Pattaya, the land of sex, drugs, and film production?

Pattaya is known for a lot of things- drug busts, violent fights, and other various scandals. But one Thai government agency is hoping to make Pattaya a “City of Film” in the next 5 years, between 2022 and 2027. Can Thailand’s Sin City become a movie-making destination?

Thailand’s Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration is promoting the tourist hotspot as a film production centre under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The administration hopes to bump up Pattaya’s revenue and create jobs. DASTA director-general Athikun Kongmee said yesterday that the agency will team up with 12 organisations to meet the 5 year goal of making Pattaya a “City of Film”.

Athikun said Pattaya has “cultural and tourism assets”, and could easily welcome Thai and foreign film crews. He added that in the past, DASTA successfully pushed for cities such as Sukhothai and Phetchaburi to be included in the UNESCO network. The other 5 Thai cities in the UCCN are Phuket, a City of Gastronomy, Chiang Mai, a City of Crafts and Folk Arts, Bangkok, a Design City, Sukhothai, a City of Crafts and Folk Arts, and Phetchaburi, a City of Gastronomy.

Pattaya may be known for its scandalous stories, but officials are determined to turn the city into a film hub. Officials first started discussing the plan last year, saying they wanted Pattaya to host world class film festivals, in the same way Utah hosts the Sundance Film Festival or how Cannes is famed for hosting its annual film festival. Who knows, maybe Pattaya is set to become Asia’s Hollywood.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand | Sophon Cable TV