Gay Boy Thailand

High season tourists down by 50%
Pattaya Mail 15 November 2008
Ariyawat Nuamsawat

Tourist arrivals in Pattaya have decreased by more than 50% in this high season from the number this time last year and the outlook is not encouraging, according to the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association. Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t talk about it

I see people in Pattaya are talking about the crime situation in the city in more grim terms than ever.

I have been pondering doing a trip to Sin City now that the high season supposedly is here, but I am putting it off. The last few times I have been to Pattaya I felt that the vibe of the place had changed. It was more aggressive. I was taking verbal abuse from strangers, both foreigners and Thais, for the tiniest of reasons. Has “f### you” become the universal greeting these days?

Rudeness need not be dangerous but it is an indication of the overall civility of a place. In the case of Pattaya it seems to have been declining for years.

If I go back I will avoid Walking Street, Beach Road and 2nd Street at night and stick to gay areas like Boyz Town and Sunee Plaza, where it still felt OK as long as the bars were open.

Pattaya City protested recently against a Belgian (Flemish) newspaper which wrote that Pattaya was a sleazy place instead of the family destination the city wants it to be. Authorities also tell the Thai media that they should not report so much bad news as it is negative for tourism and Thailand’s image. A typical Thai “save face” solution.

So how will this high season be?

Thailand has allowed the baht to rise with the US dollar after the financial crisis. This means that for Europeans and Australians, among others, Thailand is suddenly more expensive for just about everyone except Americans (who are a small part of arrivals).

American dollar to Thai baht

Euro to Thai baht

Australian dollar to Thai baht

So there you have it. Political unrest, effects of the global financial crisis and Pattaya’s deteriorating reputation adds up to a poor outlook for the 2008/2009 season.

Here is a discussion about Pattaya’s problem in Pattaya Daily News >>

No sleaze here

Mayor sees red after Belgian “sex city” report
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Pattaya Mail 17th October 2008

A special report in a Belgian newspaper labeling Pattaya a “sex city” has sent Pattaya City Hall into a spin.
The Flemish-language newspaper “Het Laatste Nieuws”, with a circulation of 250,000, told its readers that Pattaya was a large sex capital abundant with prostitutes who solicited sex for 250-1000 baht.

Pattaya City is requesting cooperation from the Banglamung District, Pattaya and Banglamung police stations to be more vigilant in checking licenses of go-go bars and pubs to ensure that they are operating within the law.
This is to prevent a bad overall image of our tourism, the mayor said.

I had a sullen taxi driver today. When I saw his grumpy face I considered making up some excuse and not go with him. But he was not dangerous, only in a bad mood. Read the rest of this entry »

Falling

Pattaya Mail wrote yesterday that tourist arrivals in Sin City are down 30%. Since Thai authorities don’t like to publish bad news or negative statistics things must be grim when they admit this. Read the rest of this entry »

Asia

Here is a piece of politically incorrect research. It is a ranking of some Asian countries from the straight s** tourist site slyguide.com, based on how their readers have voted. Higher numbers mean better score. Read the rest of this entry »