It's Getting Worse...More Shops Closing Down

[Pattaya Spotter 1,091]

It's really amazing how central Pattaya and the Darkside, while a part if the same urban area are such different places. Being a Darksider, I don't spend as little time as I can in the "city," mainly just coming over occasionally to a favorite resto, doing computer/electronics shopping, or visiting Central Beach Mall. Once or twice a month I'll also come over for a bar crawl. 

 

If I never came over to Pattaya City I'd hardly know there was a pandemic about or that Chinese visitors are no longer in town. More or less all business are open on the Darkside. However, it is gloomier by the week in the city. On my last pass through a couple weeks ago, I'd estimate 50-60% of the businesses along the main arterials were closed. On a drive down Second Road tonite, from the base of Pratumnak Hill to North Pattaya Road, at least 70-80% of the businesses are shut down. Central Beach was empty at 7 p.m. How many will re-open when this is all over who can say. Vast swaths of town are closed...how much more can Pattaya take?

[FarFlungFalang 7,702]

20 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

.how much more can Pattaya take?

By your estimates Pattaya could take another 20-30% before reaching 100% closure. 

[sezze 322]

No tourists , so yes it will get worse . As long as no tourists allowed and/or vaccines are widespread available , do not expect it to change . My guess , at least 1y more ...

[BigStar 1,234]

2 hours ago, sezze said:

No tourists , so yes it will get worse . As long as no tourists allowed and/or vaccines are widespread available , do not expect it to change . My guess , at least 1y more ...

TAT: TVF has always refused to acknowledge the existence of domestic tourism and obviously still does. Do not expect it change. Actually, though, things are vastly better than during the lockdown and, as adjustments continue, aren't overall appreciably worse than a mere 2 weeks ago. Weekends and holidays are best for the reason that can't exist, so that's indeed puzzling. But the big news is the Thai gov't is considering measures to loosen the fat purse strings of the remaining Big Spenders, those real economic engines of Thailand:

 

 

Now if this happens we can expect many more businesses to open. 

Edited September 2 by BigStar

[Poet 1,414]

9 minutes ago, BigStar said:

TAT: TVF has always refused to acknowledge the existence of domestic tourism and obviously still does. Do not expect it change.

In the context of businesses being able to remain open, he clearly meant "no tourists with money".

Domestic tourists clearly have different tastes and levels of expenditure. Businesses that have evolved over many years to appeal to foreign tastes do not do so well with Thai tourists.

[warcy 249]

As long as the government fellows still get their salaries paid every month to their bank accounts, this situation of business closing is ignored.

 

After all, the domestic tourism can prop them up, implies the government.

Edited September 2 by warcy

[BigStar 1,234]

14 minutes ago, Poet said:

In the context of businesses being able to remain open, he clearly meant "no tourists with money".

Yup. That's the reason that Thais can't be tourists: we don't allow that any Thais have money.

 

14 minutes ago, Poet said:

Domestic tourists clearly have different tastes and levels of expenditure. Businesses that have evolved over many years to appeal to foreign tastes do not do so well with Thai tourists.

Yup. Businesses that have evolved over many years, or fewer, to appeal to Thai tastes, or to foreign as well as Thai, do well with Thai tourists and some foreigners still here for whatever reason.

 

Edited September 2 by BigStar

[Poet 1,414]

9 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Yup. That's the reason that Thais can't be tourists: we don't allow that any Thais have money.

No. We acknowledge that Thais have money but generally have better things to spend it on.

For example, Thai families will often go to more expensive restaurants but of a different type. They would consider most of the restaurants in the tourist areas of Pattaya to offer extremely poor quality for the prices charged.
 

 

9 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Yup. Businesses that have evolved over many years, or fewer, to appeal to Thai tastes, or foreign as well as Thai, do well with Thai tourists.

Now you're getting it!

This thread is about the irreperable damage being done to a certain category of businesses, catering to certain categories of customer, and which tend to cluster in certain areas, and which primarily serve the needs of the members of this forum.

Your attempt to pretend that this legitimate observation is some sort of biased refusal to acknowledge a completely different category of customer is irrelevant and inappropriate. I get so tired of these fragile egos who turn everything into an opportunity to signal their virtue.

 

Edited September 2 by Poet

[BigStar 1,234]

9 minutes ago, warcy said:

As long as the government fellows still get their salaries paid every month to their bank accounts, this situation of business closing is ignored.

No. They weekly come out with a new scheme for opening up the country.

 

11 minutes ago, warcy said:

After all, the domestic tourism can prop them up, implies the government.

Seems generally helpful, actually. You may be confusing spending with revenue generated, a common mistake here.

[BigStar 1,234]

41 minutes ago, Poet said:

No. We acknowledge that Thais have money but generally have better things to spend it on.

For example, Thai families will often go to more expensive restaurants but of a different type. They would consider most of the restaurants in the tourist areas of Pattaya to offer extremely poor quality for the prices charged.

No, TAT: TVF says that Thais only spend on som tam and Sangsom and don't stay in hotels & condos. However, if domestic tourists did actually exist, they'd be found, for example, to spend in a full range of Thai & Thai-foreign restos, very much including those in the tourist areas of Pattaya, some which have a high concentration of such. Perhaps OP can't see any of those because Thais are in them. This is commonly the case with shopping malls, where no shoppers have ever been seen.

 

41 minutes ago, Poet said:

This thread is about the irreperable damage being done to a certain category of businesses, catering to a certain category of customers, and which tend to cluster in certain areas, and which primarily serve the needs of the members of this forum.

It isn't as written, but to those who don't acknowledge domestic tourism, it of course must seem so. The businesses throughout Pattaya, and notably those in Central (which the OP specifically mentions), serve the wants and needs of all people, not just members of this forum.

 

41 minutes ago, Poet said:

Your attempt to pretend that this legitimate observation is some sort of biased refusal to acknowledge a completely different category of customer is irrelevant and inappropriate.

Limiting the "category of customer" only to TVF members is simply your own irrelevant and inappropriate restriction, not the OP's, and my observation that about as many businesses are open as 2 weeks ago, with many doing better on weekends and holidays, is a legitimate observation, though puzzling.

 

Edited September 2 by BigStar

[scubascuba3 9,301]

the 500 baht for expats should save the day.

 

Most expats living in central Pattaya are enjoying it, quieter, prices coming down. Yes Thais are abandoning Pattaya, but they'll be back

[thaibeachlovers 29,977]

2 hours ago, Poet said:

No. We acknowledge that Thais have money but generally have better things to spend it on.

For example, Thai families will often go to more expensive restaurants but of a different type. They would consider most of the restaurants in the tourist areas of Pattaya to offer extremely poor quality for the prices charged.
 

 

Now you're getting it!

This thread is about the irreperable damage being done to a certain category of businesses, catering to certain categories of customer, and which tend to cluster in certain areas, and which primarily serve the needs of the members of this forum.

Your attempt to pretend that this legitimate observation is some sort of biased refusal to acknowledge a completely different category of customer is irrelevant and inappropriate. I get so tired of these fragile egos who turn everything into an opportunity to signal their virtue.

 

While it's tragic for those that put their life into businesses that cater exclusively for farang tourists, nature always punishes those that are oblivious to threats to a certain way of life.

Pattaya ( for the farang tourists ) was going to fail anyway IMO, so corona just hurried it up.

The Pattaya that attracted me and others of my ilk was a cheap and cheerful place that was rightly referred to as "fun city". What it had become, IMO, before corona was a fun devoid, congested, shambles and sanuk had left the building.

IMO the blame can be laid at the feet of the city council that sought to convert fun city into some sort of Riviera on Pattaya Bay, but stuffed up everything they touched. The result was a dump on a polluted bay, which was fun for no one.

 

Soooooo, whether it happened in a few years, or now, IMO those businesses that can't convert to the new reality were going to fail anyway.

Pattaya was already popular with Bangkokians on weekends, and I don't see that changing, but I don't see a return to "fun" city under the present city administration.

If they had a clue they would change the business model to accommodating farang retirees with policies that encouraged, rather than discouraged long stay farangs. That might save a few bars too.

Unfortunately the jury is out as to whether they have a clue or not.

[thaibeachlovers 29,977]

2 hours ago, BigStar said:

No, TAT: TVF says that Thais only spend on som tam and Sangsom and don't stay in hotels & condos. However, if domestic tourists did actually exist, they'd be found, for example, to spend in a full range of Thai & Thai-foreign restos, very much including those in the tourist areas of Pattaya, some which have a high concentration of such. Perhaps OP can't see any of those because Thais are in them. This is commonly the case with shopping malls, where no shoppers have ever been seen.

 

It isn't as written, but to those who don't acknowledge domestic tourism, it of course must seem so. The businesses throughout Pattaya, and notably those in Central (which the OP specifically mentions), serve the wants and needs of all people, not just members of this forum.

 

Limiting the "category of customer" only to TVF members is simply your own irrelevant and inappropriate restriction, not the OP's, and my observation that about as many businesses are open as 2 weeks ago, with many doing better on weekends and holidays, is a legitimate observation, though puzzling.

 

It's great to see you back on form. Your posts are always entertaining and I missed you while you were away.

[polpott 1,232]

7 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Once or twice a month I'll also come over for a bar crawl. 

I do my bar crawls on the Darkside. Better, livelier bars over here. Still 2 or 3 decent restaurants in Central Pattaya but no other reason to visit.

[scubascuba3 9,301]

22 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 

The Pattaya that attracted me and others of my ilk was a cheap and cheerful place that was rightly referred to as "fun city". What it had become, IMO, before corona was a fun devoid, congested, shambles and sanuk had left the building.

Pattaya for the expat is the best it's been for years, a pity those out the country can't enjoy it