Pattaya Booms, Hotels Exceed 90% Occupancy

[reader]

From Pattaya News

Pattaya is experiencing a surge in tourism, with hotels exceeding 90% room occupancy driven by an influx of visitors from China, Russia, and India, alongside a rise in domestic tourism.

According to Mr. Sanphet Supabawornsathien, president of the Eastern Thai Hotel Association, this positive trend is fueled by several factors. Russian tourists, seeking respite from the cold and the ongoing war with Ukraine, have chosen Pattaya as their destination, leading to increased flight frequency since late January.

This resurgence is further bolstered by the return of Chinese tourists, who began visiting Pattaya earlier this year. Indian tourists are also contributing to the tourism boom. Notably, while domestic Thai tourists were relatively scarce in January, their numbers have significantly risen during recent long weekends, indicating a growing domestic travel interest in Pattaya.

Mr. Sanphet noted a shift in booking behavior among Thai tourists, who are now making last-minute reservations as opposed to the traditional advance booking pattern. This trend is reflected in his own hotel chain, where room reservations have increased by over 200 rooms on average, signifying a citywide occupancy rate of more than 90%.

[Vessey]

This has to be excellent news, and there must be a percentage of visitors who are gay or gay curious.

Yet so many of our boy bars complain about lack of customers. My boyfriend in BoyzTown often video calls me from a seemingly empty BoyzTown. 

Elsewhere, Soi Bukhao, Soi 6, Walking Street, etc., are booming. I saw for myself last month how busy they were most nights.

There could be many reasons for the lack of gay tourists, but I would suggest that one of those reasons is that most gay establishments are utterly hopeless at self-promotion on social media or elsewhere.  On the other hand you cant keep some of the Soi 6 Bar managers off social media - they are promoting their bar and their girls every day.

I would suggest a second reason, in BoyzTown at least, is the horrendous beer prices in the bars, Toy Boys for example now wants 300 baht for a small San Miguel Light.

The sadness is that Gay Pattaya has so much to offer, and so many stunning, willing boys to entertain us.

 

[a-447]

1 hour ago, Vessey said:

.....one of those reasons is that most gay establishments are utterly hopeless at self-promotion on social media or elsewhere.  On the other hand you cant keep some of the Soi 6 Bar managers off social media - they are promoting their bar and their girls every day.

I've always wondered why Sunee Plaza didn't promote itself on social media to the gay Chinese and Japanese markets, which consist of millions of horny guys. 

If their promotion reached only a very small percentage of these markets, Sunee would be booming today.

If only they knew what was available in the form of gay entertainment - especially of the sleazy, hands -on bars which only ever really thrived in Sunee, they'd be arriving in droves. They could enjoy experiences unheard of in their own countries.

Friends in Japan had no idea such a place existed until I told them of my adventures and were genuinely shocked. Such sleaze exists in Japan, but only in private sex clubs which are too expensive for most.

[macaroni21]

1 hour ago, a-447 said:

I've always wondered why Sunee Plaza didn't promote itself on social media to the gay Chinese and Japanese markets, which consist of millions of horny guys. 

If their promotion reached only a very small percentage of these markets, Sunee would be booming today.

I was going to say that one reason might be that many of the gay bars are owned or run by western expats and they don't want their hobby projects overrun by Asian customers. But then I realised that such a theory won't explain why they don't actively market themselves on social media to western tourists. So yup, I am just as puzzled why the gay businesses are so bad at, well, business.

[Boy69]

the explanation is much simpler gay tourists aren't coming anymore to Pattaya as it was to be in the past . It's a sad fact. 

[a-447]

3 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

... many of the gay bars are owned or run by western expats and they don't want their hobby projects overrun by Asian customers. 

I think the old Goodboys in Sunee may have been owned by Japanese interests. It's name was written in Japanese on the sign outside.

[bkkmfj2648]

7 hours ago, Vessey said:

There could be many reasons for the lack of gay tourists, but I would suggest that one of those reasons is that most gay establishments are utterly hopeless at self-promotion on social media or elsewhere

In my opinion you HIT the nail on the head with what you wrote above.

Firstly, there is a HUGE missed opportunity of presenting ALL of the Gay Pattaya on social media.  

Currently it is fragmented - you have the Jomtien Supertown Complex website system (https://www.gaysupertown.com/) which has web media, blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds.  BUT - it is ONLY focused on what is within the walls of the Jomtien Supertown Complex - like a medieval city.  To hell with anything gay that is outside of those walls - even if they exist in Jomtien.  This blog also is missing a very much needed section on how to retire successfully in the Pattaya area - like what are the things to do and those things to avoid.  Instead, each of us who chose to retire here need to do it on our own and pray and hope that we made the right decisions to make it successful.

Then Boyztown and Sunee are almost non-existent in social media.

So, in my opinion, the worst enemy of the gay community in Pattaya is the same gay community that allows for this defragmented and not united methodology to marketing on ALL of the millions of social media outlets a COMBINED focus on what Gay Pattaya has to offer.  It is absent.

In closing, in my opinion, until there is a change in the above marketing deficiencies - I believe that Gay Pattaya will continue to disappear - as there is no SINGLE marketing voice to market Gay Pattaya to the world.

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, Boy69 said:

the explanation is much simpler gay tourists aren't coming anymore to Pattaya as it was to be in the past . It's a sad fact. 

that explains part empty boy bars but not 90% occupancy rate in hotels.

[fedssocr]

I thought the Russians were taking over Phuket.

I believe China has plenty of sleaze so maybe the Chinese gays don't feel a need to leave home for it. At least all of those videos of Chinese karaoke clubs that circulate on the internet are very sleazy.

 

[vinapu]

25 minutes ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

 

Firstly, there is a HUGE missed opportunity of presenting ALL of the Gay Pattaya on social media.  

Then Boyztown and Sunee are almost non-existent in social media.

 

You are on something. We don't even need to look far, I know quite a few our members, regulars to Thailand , often more than once a year , who never went to Pattaya. There's even one I suspect will be correcting that deficiency as early as in a week or two. Even well know fact that Pattaya offerings are generally cheaper and has an access to the sea is not good enough to steer them there.

[Keithambrose]

5 hours ago, vinapu said:

You are on something. We don't even need to look far, I know quite a few our members, regulars to Thailand , often more than once a year , who never went to Pattaya. There's even one I suspect will be correcting that deficiency as early as in a week or two. Even well know fact that Pattaya offerings are generally cheaper and has an access to the sea is not good enough to steer them there.

I believe that our revered member vinapu, is referring to me correcting a deficiency.  I am due to arrive on 6th, March, and, armed with a comprehensive guide from vinapu will explore greedily!

[a-447]

9 hours ago, fedssocr said:

At least all of those videos of Chinese karaoke clubs that circulate on the internet are very sleazy.

 

Yes, but the problem is, those karaoke bars (KTV) are apparently very expensive and so are out of reach for the average Chinese punter.

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

I believe that our revered member vinapu, is referring to me correcting a deficiency.  I am due to arrive on 6th, March, and, armed with a comprehensive guide from vinapu will explore greedily!

you will have fun , rest assured. Whether you like Pattaya more then Bangkok remains to be seen. When I went first time there, around my 8th or 9th trip to Thailand I was not that much impressed but some sane members here told me ' give Pattaya  a chance"  and I did, ever since returning there for few days every trip.

[vinapu]

45 minutes ago, a-447 said:

Yes, but the problem is, those karaoke bars (KTV) are apparently very expensive and so are out of reach for the average Chinese punter.

and so may be foreign trip

[10tazione]

Good news for the locals, although i personally preferred the more quiet times in Thailand end of 2021 - beginning of 2023.

[a-447]

5 hours ago, vinapu said:

and so may be foreign trip

It depends.

It costs more for a trip to Thailand than it does for a few visits from my "special" (read: paid) friend for sex.

But if I average out the costs, it works out a lot cheaper if I want to have sex twice a day over 2 weeks. 

Plus, there's the fact that I'm also enjoying a holiday and delicious food.

I read that a single night in a karaoke bar with guys in attendance could cost at least $1000, depending on the number of "hosts". I wonder if anyone could verify that. (I bet PeterRS could, but he's no longer here.)

[Boy69]

6 hours ago, a-447 said:

I wonder if anyone could verify that. (I bet PeterRS could, but he's no longer here.)

Thanks God @PeterRS is no longe here 🙏

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, 10tazione said:

Good news for the locals, although i personally preferred the more quiet times in Thailand end of 2021 - beginning of 2023.

+1

unfortunately but fortunately it  is true also for me.

In Dec 2021 we had only 3 bars at our disposal but little competition from other tourists and it gave feeling scene is only for us,  brave few . May and Oct 2022 were bit more crowded but also more venues opened so feeling was the same