Pattaya is open again so it’s time for city hall to start staging big events to draw domestic tourists back to the city, business owners said.
Essentially closed for five weeks, Pattaya has been downgraded to an “orange” coronavirus-watch zone, allowing virtually all businesses to reopen, albeit with limited operating hours.
While the city showed signs of life on its first “open” weekend, as a steady flow of tourists arrived from Bangkok, where bars remain closed and restaurants unable to serve alcohol, the numbers didn’t approach weekends last fall when the city was hopping.
Big events, such as much festivals, street fairs and fireworks shows, drove large numbers of Thais and expats to travel to Pattaya. With things mostly back to “normal” – normal for 2020-21, that is – there’s no reason city officials shouldn’t restart events, business owners said.
Sawinee, a bar owner, said promotional activities do work and that local businesses need all the help they can get.
