It was a rare sight to see at least three major events held in Pattaya on the same day in 2020, but locals and domestic tourists were spoiled for choice of both activity and attire on Oct. 31 with Halloween, Loy Krathong and the Bikini Run all taking place.
Some wore scary costumes. Some wore traditional Thai outfits. Some wore swimsuits, at least part of the time. Some wore a mix of all three for a “Krathongloween” look.
One big positive from the weekend was the shakeup in the accommodations market. Hotels, guesthouses and daily apartments all reported very strong bookings, especially the two- and three-star venues. Thais tended to stay in the Jomtien Beach area Saturday night.
Phisut Sae-khu, resident manager of Pattaya’s Asia Hotel and president of Thailand Hotels Association Eastern Chapter, noted that Pattaya has been woefully quiet since the end of the coronavirus lockdown, but showed signs of life in October, driven by government-subsidized travel campaigns and Pattaya’s steady stream of events.
While even the government admits that its various travel schemes have flopped nationally, Chonburi has been the top choice of program users, which Phisut said have helped drive bookings from Bangkokians on holiday weekends.
Pattaya’s next chances to cash in comes on the government-created long weekend Nov. 19-22 and the following weekend when it hosts the International Fireworks Competition.
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