PATTAYA, Thailand – For Pattaya’s regular visitors and long-term residents, the prospect of around 5,000 US military personnel descending on the city may produce a reaction somewhere between “Great for business!” and “Wait, that’s my bar stool.” For businesses struggling through a quiet end to August, the arrival of thousands of potential customers sounds like welcome news. Restaurants, bars, shops, taxis and other businesses could all benefit from an influx of visitors with money to spend. But for Pattaya’s regular crowd, there may be a slightly different calculation.
Imagine arriving at your favorite bar on your usual Wednesday evening, expecting the same seat, the same drink and the same familiar faces — only to discover that your favorite chair has been occupied by a sailor who arrived 20 minutes earlier. The table you normally claim? Gone. Your favorite restaurant? Packed. The taxi queue? Suddenly much longer. Even the familiar faces you normally see every evening could be replaced temporarily by thousands of new ones.
Of course, nobody owns a particular bar stool, restaurant table or stretch of Walking Street. Pattaya is a tourism city, and when visitors arrive, the whole point is for local businesses to welcome them.
And 5,000 extra potential customers could be a very welcome sight for businesses that have been complaining about slow trade. Still, there is an amusing question for Pattaya’s regulars: Would you be happy to see the city packed again — even if it means giving up your usual seat for a few nights?
For some, the answer will undoubtedly be: Bring on the sailors. For others, it might simply be: Fine — but leave my seat alone.
