Pattaya Songkran: Hotel bookings well down as tourists stay away

[mrfill]

2 hours ago, SammyT said:

Clearly my interests don't lie elsewhere, otherwise I probably wouldn't have commented. 

 

So all those old men in soi 6 and 7 are here on golf trips?

Yes - they're just checking out the bunkers and inspecting their woods before they go out and fill a few holes.

[ExpatPH]

4 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Hang on a minute, where are all the families we hear so much about that just can't stay away from the World Class Resort?

 

And where are all the expats that used to live here for many years?

 

[Jim walker]

Time to get the prices up keep the profit the same

[mrfill]

1 hour ago, Kim J said:

Given that there was recently elections held in Thailand, maybe people are staying away fearing the military coup that usually follows?

Seeing as holidays are often booked weeks or months in advance, avoiding a time where there are elections, severe weather and loonies throwing iced concrete would seem sensible.

[ttrd]

RE - And where are all the expats that used to live here for many years?

 

Some have moved up north with their bar-girlfriends to build a house on their families plot and some have ended their lives - in a natural way or With a little help  ...

[thesetat2013]

The chinese are not coming because airline prices are tripled for that weekend.. i know because i have been trying to find a reasonable ticket. 

[beautifulthailand99]

1 hour ago, johng50 said:

Myself and a few of my mates have been coming to Pattaya/bangkok 2 to 3 times a year for the last 6 years. this year we are going to cambodia and then next trip to the philippines, why, because we spend a lot of money, most of us including me are retired or semi retired, and yes we come for the bars and music and girls, and the food and relaxation, but dealing with crooked cops numerous times ( plus we have given up hiring any form of motorbike or jetski or basically hiring anything except pussy) trying to be ripped off by bars and anything that breaths, we are over this place, not much fun banging a bargirl and shes either picking her nose or browsing her phone. They also could do with a good bath, they smell, must be all the spice they eat coming thru the body pores. Anyway going by what some other friends have told us, cambodia ( and vietnam) and the philippines s++t all over thailand for friendliness, less corruption and great friendly women and so much cheaper,( more bangs for your bucks) sorry thailand you have only yourselves to blame for losing tourists, wake up and be grateful people want to come and spend big. Many aussies, including families are so disappointed when returning from a holiday saying never again, a lot go to pattaya thinking its a family resort with a tropical beach, boy are they disappointed. wake up thailand, bali is a s++thole but even thats better than thailand now.

Bad boys out good guys in....

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, CGW said:

You may be "astounded" to know that Pattaya has 30+ international standard golf courses and many first class restaurants also, but appears your interests lie elsewhere? ????

And for those who, like me, do not want to knock a little white ball into a hole ???????

[Lupatria]

A water park. That's an idea showing up when the chimps run the circus. Greed, corruption, fraud, and incompetence lead to this mess.

[aspenbkk]

Europeans and others deserting thailand in droves ! Vietnam full and other countries Busy as many fed up of being ripped off here . i have been down the beach for the last week it is EMPTY every day thais sitting bored asking people walking down beach road come sit down and very little chinese and still i look and they say record numbers coming to Thailand . Get A Life Immigration ! your Country Needs Europeans Americans Australians to keep Laundries Taxis and Bars and cafes open as Chinese Arabs and Indians Spending nothing here in those places  ? your goverment should give free visas to the people who spend the money here and keep people in employment they people i mentioned , its the Same old Story the rich Get Richer And the Poor Suffer Here.

[Sydebolle]

I am surprised that anybody at all is going to the city of corruption, pollution and rip offs. Look at the beach in front of the Hilton hotel, the nightly "nuisance" with Khon Thai of the third gender, the inability to take a taxi with a meter, staying at a 5* hotel but shuttle in the back of converted blue cattle carrier overcharging the passengers, the rude or sloppy welcome (if at all) by vendors, the over pricing and the under performing .......

 

[4675636b596f75]

Memories.  Garbage in the water, tampons floating by, it reminds one of the scenes from Schindler's List.

[Slipperyone]

4 hours ago, madmen said:

Many are now in air bnb as it just gets bigger and impossible to control and at 3000 baht referral fee Ive already converted quite a few condo owners.

But who in their right minds would expose themselves to 10 days of ice water hammering from buckets ? It gets kind of old after day 3

Gets old after 3 minutes . Avoid Thailand at this time of year .

[4675636b596f75]

2 minutes ago, Slipperyone said:

Avoid Thailand at this time of year .

Come to Bangkok.  It's a ghost town at this time of year.  Everyone has migrated back to the S**tholes from whence they came.  I'm curious, does anyone not know the word I didn't write because I masked two letters?

[Kat2000]

That’s not even Pattaya beach, it’s Jomtien. Pattaya beach doesn’t have tourists these days. 

[johng]

Sootholes ? Scatholes ?

[sydneyjed]

Tourists used to come to Thailand for a cheaper holiday than Europe,Oz or other so called cheap travel destinations such as Bali.Take Samui for example a sad shadow of what was once an Island Paradise gone horribly wrong and  now way too expensive and unaffordable for your normal tourist!In the last twelve months the Thai Baht has risen at an alarming rate against other major currencies and with many countries suffering economically this has certainly made people look/go else where for value for money.10$ AUD a bottle of beer in Nana Plaza has certainly made me look else where  that's for sure!

[4675636b596f75]

1 minute ago, johng said:

Sootholes ? Scatholes ?

I can't tell.

[moe666]

My wife manages a hotel here in CM bookings way down even a few call in cancellations. Bookings are picking up for around June 

[balo]

2 hours ago, johng said:

his afternoon 10th April I saw first car covered in "white Songkran paste"   so this year  it will be 9 days of water throwing..

I thought it would start this weekend?  Because I am planning to do a lot of outdoor activities tomorrow .  

 

[ttrd]

4 minutes ago, moe666 said:

My wife manages a hotel here in CM bookings way down even a few call in cancellations. Bookings are picking up for around June 

Providing free dustmasks may trigger the bookings … 

[raccos21]

Not many tourists are coming so need to flash back what happened.

[jesimps]

I visited Kanchanaburi last year with wife and daughter to get away from Pattaya Songkran, thought it would be quieter. I was soooo wrong. Even though the resort we stayed was outside of town, there was base-heavy music booming out from early morning until late night from the surrounding areas. In the town it was chaos, especially the older areas with the narrow streets. We payed a visit to the war cemetary and museum, but it was also chaos around there, one of the main areas for celebration seemed to be all along one side of the cemetary. I was even charged more than my Thai wife and daughter to enter the museum, but that's another story. Add to that getting stuck in the celebrations in Bangkok and Bang Saen, where I had to drop my daughter back at uni. Never again! This year I'm venturing no further than my garden wall.

[sawadee1947]

5 hours ago, SammyT said:

I'm still astounded that tourists (other than those who want to get their end away) actually go to Pattaya - the beach sucks, the nightlife (if girlie bars aren't your thing) sucks and if you believe the media reports, it's full of violent taxi drivers. 

Hey but if you are looking for the last thrill then you are right there : Get murdered Or raped or both in a breathtaking way.... you will never forget 

[CGW]

51 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

And for those who, like me, do not want to knock a little white ball into a hole ???????

You need to talk with the poster who I was replying too, he appears to have found all the seedy spots in town ???? 

Failing that - there are plenty of temples & waterparks ...

[SuwadeeS]

Here are some facts:

 

First, over many years Pattaya rip off a lot of foreigners.

 

Second, the immigration did a lot of changing, new regulation and rules.

 

As a matter of fact, many other asian countries look at the mistakes done by the sometimes fascist culture. The other countries got the conclusion, that they have to treat the tourists nice, because they bring a lot of money to the local economy.

Look at the surrounding countries. They get all your tourist. 

 

Thailand cheated them away, with over and dual pricing.

I do not care what the TAT shows on fake tourist numbers.

Who is going to believe them anyway?

[Jiggo]

Songkran.....grossly overrated experience anyway.

 

[Kadilo]

3 hours ago, SammyT said:

Clearly my interests don't lie elsewhere, otherwise I probably wouldn't have commented. 

 

So all those old men in soi 6 and 7 are here on golf trips?

According to their missus at home

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

And the red lights at night so after a few beers the thousand baht notes look like a hundred. The scamming is everywhere

I keep those in a separate department of my wallet....that won't happen again.

[Olmate]

49 minutes ago, 4675636b596f75 said:

Come to Bangkok.  It's a ghost town at this time of year.  Everyone has migrated back to the S**tholes from whence they came.  I'm curious, does anyone not know the word I didn't write because I masked two letters?

And the s**thole you hail from, how,s that doing?