Pattaya hopes to boost tourists by resuming late-night activities.

The mayor of Pattaya expects a transition from domestic to international tourists as domestic tourists’ buying power has been declining, but citing a shortage of international aircraft routes as a current barrier to an international tourism boom and requesting assistance. In 2019, Pattaya had more than 300 billion baht in tourism revenue before the pandemic, with 5 million domestic visitors in addition to 2 million Chinese visitors and sizeable numbers from Russia, South Korea, and India. The city is happy with the improving trend in visitor numbers and is anticipating upcoming events that are generally well-attended by tourists, even though the mayor does not foresee a full tourism recovery to the pre-pandemic era. Poramet Ngampichet, the mayor of Pattaya, praised the concession and forecast that it would draw tourists from all over the world, including 3–4 million from India and the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and other countries. He thinks that because Pattaya’s renowned club and bar scene can now last into the night, these tourists will significantly boost the local economy. During the first four months of this year, Pattaya received just 65,000 foreign visitors; but, after the Test & Go program was terminated in May, an additional 40,000 visitors arrived in a single month. Thailand may have reopened, but there aren’t many international flights there right now, therefore the Ministry of Tourism and Sports must provide support.
Pattaya is expecting a spike in tourists as a result of the government eliminating another another Covid-19 restriction and allowing nightlife to operate until 2 am. The well-known Pattaya fireworks festival will be held in November along with other events. The 3.8 million tourists to Pattaya, the majority of whom took advantage of the government’s “We Travel Together” program, which reduced hotel rates, brought in over 22 billion baht in revenue between January and April of 2022. The Pattaya Music Festival and the Pattaya Marathon, scheduled for July 18 and 19, will both take place this month.