Nearly two years after beach chairs and umbrellas were banned from Pattaya beaches once a week, the debate rages on whether “no chair Wednesdays” is good for the economy.
Displaced vendors and beachgoers were discussing the state of affairs on central Pattaya Beach Sept. 20, a Wednesday on which sellers had little to do.
Vendors complained they’re already suffering from slow times and that they make no money on Wednesdays at all.
The government instituted its chair-free policy in late 2015 as part of its campaign to restore the country’s beaches to the public. The once-a-week prohibition on chairs and umbrellas was a concession by the junta, which had banned chairs permanently from Phuket and other beaches.
Pattaya’s officials, at the time, told beach vendors they should be relieved they could continue working on the beach at all. But two years later, the vendors seem to have forgotten their lucky escape.
Now they’re questioning why officials continue to prohibit umbrellas from beaches on Wednesdays when people aren’t using the open sand.
Perhaps they should ask the generals if they want an umbrella or not. That might finally end the debate.
