Pattaya hotels were nearly at full capacity during the year-end holidays, a promising sign for high season, the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association said.
Group President Ekasit Ngampichet said Jan. 6 that occupancy rates were at or near 100 percent for Pattaya hotels during the Christmas and New Year holidays, with the expanded, two-day Pattaya Countdown contributing to the surge in business.
Visitor numbers in Pattaya were up overall, with a mix of Thais and foreigners, particularly Asian tourists traveling alone, not in tour groups.
Tourism officials love the so-called FIT, or “free and independent traveler”, because they spend more money on average than package tourists. So while the overall number of Chinese tourists have fallen, due to tour operators cancelling trips to Thailand for safety concerns, the Chinese travelers coming on their own are more beneficial to the local economy.
Pattaya officials are packing the calendar with events to keep up the momentum.
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