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Long-suffering tourism businesses in Pattaya are wishing every weekend could be a long holiday weekend.
In stark contrast to most of this low season, recent holiday weekends have seen Pattaya come alive again, albeit with Thai tourists, not foreign visitors. During these long weekends, hotels have reported occupancy rates of better than 70 percent, beach chair vendors have been soaking it up and Thai restaurants have been full. Business owners credit the Pattaya government’s aggressive promotion campaign that has seen Beach Road play host most weekends to outdoor shopping stalls, concerts and other events, such as last weekend’s International Fireworks Contest. Also spurring Thai tourism is the Pattaya Grand Sale campaign sponsored by the city and various sports, hotel and retail associations.