What Tourists think about Pattaya

A contemporary interview with local tourist by Elfi Seitz

Birgit and Rudi Wagner, both from Munich, Germany, have been visiting Pattaya for the past 10 years. Starting last year, they have been renting a house so they are able to spend all their vacation time- about three times a year - in Pattaya. Their three children, Melanie, Richard and Sabrina are always with them.
Asked about the changes Pattaya went through in those ten years, Rudi told Pattaya Mail: “One very positive change is the increase in department stores. Everything is available now and at much lower prices than in Germany. The whole infrastructure in Thailand is much better than before.”
Q: What do you think about the cleanliness of Pattaya?
A: Even though it is much cleaner than many years ago, it still needs a lot of improvement. People shouldn’t throw the garbage next to the streets. Especially in small Soi’s.
Q: How about the beaches in Pattaya?
A: I like this question. I think it’s a shame that all the straw shelters are gone from the beaches. Do the people at City Hall who ordered this believe plastic shelters are better? They probably do not know what the word environment means. The beaches are cleaner but still need much more effort to make them attractive for tourists again.
Q: Since you have been visitors to Pattaya for many years, what do you think about the traffic?
A: It’s horrible. Nobody, neither cars nor motorbikes, knows anything about traffic regulations. Crossing the streets is like running for your life. I have talked to many other tourists and all think that Beach Road should become a pedestrian zone. Cars should only be allowed during certain hours for delivery. By the way, there are too many taxis in this town. Half of them would be plenty and they should take a test - like in Europe - to be able to bring tourists there where they really want to go. Right now, the communication between taxi-drivers and tourists is very poor and some of them don’t even know many places. Many have arrived fresh from Isan or somewhere else up-country and just start to drive taxis without any knowledge of where they are. Its bad for their customers.
Q: What is your attitude of the so called “Sex Tourism”?
A: Pattaya has been trying for the past few years to get away from that cliché and likes to promote family tourism instead. There are many Farang families living in Pattaya and we do believe the press all over the world is very unfair towards Pattaya. Some of them say the same about Pattaya as they say about Bangkok: ‘These places are un-roofed brothels.’ We believe these journalists have never been here before or they are going through their own towns with their eyes closed. If someone likes to find those kind of places, he sure can, but if someone doesn’t like to be bothered with it, nobody is harassing them. In the middle of the red-light-zone, in South Pattaya, are many of those spirit houses and some can see bargirls there, offering food and praying. I myself have traveled all around the world but have never seen anything like that before.
Q: Thank you very much for this interesting interview. Just one last question, what do you like most here?
A: The food! It’s so delicious! The people! They are genuinely friendly. That’s one of the main reasons why we keep coming back. Arriving in Pattaya is like coming home.

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Monika and Dieter Roth, from Oberursel (near Frankfurt) Germany are almost Pattayans already. Dieter has been coming regularly for the past 30 years and Monika came for the first time in 1978, and since then she has returned every year at the same time.

Q: What do you think about Pattaya? Have there been changes?
A: Oh, yes. First of all the Beach Promenade. It’s lovely now. It makes a good impression. On the other hand, the traffic has gotten out of hand. It’s almost like in Bangkok. The air is polluted and to cross a street takes all the courage in the world. But here in our hotel in North-Pattaya, we feel fine and at home. We know the Manager and his wife very well, they became good friends during the last years. Of course it helps because they are both German’s too.
Q: Do you feel secure walking on Pattaya’s streets?
A: Like we said before, the traffic doesn’t make you feel safe, but otherwise we don’t see any problem. Here in Pattaya, we can walk on the streets in the middle of the night without being bothered - we wouldn’t dare do that in Frankfurt. If people see us walking here, they usually try to help us, for they believe we can not find our way back.
Q: What do you think about tourism in Pattaya?
A: We think it became quite bad. Many years ago the streets were packed with tourists and now the kind of tourists has changed as well. Very average people. Special offer tours. It might be because there are so many more destinations in Thailand now where tourists can go.
Q: Actually I wouldn’t have to ask this question but, what do you think about Thai people?
A: If we didn’t love them, we would not have come here for so many years already. They are usually very friendly, open hearted and nice. But lately you can find some who don’t know how to smile anymore. Probably they have learned too much from Europeans.
Q: As I can see, you are more like the old fashioned Thais and not like Europeans anymore for you both smile a lot. How about Thai food?
A: Mmmh! Mouthwatering just to talk about it. We both love it and in Germany we like to take every opportunity to go and dine in a Thai Restaurant.
Q: Thank you so much. It was really nice talking to you. Sawasdee ka.
A: Kop Khun mak ka. Sawasdee ka.

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Sally Rowe, from Derby in England, is more or less a “greenhorn” in Pattaya. This year she came for the second time to visit her parents, who live and work here.
Q: Sally, what do you think about the people in Pattaya?
A: Oh, they are lovely. Very friendly and open. I found myself a few friends already. I think Thai men are very attractive. I love it here.
Q: Does the “Sex tourism” bother you?
A: Not really, even though I believe Pattaya is more a town for single tourists and not so much for families. You know, Pattaya has been taken out of the brochures of all the big tour organizations in England because of all that talk about sex-tourism. If my parents weren’t living here, I wouldn’t have dared to book a flight to Pattaya. Like I mentioned before, I love it here, but as soon as I am married and have children, I won’t come back. The beaches are polluted. Every-thing is dirty. I wouldn’t like my children to see all this. The culture and everything is so different from England, I couldn’t take the responsibility. Especially seeing all those very old guys with very young Thai girls and worse, with little boys. It doesn’t bother me but I could never let my children face it.
Q: Wow, that was quite hard. Do you believe that tourism in Pattaya can be saved?
A: Only if more families come. Right now tourism is not as good as it was last year. I believe a lot has to be changed, otherwise Pattaya is going down the drain.