moving elsewhere because of the monthly protection required by the local police.

 

Any idea what percentage of monthly outgoings, say a Walking Street bar pays for protection to the various mobs?

[Anthony5]

5 minutes ago, morrobay said:

 

Alot of comment like this and about few tourists , businesses closing and so on.

But Pattaya seems very crowded with tourist everwhere.

So just how does this square up ? It looks conflicting ?

 

Thanks for confirming that you haven't visited Pattaya for a while, and certainly not in the past 3 weeks, because Pattaya isn't crowded at all.

 

All businesses that cater to westerners are complaining about how quiet it is this year, and many have been shutting up.

 

Then for the past 3 weeks the reduction in buses with Chinese has been amazing.

[bodymassagemyfriend]

This place has been going downhill so fast i just wondered how tourist still want to go there.This news is a relief for me , the truth seems to finally take over.

For the first time this year i will be flying to the Philippines without spending some time in Thailand first.

[Colabamumbai]

I live in Thailand and just returned from a few days in Pattaya. Very quiet, Chinese and Korean tour groups but not many. Walking Street is dead at night. Not many prostitutes along Soi 1. The expats are patronizing their favourite spots, but other places are empty, bargains to be had as sales are slow.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, morrobay said:

 

Alot of comment like this and about few tourists , businesses closing and so on.

But Pattaya seems very crowded with tourist everwhere.

So just how does this square up ? It looks conflicting ?

You are right. I noticed when I came back that Beach, Second Rd and the sois off had loads of people walking around, but at night there were very few about, and even fewer in the bars. The roads were jammed with vehicles, but not many buses.

Obviously, most people are not going out at night.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

8 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

I live in Thailand and just returned from a few days in Pattaya. Very quiet, Chinese and Korean tour groups but not many. Walking Street is dead at night. Not many prostitutes along Soi 1. The expats are patronizing their favourite spots, but other places are empty, bargains to be had as sales are slow.

I found that despite the low numbers of customers the prices are not going down. I didn't find any bargains.

[siam2007]

14 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I found that despite the low numbers of customers the prices are not going down. I didn't find any bargains.

 

Thai "logic" has always been that if business is slow, the prices will actually go UP

[Colabamumbai]

Speak Thai and walk away if the price does not suit you. The nice large paintings or silk screen pictures on the street, I'm looking not saying nothing. 900 Baht, I turn my head away, 800 Baht, I start to walk away, 600 Baht.  The same with the 100 Baht cigarettes on the street, did not even ask, 70 Baht sir.  Bought dresses for the lady the ask 250, I offer 200 they say thank you.

[balo]

On 10/3/2016 at 4:38 PM, FredNL said:

So... In a few years Thailand will have a new Asian attraction. Ghost Town Pattaya.

 

I'm willing to pay for that. 

[mki8]

oh well,

time to put the prices up.............................

[Rorri]

On 03/10/2016 at 6:16 PM, hansnl said:

Yes, a grand boon to the tourist numbers, no doubt.

Prepaid package holidays are paid in China to Chinese travel organisers.

Some of the money goes to Mainland Chinese owned companies in Thailand.

Of course some of that ends up in Thai hands, but mostly into Chinese hands.

Tour buses, shops to visit, hotels, restaurants, all of them via/via owned by Chinese companies.

I would not be surprised if all these package tours are organised by one big hong........

Doing business with China is mostly a one way profit traffic.

 

 

"Tour buses, shops to visit, hotels, restaurants, all of them via/via owned by Chinese companies" surely  these places employee thais, if so then some money goes to them, logic would say these thais may find themselves  unemployed. 

[morrobay]

6 hours ago, Rorri said:

 

"Tour buses, shops to visit, hotels, restaurants, all of them via/via owned by Chinese companies" surely  these places employee thais, if so then some money goes to them, logic would say these thais may find themselves  unemployed. 

 

Also the speedboat businesses along beach must be seeing major decrease  in revenue, as well as the vendors, restaurants, and tourist item stalls along Beach rd.  With the Chinese absent along the beach it shows what low (extended) season really looks like. 

[WhizBang]

On Monday, October 03, 2016 at 2:21 AM, newnative said:

So, let me sum up.  The Chinese tourists aren't spending any money at all in Pattaya, it all flows back to China.   But now that fewer are coming, Pattaya businesses are hurting.

 

LOL, yes, something very wrong with the theory the 'zero dollar' tours are actually zero dollar.

 

[gk10002000]

On 10/5/2016 at 6:50 PM, mikebell said:

Pattaya businesses are failing and moving elsewhere because of the monthly protection required by the local police.

How much pressure is really put on the small business owners?  Sure I can imagine a few payouts here and there, but are foreign owned places really threatened and extorted more and more?  I have no doubts, based on personal experience here in the USA and the recurring theme in many countries that once the law, comes down hard which in this case really is the military, everything else gets pricey.  The local police find it difficult to get their little kickbacks, tensions rise, the places that are doing well get squeezed more.  Basically, the better one does, the more he gets squeezed

[morrobay]

On 10/6/2016 at 8:50 AM, mikebell said:

Pattaya businesses are failing and moving elsewhere because of the monthly protection required by the local police.

 

That maybe so but it would help in a topic like this to be specific :  So what and where  are the businesses you are referring to ?

[mikebell]

To be specific:

 

French owner 'fined' 100,000 baht for a technicality.  Has to pay 24K a month to avoid further 'trouble'.  Kao Talo.

English owner 'fined' 50,000 for work permit offence of making himself a coffee in his wife's bar (which was closed at the time.)  Bang Saray.  (Many owners are paying 2000 per month for the privilege of serving beer at 'unsocial hours.'

Tiny bar on Chaiyapoon required to pay monthly - (Thai owner would not specify amount.)

Pattaya soi 12 English owner pays unspecified amount monthly.

Four specific examples of extortion obtain by conversation with owners/wives.

In the 1st example the owner is actively seeking to moved to Cambodia.