Pattaya Today
My last visit to Pattaya was August last year. My next visit will probably be next August. And yes, after all these years I see the changes.
Last year someone remarked “Thailand has not changed, it only got more expensive”. Everything is still there. If he had added that there is less nudity in bars, I might have agreed.
Pattaya was built by lonely Western men, and girls who were willing to lay on their backs. That set the culture of the city, and gave it the reputation and outlook of a sleaze town. A bit over a decade ago, a politician remarked that she wanted to change the town into an international beach holiday town for families. At the time, that was a good laugh.
Central Plaza shopping mall came, and that was the first indication of the town changing. At the time, it seemed too luxurious for the city. But it was the first sign of change, and things have continued in that direction. Since Covid, I have the impression that things are moving fast.
Walking Street is also changing fast. Where it used to be gogo bar central, more and more spots are now taken by businesses aimed at the general tourist market. The main gogo bars are still there, but there are more restaurants, more live music venues, dunk-a-lady and similar fun things while a quarter of the street is already taken over by night clubs for Indian men. Thus, the street is moving towards mainstream tourism and a change of demographics. (See YouTube videos from people walking through the street and compare it to 10 – 15 years ago with now.)
The old Pattaya has been moving away from the beach towards around LK Metro and around Soi Buakhao. This part still has the same feel as before. And you see the same kind of lonely Western men there as before. The only addition is that those who are here for a decade or more who are on their first beer when I have my breakfast and who will be on their first beer at that time any day following.
Thus, a city seeking a new identity and it is interesting to see where it will end up.
Will it be worth visiting?
The traditional group of older visitors and expats are complaining. See recent Pattaya Mail references. Also, on a forum which I sometimes check, they used to provide good information about the gogo bars and other bars. Now they only discuss how to find girls online who do everything without condom for 1,000 baht. So, yes, this group will be disappointed. Not so much by Pattaya, but by the general Thai economy moving faster than their income.
I also wonder what the outlook on life is when you look for girls online in a city where there are bar beers with available company on every street corner. For this group, it might indeed be ‘point of no return’ : outpriced and not keeping up with changes. They might stay grumbling, they might move to another developing country and be disappointed again, or they may realize that they live in a town which has many more options for single men than many other places in the world.
For the once a year visitors who do have a decent income, I would argue that the city has improved on many points: there are better restaurants, the beach has doubled in size, apart from gogo bars there are many other types of bars and activities. The feel of the city is less sleazy and feels more like a holiday town. The main gogo bars in Walking Street still have beautiful women. Thus, no need to write off Pattaya just yet. <I agree very much with all of this paragraph – Stick>
For first-time visitors, the city is still magic. Given that they do not have the history, they will see the available options and just accept prices as they are. They will have a blast. The only question is how large this group will be: with changes in Western culture, how many men will still decide to pick up the coat of sex tourist?
For the new groups of single men in the low budget category, I wonder if they can change the image of the city for the worse: some demographics are famous for not spending in bars and negotiating down a girl’s price to ridiculous levels, other demographics are famous for drunk fights etc. This group might be a reason for the higher-ups to fear their idea of a world-class beach destination.
For families, the city is getting better. The sleaze is slowly moving away from the prime areas, and starting from the low numbered sois the city seems more and more designed for families. Welcome, Terminal 21! Also, the changes in Walking Street are more targeted at their needs. And I see more and more promotions for day tours and activities. I guess my laughing at the mayor’s idea was wrong, and in a decade or so she might even be proven right.
To be expected: Pattaya will get more and more divided into zones for different types of tourists: low numbered sois, Beach Road, Walking Street for main stream tourists; soi 6 – 13 & Soi LK Metro & Soi Buakhao for the traditional visitors; a designated area for Indians and to be seen where the single Asian men will go.
It is fascinating to see how this little city changes, and where it ends up. Some things are the same. The Tahitian Queen gogo bar is still going strong on Beach Road. Happy Bar (reader submission 15 March 2013) is gone. So changes will continue. If you are look for the past, stay home. If you are open to explore a lively and dynamic town, Pattaya is still worth spending a few days or many more.
