Pattaya leaders want to turn back clock on Songkran

[Rimmer]

Pattaya leaders want to turn back clock on Songkran

 

 

PATTAYA:--Pattaya officials say they will attempt to turn back the clock to gentler times when the Thai New Year meant solemn tradition, not water guns, with a nine-day festival on Walking Street.

 

City spokesman Pinit Maneerat led a March 27 planning meeting for Pattaya’s official Songkran Festival on the South Pattaya nightlife strip April 12-20.

 

Activities such as food offerings, pouring water on Buddha images, and making sand pagodas will be organized each of the nine days. The city wants Walking Street businesses to decorate their storefronts and have employees dress in traditional costume for the festival.

 

“If you think back to old times, some of you might not be able to imagine how Songkran was. But if you visit Pattaya this Songkran, you will clearly see. We will be back to the Thai way of living and Thai traditions of the past,” Pinit claimed.

 

Read more: http://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattaya-leaders-want-turn-back-clock-songkran-169712

 

-- © Copyright Pattaya Mail 2017-04-07

[Encid]

Good luck with that.

Why don't the Pattaya officials recognize that tourists (both Thai and foreign) visit Pattaya especially to take part in the water madness?

Gentler times will result in tourist numbers falling... not increasing.

[NCC1701A]

" “If you think back to old times, some of you might not be able to imagine how Songkran was. But if you visit Pattaya this Songkran, you will clearly see. We will be back to the Thai way of living and Thai traditions of the past,” Pinit claimed."

 

[JoePai]

I hope they take note of the wind direction when they take a leak   

[khwaibah]

Turn back the clock on bar fines to 300 bath .

[johng]

It would be rather nice to go "back to the future"  when Thai women where topless...

maybe just in a special zone in case the kiddies get scared ( I think they have a few ready made zones)

 

[darksidedog]

I shall be leaving Pattaya  next Tuesday for 2 weeks to avoid the whole bloody thing.The one designated day I can live with, it is just the other ten days of getting soaked when going anywhere that pisses me off. I do not see that anything will change from this announcement. There are just too many idiots for them to be able to control.

[Encid]

16 minutes ago, johng said:

It would be rather nice to go "back to the future"  when Thai women where topless...

maybe just in a special zone in case the kiddies get scared ( I think they have a few ready made zones)

Such a shame you had to censor that picture John... just beautiful. 

[johng]

10 minutes ago, Encid said:

Such a shame you had to censor

Yes   unfortunately,  but I sent you a PM

[wgdanson]

45 minutes ago, Encid said:

Good luck with that.

Why don't the Pattaya officials recognize that tourists (both Thai and foreign) visit Pattaya especially to take part in the water madness?

Gentler times will result in tourist numbers falling... not increasing.

So you are one of the Falangs who throw  or spray water at anybody, Last year was wearing my suit, carrying my laptop, Got soaked and the PC ruined. Great fun Encid. 

[Encid]

Just now, wgdanson said:

So you are one of the Falangs who throw  or spray water at anybody, Last year was wearing my suit, carrying my laptop, Got soaked and the PC ruined. Great fun Encid. 

No I am not "one of those Falangs" at all.

But I am a local resident and I stay well clear of it for obvious reasons.

You should have known better.

[Pattaya28]

HaHa.

Water-throwing respect ?

All out War ? More kike it.

Interlectual hobby "water-throwing". 

And don't forget to "ice-up" the water to burn your targets.

[JSixpack]

59 minutes ago, Encid said:

Good luck with that.

Why don't the Pattaya officials recognize that tourists (both Thai and foreign) visit Pattaya especially to take part in the water madness?

Gentler times will result in tourist numbers falling... not increasing.

 

Not for 10 days they don't. Nor are they "quality" tourists spending much where it counts. No idiot Songran hooligan is staying at the Hilton and eating at Mantra.

 

After all, many businesses lose money from the start; most residents—and many if not most would-be tourists—hate to endure such a long duration.

Many tourists, particularly throngs of Chinese visitors, went straight to Bali Hai Pier to catch ferries to peaceful Koh Larn while many westerners and families stayed at their busy hotels. Expats and long-term visitors simply left Thailand for neighboring countries.

Water wars leave beach vendors high and dry

So it must be that businesses and powerful individuals who do financially benefit are behind the permitting its extraordinary duration in Pattaya.

[AGareth2]

oh dear

no coyote dancing

[Encid]

9 minutes ago, JSixpack said:

Not for 10 days they don't. Nor are they "quality" tourists spending much where it counts. No idiot Songran hooligan is staying at the Hilton and eating at Mantra.

You do have a point there regarding foreign tourists.

But I was talking about the tourist numbers, not tourist spending.

What about the Thai tourists?

The majority of the revellers in the pickups and in the streets are Thai not foreign.

They all have to stay somewhere... maybe the budget hotels and guesthouses are the beneficiaries?

[ezzra]

 

Those ' officials " a bunch of ninnies, goody two shoes who want to turn Pattaya

into a monastery,  coming down on everything that is fun in the resort, sex, shisha

smoking, bars etc., they'll do better come down on drugs and criminals rather

than the all the fun there....

[JSixpack]

2 hours ago, Encid said:

You do have a point there regarding foreign tourists.

But I was talking about the tourist numbers, not tourist spending.

What about the Thai tourists?

The majority of the revellers in the pickups and in the streets are Thai not foreign.

They all have to stay somewhere... maybe the budget hotels and guesthouses are the beneficiaries?

 

First, TAT: TVF has determined that Thais can't be tourists in Pattaya. I dunno what they are then, but our authorities have spoken.

 

Second, numbers w/o money don't mean much, as is known from reading our Bible, Money Number One. Hence the constant sneers against Chinese tourists who are perceived not spending. Indeed the gov't confirmed this point against a particular class when they cut out the zero dollar tours, which were indeed numbers w/o the money.

 

Third, most "outside" Thais will merely come in for the day to cruise around or play then leave. If they stay nearby it ain't in hotels or their own condos (with few exceptions) but w/ friends and relatives either here or outside of town. Seen this many times, extended family comes in from upcountry and everybody sleeps on the floor. Of course they need instant noodles, beer, and Mekong. Yes, the hooligans stay in cheap flophouses and drink lots of beer. Many of the beer bars (but not the go gos!) do well, which is all the Pattaya many a poster here knows anything about. But overall I'd say that it's doubtful--given that so many deeper wallets leave, stay inside, or avoid the place--that Pattaya Songkran means a net gain for the local economy and more likely it represents a loss. We'll never see the real figures, however.

Edited April 7, 2017 by JSixpack

[Encid]

9 minutes ago, JSixpack said:

But overall I'd say that it's doubtful--given that so many deeper wallets leave, stay inside, or avoid the place

I actually fall into that category.

Although I only live 20 minutes or so outside Pattaya I avoid it completely during the water madness.

 

3 hours ago, Rimmer said:

turn back the clock to gentler times when the Thai New Year meant solemn tradition,

I still maintain good luck with that... call me cynical but I doubt it will happen.

[Kadilo]

Too late for all that. It's already been hijacked by ferang a who think it is their "time of the year "
Hotels, flight prices jacked up. Every year a bigger more powerful water cannon hits the streets with the giggling ferangs firing at everyone anytime of day and night. Be interesting to see how many actually know what they are celebrating.
I'll stick to a more traditional celebration with the majority of Thais who actually still celebrate as if the clock was turned back and leave the real "fun" to this years new Intake of muppets.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[balo]

Good luck with that, I will be watching it from distance. If you manage to stay dry in WS without idiots hitting you with water guns I will pay you . It will not happen.

[wirat69]

Have they got their head in the sand????

[Gerard052]

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I shall be leaving Pattaya  next Tuesday for 2 weeks to avoid the whole bloody thing.The one designated day I can live with, it is just the other ten days of getting soaked when going anywhere that pisses me off. I do not see that anything will change from this announcement. There are just too many idiots for them to be able to control.

You are absolutely right, makes two of us.  I stay away from those idiots.

[fish monger]

10 hours ago, Encid said:

Such a shame you had to censor that picture John... just beautiful. 

Have you heard of Google...? Google is your friend...!

[newnative]

Too bad the whole out of control mess couldn't be limited to Pattaya Beach Road and Jomtien Beach Road. 

[tropo]

12 hours ago, Encid said:

Good luck with that.

Why don't the Pattaya officials recognize that tourists (both Thai and foreign) visit Pattaya especially to take part in the water madness?

Gentler times will result in tourist numbers falling... not increasing.

 

LOL> Pattaya doesn't gain anything from Songkran - it loses big time. Most normal tourists avoid it like the plague and only a specific type of tourist would be interested in a holiday that involved being drenched everywhere they go for a whole week. That would mainly be your pea-brained, alcoholic type of tourist who can enjoy such puerile activities for a full week. That's a special type of tourist Pattaya can do without.

 

Now if Songkran was restricted to only 1 or 2 days of light-hearted, good-natured fun, that would be a different story. Even normal people could endure a day or two of water sports and perhaps even enjoy it.

 

The officials all know this, but Songkran has taken on an uncontrollable life of its own. To stop it you'd need a full-scale military presence.

[maprao]

Normal tourists don't go to pattaya...just saying.

 

I go and take my family but I'm different I first went to pattaya for the clean beaches temples and food.

 

I miss it can never get vacation to go join the madness.

 

 

 

 

[newnative]

6 hours ago, maprao said:

Normal tourists don't go to pattaya...just saying.

 

I go and take my family but I'm different I first went to pattaya for the clean beaches temples and food.

 

I miss it can never get vacation to go join the madness.

 

 

 

 

Yes, normal tourists do go to Pattaya---and more are coming every year. Take a stroll through Central Festival sometime.  Here it is April and I was at the grocery store at Festival the other evening and I have never seen it so busy--totally packed with normal tourists, expats like me, and Thais. 

[mok199]

but they sure love the revenue it brings in..as with anything in Thailand its all about the cash...Thailand was lost many years ago,and has been pimped out ever since...

[Rimmer]

A couple of off topic  and troll posts have been removed

[i claudius]

On 4/7/2017 at 11:45 AM, Encid said:

Good luck with that.

Why don't the Pattaya officials recognize that tourists (both Thai and foreign) visit Pattaya especially to take part in the water madness?

Gentler times will result in tourist numbers falling... not increasing.

So not all bad news then