The ghost town that was
Walking Street returned to life after Thailand’s military government
lifted the night-time curfew imposed after last month’s coup.
Convenience stores, marine-sports operators and attractions aimed at
foreign tourists also reported a resurgence in business following the
lifting of the midnight-4 a.m. curfew June 4.
Jetsada Homklin
Crowds of tourists returned to Pattaya after Thailand’s military
government lifted the night-time curfew imposed after last month’s coup.
The ghost town that was Walking Street returned to life while
convenience stores, marine-sports operators and attractions aimed at
foreign tourists reported a resurgence in business following the lifting
of the midnight-4 a.m. curfew June 4.
A clerk at a Pattaya 7-Eleven store said tourists again were crowding
in, looking for night-time snacks. With so many of the city’s residents
working in after-dark entertainment joints, their trade is crucial for
Pattaya’s hundreds of convenience stores.
Nitti Phutta, who owns speedboats, jet skis and banana boats, said
Pattaya has been hit by the double whammy of low season and months of
political unrest. When the Royal Thai Army staged its coup May 22, that
sent the city’s tourist business plunging to rock-bottom depths. Even
after the curfew was eased from the original 10 p.m.-5 a.m., business
did not rebound until the curfew was lifted entirely, he said.
Not every spot has seen a rebound, however.
Ping, a pub popular with Thais, remains slow even after the end of the
curfew. Frequent customer Veerapol Hattakit said he’s seen no difference
in trade at the watering hole. He speculated Thais are still being
careful with how they spend cash.
An employee at the SFX Cinema at Central Festival Pattaya Beach also
said the lifting of the coup has had little overall impact. During the
curfew, she said, people simply went to the movies during the day.
Pattaya was the first of Thailand’s tourist destinations to get curfew
relief, but by June 8, the National Center for Peace and Order had ended
the curfew in almost all the country’s main destinations for travelers,
including Phuket, Koh Samui, Cha-am, Hua Hin, Krabi, Phang Nga, Koh
Chang, Koh Phangan, and Huay Yai.
A clerk at a Pattaya
7-Eleven store said tourists again were crowding in, looking for
night-time snacks, now that the curfew has been lifted.
