The tourists have poured into the hot spots, especially Bangkok and Pattaya. For the tourist industry it is always a good thing to have foreigners from all walks of life pouring into Thailand. Despite some testing times Thailand still remains a top destination for millions of travellers.
Pattaya
Down in Pleasure Playground, Walking Street has turned into Crawling Street. It is literally teeming with people and pedestrian traffic is at its highest level. Several long-term expats have told me that they have never seen Pattaya so crammed with foreigners. Pattaya is on a high season high!
Pattaya Walking StreetBangkok
Bangkok is also teeming with tourists, but they consist of a lot of married couples, families and a surprising number of elderly folks. Therefore, the married couples and families are out and about doing the regular rounds, which will include some tourist traps no doubt. I think some old hands here tend to forgot that Bangkok is a BIG draw to those who wish to enjoy classy hotels and restaurants. Also, the sightseeing and shopping opportunities are endless. This leads us to realise that only a minority of this type of tourist are going to be seen partying in the notorious neighbourhoods of Patpong, Soi Cowboy, or Soi Nana.
Nana Plaza Bars in Bangkok
Nana Plaza Bars in Bangkok
Soi Cowboy in BangkokSometimes there appears to be mixed reports with one person saying that there are a lot of tourists and another saying that they think it is quiet. Remember that Bangkok is a HUGE sprawling metropolis and tourists can be in any number of places. One thing you will notice is that the kinds of visitors to Thailand varies much more than it used to. For example, you would not think that families or older people would go to Pattaya for a holiday, but surprisingly a lot of them do.
From Stickman Bangkok:
"It's high season and hotels in the popular tourist spots are packed. The bars aren't however and this confirms a trend which started a few years back and become more obvious in the 2006 / 2007 high season when the mix of visitors to Thailand started to change." ...
"The bar owners screaming that the take was down this year compared to what they made in the silly season last year aren't joking. Most venues were 20-30% down on New Year's Eve compared to last year." ...
"Down in Phuket, prices have been creeping up and it seems that the girls are getting in on the act too. Some of the girls beneath the Tiger Disco in Patong have been demanding barfines of 1,000 baht. Mortgages for the deed itself must be reaching scary levels."
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