PATTAYA, Thailand – A seasoned foreign visitor who has seen Pattaya through many decades shared a heartfelt memory that highlights how much the city’s hospitality has changed.
“It’s true, back in the 80s and before, there was way more respect for visitors,” he recalled. “If you got plastered on Walking Street and couldn’t remember if it was dinner time or breakfast time, someone would help you get into a taxi or baht bus to get you back to your hotel. I did it myself and saw it happen many times back then. They took care of you so you would come back again.”
He lamented how things have shifted. “Nowadays, the Thai style in many cases is ‘couldn’t care less, I just want your cash.’ Drunk? OK, they steal your phone, cash, or gold and leave you on the street. Things have changed a lot for the worse since the early days, in my humble opinion.”
Other long-term visitors agree that the warm, caring atmosphere of Pattaya’s early tourism days is missed.
This memory comes in the wake of recent efforts by local officials to assist intoxicated tourists, showing that some pockets of kindness still remain.
