Wiwat Pattanasin (center),
president of the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association, presides over
the conference.
Phasakorn Channgam
While the latest Pattaya Grand Sale promotion has
brought more shoppers to Pattaya, the city’s inability to manage
flooding threatens tourism growth, the head of the Pattaya Business &
Tourism Association said.
At the PBTA’s Sept. 14 meeting, President Wiwat
Pattanasin reported that 28,000 people have registered for Grand Sale
discount cards since June, up from 15,000 last year. The promotion,
which runs through the end of this month, is expected to attract 30,000
card registrants in all.
Wiwat said the program, aimed at attracting more
tourists to Pattaya with discounts on shopping, restaurants, hotels and
sports activities, is a positive sign for low-season tourism.
Less positive, he added, is Pattaya’s continuing
problem with floods, exacerbated by inadequate and poorly maintained
infrastructure. Many businesses were damaged in the Sept. 10-11 monsoon
and the consequence of the flooding is still evident, even though most
of the water has receded.
He said businesses who suffered serious losses should
contact the PBTA, which is working with Pattaya officials to arrange
city compensation.
