PATTAYA, Thailand – As the city continues to host flashy events, firework festivals, concerts, and themed parades in a bid to boost tourism and showcase “soft power,” not everyone is celebrating. One long-term foreign visitor, Alan French, has penned a heartfelt and direct letter to Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet, voicing a concern that many residents — Thai and foreign alike — have increasingly echoed: Pattaya is losing its balance between spectacle and substance.
In a letter titled simply “Dear Sir,” Alan French appeals for a refocus on the basics: infrastructure, services, and the quality of life for those who actually live in Pattaya year-round.
‘Maybe if this mayor would do his job and attend to the local infrastructure and services instead of wasting taxpayers’ money on vanity projects like festivals etc. every other week that only encourage traffic from afar — which Pattaya can’t deal with — along with its attendant pollution, traffic clogged sois and general chaos and disruption, then Pattaya may begin to become a pleasant place to live.
So far this mayor’s performance in looking after the interests of the residents of Pattaya has been abysmal.
Oh for the return of the pre-pandemic Pattaya – At least back then things appeared to be more organized and Pattaya a more pleasant place to live even with all its apparent faults. Now the city is going from bad to worse under this administration.’
French’s concerns reflect a growing unease among many long-term visitors and locals who feel the city is prioritizing image over infrastructure. While the festivals may provide short-term entertainment and tourist spending, they do little to solve year-round issues like traffic congestion, unchecked development, poor drainage, noise pollution, and weak enforcement of existing regulations.
“It’s not that we don’t appreciate events,” said one local guesthouse owner. “But how can we welcome more people when our roads are broken, our sois are flooded, and there’s no place to park?”
French’s call is not one of anger, but of frustration mixed with affection for a city he clearly cares about. He, like many others, is urging city leadership to think beyond stage lights and fireworks — and to return focus to the foundations that make a city livable.
