With the day off, workers across the region celebrated Labor Day by going to Pattaya to relax, but many spent their holiday sitting in traffic.
Cars moved at a snail’s pace underneath the scorching heat on Sukhumvit Road and arteries leading into the city. Some opted for a shorter route paralleling the railroad tracks, which proved faster than the highway. Police officers and volunteers held red lights longer than three minutes to allow the majority of traffic to pass, but frustrating those on connecting roads to no end.
Beaches and shopping malls were packed, with Thais mixing with Russian, South Korean and Japanese tour groups.
Holiday traffic in Pattaya continues to get worse by the year, as shown here during this year’s relatively minor Labor Day holiday May 1.
Beach vendor Piankhwan Sahawut, 46, said May Day would bring her 10,000 baht revenue with others earning up to 50 percent more. Most Thais were visiting from elsewhere, she said, enjoying a work-free day on the ocean.
May Day has been Thailand’s official Labor Day holiday since 1978.
