Bars and restaurants may be closed. There’s nowhere to get a massage and the fireworks were canceled. But some tourists still braved shut-down Pattaya and went to the beach on Koh Larn.
A surprising number of visitors boarded ferries to the resort island Dec. 31, many saying they had come from upcountry to Pattaya for a New Year’s that turned out quieter than they expected.
Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome said as many as 30 percent of the tourists originally expected to visit the city over the holiday still came, despite the shutdown. They are all subject to strict safety protocols, including mask use, temperature screenings and social distancing.
