PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya authorities recently cleared Walking Street of foreign flower sellers and beggars in an effort to “protect tourism” and maintain the city’s image as a safe and welcoming destination. While officials emphasized the operation was intended to safeguard local employment and ensure compliance with regulations, many foreign visitors have expressed skepticism about the move, questioning whether removing beggars and street vendors is an effective solution to deeper issues like rising violence, corruption, and inadequate tourism infrastructure.
Some tourists noted that beggars in Pattaya, often children or young foreigners, are not aggressive and can easily be ignored, unlike in other countries. The city has long faced recurring cycles where street vendors and beggars are removed from key areas only to return once police focus elsewhere. Observers pointed out that the flower sellers, often Khmer nationals, have been a fixture of early-morning activity outside popular venues, and some suggested replacing them with vendors offering everyday items like drinking straws, soap, and deodorant, which could contribute more practically to tourism needs.
While some tourists found humor in the idea of a temporarily “empty” Walking Street, others acknowledged that the authorities’ focus seemed misdirected, addressing surface-level appearances rather than addressing systemic challenges, such as the safety and exploitation of vulnerable children. There was also recognition that, for the city’s ladyboys and other performers, the temporary absence of aggressive child vendors may have created a safer environment. Overall, foreign tourists’ perceptions reflect frustration with Pattaya’s ongoing struggle to balance tourism promotion with genuine social protection and urban management.
