Jomtien Beach vendors are rolling out the welcome mat for domestic tourists, urging Thais and expats to visit despite a lack of organized tourism events in Pattaya.
Sarawuth Sittithum, who rents out beach chairs and umbrellas, said Feb. 15 that the second coronavirus shutdown badly damaged trade and domestic travelers have not returned yet, despite Pattaya being open again for two weeks.
On weekdays, beach vendors are seeing only five percent of their chairs full, although weekends are better, Sarawuth said.
Bars and pubs are open, albeit only until 11 p.m., and only a handful of Covid-19 cases have been reported in Chonburi in the past three weeks. Beach vendors take all required safety precautions, he said.
Although Pattaya still isn’t organizing big tourism-driving events, it’s still a great time to visit Pattaya, Sarawuth said. With relatively few people over the past year, Jomtien Beach’s environment has rebounded, with clear water and sand.
