Pattaya-area beaches on Wednesdays have taken on a look not seen in decades as beach vendors remove all their deck chairs and umbrellas to comply with a new government policy.
The policy, which requires beach vendors to remove their chairs and umbrellas every Wednesday, took effect Jan. 14, with both Thai and foreign beachgoers offering mixed opinions of wide-open scenery that made Pattaya Beach look almost as it did in the 1970s.
Lampai Nonkratok, David Vicary and John Smith share their opinions about the new no deck chair and umbrella Wednesdays.
Lampai Nonkratok, who came from Buriram with her foreign boyfriend and other pals, said chair-free Wednesdays were both good and bad.
Some people, she said, preferred a natural beach and the sun. And big groups would find it much cheaper to go to the beach when they don’t have to rent chairs for everyone.
Beachgoers can now sit on the sand, their own towel or rent a mat for the day for 50 baht.
However, she added, most foreign tourists prefer the shade and want chairs and umbrellas instead of sitting in the sun.
Lampai said she thinks the once-a-week system is fair to both people, with beach-chair fans getting six days a week to enjoy the beach.
Tourists on Pattaya Beach at approximately 3 p.m.
David Vicary and John Smith from England both said that they have been living in Pattaya for more than 17 years and are regulars to Jomtien Beach. They won’t be coming back on Wednesdays anymore, however.
They said they thought chair-free Wednesdays were great for people who prefer to sit wherever they want and enjoy the scenery. They admitted the beaches are a lot cleaner – vendors are required to clean every Wednesday – and the open scenery makes the beach more relaxing.
However, they both said they prefer to relax on deck chairs and in the shade because they don’t really like the sun. So, on Wednesdays, they’ll find something else to do, they said.
