Pattaya spending millions on “facelift”

The world famous resort town of Pattaya is spending 160 million baht to improve the city’s beaches in a bid to attract domestic tourists. Pattaya’s mayor says the landscape redevelopment, on a 4 kilometre stretch of Pattaya Beach, will begin in October and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

“The City of Pattaya needs to change its tourism strategy to draw local tourists to the city.”

In addition to landscape beautification, such as replacing pavements and sidewalks, the project will involve building parking spaces for tourist coaches and for local visitors, and will incorporate underground public toilets.

The project, starting from North Pattaya and running to Walking Street, will rebuild walkways, redevelop gardens and plant more trees.

Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome says the Pattaya Council approved the 160 million baht budget in the hope the landscape redevelopment will “add a new magnet” to the area’s sluggish tourism industry.

In economic terms, Pattaya has been one of the hardest-hit tourism areas by the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the outbreak, the city saw 10 million visitors a year, about 80% from abroad. The largest groups came from China, Russia and India. As the foreign tourists disappeared, the city worked to improve infrastructure and landscape to get ready for its recovery.

In another, environmental project, the city will restore project 3.5 kilometres of Jomtien Beach, which has been severely affected by coastal erosion. The sand filling, expected to cost 600 million baht, will replenish the coastline from Lung Sawai restaurant to Jomtien Soi 11. The work is expected to start early next year. About 680,000 cubic metres of sand will be required for the project.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post