While the latest Pattaya Grand Sale promotion has brought more shoppers to Pattaya, the city’s inability to manage flooding threatens tourism growth, the head of the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association said.
At the PBTA’s Sept. 14 meeting, President Wiwat Pattanasin reported that 28,000 people have registered for Grand Sale discount cards since June, up from 15,000 last year. The promotion, which runs through the end of this month, is expected to attract 30,000 card registrants in all.
Wiwat Pattanasin (center), president of the Pattaya Business & Tourism Association, presides over the conference.
Wiwat said the program, aimed at attracting more tourists to Pattaya with discounts on shopping, restaurants, hotels and sports activities, is a positive sign for low-season tourism.
Less positive, he added, is Pattaya’s continuing problem with floods, exacerbated by inadequate and poorly maintained infrastructure. Many businesses were damaged in the Sept. 10-11 monsoon and the consequence of the flooding is still evident, even though most of the water has receded.
He said businesses who suffered serious losses should contact the PBTA, which is working with Pattaya officials to arrange city compensation.
