The Thai prime minister has prioritized world class tourism in Bangkok and the provinces for her new administration. Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that the emphasis for tourist cities should be on man-made attractions as well as new-style entertainment complexes to appeal to today’s domestic and international vacationers who are looking for something new.
Of course, media critics who continue to slag-off Pattaya as nothing more than a haven for prostitution and crime are smirking already. Indeed, various media both in Thailand and internationally are mostly responsible for the weird notion that Pattaya hasn’t changed in 20 years. Phrases such as “notorious sex industry” or “prostitution ridden” are still in near-universal usage.
The Tourist Authority of Thailand’s Pattaya office is well aware. “Of course, you can find sex tourism here depending on where you look, but the city has changed out of all recognition over the years,” according to the manager. She highlighted five star hotels, family entertainment, sports and music festivals and all the excitement of the Eastern Economic Corridor hub which has invested heavily in Pattaya’s road communications with the area.
The government’s new emphasis on man-made destinations goes much further than traditional features such as the Sanctuary of Truth, Nong Nooch Garden and the etched Golden Buddha Mountain. The new generation includes the Ramayana waterpark in Na Jomtien which is said to be Thailand’s biggest with space to occupy 700 tennis courts, the small European country village mall known as A La Campagne and a wholly reconstructed Naklua town center.
Not to mention in various locations Hotel Transylvania, floating cafes, underwater worlds, snorkeling for beginners, dinosaurs for the asking and swinging through the trees like Tarzan. Some features have failed to materialize, such as Rubberland with its simulated rubber forest, permanently closed according to Google. Hotels are changing too. The luxurious Grand Centre Point in north Pattaya boasts an inside spaceship building known as the Astro Club.
The government’s promise to combine with the private sector to fund entertainment complexes obviously means casinos. They won’t be standalone gambling palaces but mixed use centers to include hotels, restaurants, children’s entertainment and relaxing options on a grand scale. The most likely location near Pattaya will be in the fast-developing area of U-Tapao airport near Rayong. None the less, a key government aim with licensed gambling will be to divert to home territory those rich Thais who currently spend extravagantly in casinos in neighboring countries.
Six years ago Pattaya’s local authority announced the arrival of neo or new Pattaya to replace the traditional version which relied exclusively on night entertainment. The arrival of covid in 2019 led to Pattaya becoming a ghost city. The neo notion was not picked up post-covid as city businesses began ever so slowly to rise again from the desolation. Now that tourism and investment are both picking up again in 2024, Pattaya is expected to continue her transition. To be absolutely sure, come back in 2034.
