eTN Asia, september 27, 2006
The new Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand is proving to be a boon for famous tourist destination Pattaya, a resort city less than two hours by road from capital city Bangkok.
The new airport is located 100 kilometers from Pattaya, and will open as planned on September 28 despite the military coup on September 19 which ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
It is being felt that images of criminals on the run, girls enticing westerners into sleazy bars, and most disturbingly, child sex tourism, all associated with Pattaya is expected to undergo a change.
In fact, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) believes the resort can change its focus from solely being geared towards single male tourists.
“Developers are buying land to develop shopping malls, five-star hotels, and in a few years Pattaya will change its face,” Chaiwat Charoensuk, the director of TAT in Pattaya.
Niran Wattanasartsathorn, Pattaya City mayor, is confident that the new airport will improve the beach resort destination’s popularity.
