Island off Pattaya sees 20,000 tourists over weekend

An island off Pattaya well known as a vacation hotspot saw at least 20,000 tourists over the past weekend. The cluster of young and old tourists swarmed to the island of Koh Larn, flocking to its Ta Waen Beach.

The tourists enjoyed traditional Thai massage, as well as food, umbrellas, and other services offered at the beach. Pattaya City has also built a viewpoint over the beach for tourists to take photos.

Although most tourists travelled to Koh Larn by ferry, some chose the faster option and hired speedboats. A ferry trip to the island takes about 40 minutes, while a speedboat trip takes 15 minutes.

Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet confirmed that parking at the blue multipurpose zone at the Bali Hai pier is free. This is whether visitors want to stay overnight on islands, or just for half a day, Pattaya Mail reported.

The blue parking zone can accommodate up to 300 vehicles. Poramet said security guards are watching the cars 24 hours a day.

Tourists have been enjoying beaches across Pattaya recently, in light of the Loy Krathong holiday last week. On Loy Krathong night last week, thousands of tourists crowded Pattaya Beach to enjoy the beauty of the Loy Krathong festival, combined with the lunar eclipse.

Last month, tourists also flocked to Pattaya for two seafood festivals over a three-day weekend.

As of October 26, Thailand witnessed 7,349,843 international tourists arriving, surpassing the 7 million mark.