chinese deadly coronavirus

[Undaunted]

I live here and I’ve never even heard of “Legend Siam”...what’s next - Mini Siam...The Temple of Truth....Nong Nooch Garden ....The floating market.......Who cares

[Gaybutton]

I live here and I’ve never even heard of “Legend Siam”...what’s next

In a related story, today's Pattaya Mail is reporting the tour bus companies are starting to lay off their drivers too. If you'll need some tissue to dry your tears over that, let me know . . .

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/coach- ... sts-289428

[Dodger]

I live here and I’ve never even heard of “Legend Siam”...what’s next - Mini Siam...The Temple of Truth....Nong Nooch Garden ....The floating market.......Who cares

Legend of Siam opened last year in Bang Saray...right next to Nong Nooch.

I don't think anyone will miss it.

In a related story, today's Pattaya Mail is reporting the tour bus companies are starting to lay off their drivers too. If you'll need some tissue to dry your tears over that, let me know . . .

The farang who shot that video which is linked to this thread showed are a bunch of large hotels and restaurants along the coast in Jomtien and Na Jomtien who catered almost exclusively to the Chinese tours, who appear to be belly up.

We're gonna run out of tissue.

[Trongpai]

We had a complementary entry ticket to The Legend Siam Pattaya that was given to us at a Bangkok Travel Fair around 6 months ago. We went there for a visit about 4 months ago before the corona virus. It appeared brand new and very Disney like but not up running yet. There was a huge parking lot but almost empty, no tour buses in huge bus parking spots.

There were maybe 10=15 other visitors walking around. There was sections for various shows but none were up open. Empty restaurants and shops.

Had I paid for admission I would have been perturbed. I figured they had not contracted with the Chinese tour groups yet I assumed. It was really quite nice and they spent a lot of money building it.

Another ghost town Pattaya attraction is Mimosa was in the same condition long before anyone heard of the corona virus. We went there a few months back and there were just a few people walking around. The shows were cancelled.

[Gaybutton]

Another ghost town Pattaya attraction is . . .

Except for the Chinese tour groups, tourism has been on the decline for a long time. The Corona virus has pushed it over the edge.

Meanwhile these tourist attractions that were built with the idea in mind of primarily relying on the Chinese tour groups - whoops! Looks like focusing on just one type of group was a BIG mistake.

Even if these attractions quickly change their advertising focus to try to attract others, I don't foresee much success. A lot of these places simply do not attract farang and I believe no matter how they try to advertise, they still won't attract many farang, certainly not enough to sustain these businesses. I, for one, have about zero interest in nearly all of those attractions. Those attractions fail to attract me. They could even offer free admission and I still wouldn't be interested.

Pattaya's powers-that-be wanted to change the paradigm to try to create a "family oriented" holiday spot. Be careful what you wish for. Look where it got them.

Pattaya, do you want to rescue your tourism troubles? I have a few ideas for you:

1. Let the bars, both gay and hetero, operate as they used to, only this time without police harassment.
2. Let the bars open and close at whatever hours they choose for themselves. Sorry, but I don't need somebody else to tell me what time to go to sleep.
3. Get rid of all the imposed beach restrictions. Let the beach concessionaires operate as they used to - before these rules and regulations, every one of them needless, were imposed.
4. Get rid of these ridiculous rules about where people can rent a room and stop making life miserable for the landlords.
5. Actually enforce traffic rules. Don't just give the motorbike maniacs a slap on the wrist. Make the penalties harsh enough that they are unlikely to come here and behave as they have been doing.
6. Get the exhaust fume violating vehicles off the road.
7. Make sure the tour buses are not allowed to cause traffic problems and make sure they can park only in designated parking lots for them.
8. Treat adults like adults. Give adults reason to come here. Haven't you figured out that people don't want to come here and be regulated to death? Recently one Thai official said something to the effect of, "If you don't like the way we do things here, then stay away." Good thinking. That's just what people are doing.

Feel free to add to the list . . .

[Gaybutton]

Here's one of the first Pattaya tourist attractions to go. I wonder how many more and how soon others will be doing the same

Here is more on that story - a perfect example of what can happen when you put all your eggs in the Chinese basket. I wonder if the attractions that manage to survive are going to repeat that mistake.
____________________________________________

Pattaya theme park closes, no tourists

by Chaiyot Phupattanapong and Saritdet Marukatat

February 28, 2020

A major theme park in Pattaya, Legend Siam, will temporarily close from March 3 because of the lack of tourists on the back of the spread of the coronavirus.

The closure will leave 200 staff out of work. The management promised to hire them back in the same jobs and salaries when it eventually reopens.

"We have been pondering this (closure) for some time, since Covid-19 started affecting the business," Thach Rittimat, an adviser to the chief executive officer, said on Friday.

"The closure was decided on after we came to conclusion the situation would not improve soon," he added.

Legend Siam sprawls over 164 rai of land and opened in 2018. Tourists from China are its main customers, along with Thais and Europeans. It normally attracts 3,000 and 5,000 visitors a day, up to 20,000 in the high season.

The company announcement said customer numbers have dropped up to 95% since the epidemic took its toll on tourism. The global economic slowdown prior to the outbreak had also hurt the business, it said.

"Even Disneyland theme parks have closed," Narinthorn Na Bangchang, the senior director for marketing, said.

Tokyo Disneyland announced on Friday it will be closed from Saturday through to March 15. Hong Kong Disneyland and Disney's Shanghai theme parks have been closed for more than a month.

Legend Siam had not set a timeline for reopening its doors. "We will reopen once the situation improves," she said.

The park's Pattaya Yak Run, planned for March 22, will also be postponed, tentatively until November, Ms Narinthorn said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/18 ... o-tourists

[Undaunted]

Feel free to add to the list . . .

Adding 9 and 10

9. Ease tourist visas for all as the government has done for the Chinese.
10. Change the government’s attitude toward expats who contribute to the economy regardless of Corona, high season or low season, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”!

[Dodger]

Feel free to add to the list . . .

9. Fix the water drainage system so it doesn't flood every time there's a 10 minute sprinkle.
10. Eliminate that ridiculous 90-day address reporting nonsense for retirees.
11. Stop the corrupt BIB from controlling the night venues.
12. If tourist visas are free for the Chinese - then make them free for everyone.
13. Allow prostitution to flourish to regain your image and get people wanting to return again.
14. Stop the Army from controlling the media so people can actually believe what they're hearing.
15. Stop permitting the Chinese to enter Thailand until the virus they created is contained.
16. Start treating the foreign expats as your most valuable asset - because they are.

[Trongpai]

The Pattaya tourist attractions are certainty feeling the effects of the Corona but at the Bangkok go-go's all is pretty much normal. I toured several of the gay go-go's last night and there were a lot of customers and a lot of staff on stage. Still mostly Asians as customers but I don't think many ever were mainland Chinese.

The manager of Moonlight told me that there has been no customer drop off and off's have been at an all time high for this time of year. Super model Babe worked his last night at Moonlight and is taking a early retirement. The official word is he's moving on to a regular job but everyone has more realistically speculated he's acquired a rich boyfriend.

Lucky, Hotmail and Fresh all full of customers.

The only gay venues that are experiencing significant customer drop off are the saunas. Reports from workers at Babylon and Chakran Sauna admit to record low customers since corona.

[Gaybutton]

Tougher Covid-19 measures take effect Sunday

Formally declaring virus 'dangerous' gives health officials more clout, as 42nd case confirmed

February 29, 2020

A Public Health Ministry announcement designating Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease will take effect on Sunday, giving authorities more weapons to combat the spread of the virus.

The announcement came as the ministry on Saturday confirmed one new infection, bringing the national total to 42.

The latest victim is a 21-year-old Thai salesman whose job brought him into contact with foreign tourists, said Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, the ministry’s permanent secretary.

The man became ill on Feb 24 and sought treatment for a fever and cough at a private hospital a day later. He is now being treated at Nopparatrajathanee Hospital in Kannayao district of Bangkok, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at a daily news briefing.

The country has not yet had a death from the virus, although 28 patients have recovered and 14 are being treated in hospital.

The “dangerous communicable disease” announcement, signed by Mr Anutin, is based on provisions in Sections 5 and 6 of the Communicable Disease Act. It was published in the Royal Gazette on Saturday.

Earlier, the national committee on communicable diseases had agreed to list Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease, in order to allow health authorities to respond more quickly to contain the outbreak.

The announcement empowers officials to order people suspected of being infected with Covid-19 to undergo treatment and put them in quarantine, and to close venues affected by the coronavirus, among other measures.

The ministry also announced plans to begin handing out free face masks on Monday, with 100,000 pieces a day, or a maximum of three per person, available. They will be distributed at the ministry compound in Nonthaburi.

On Friday, a vendor was charged with selling face masks at inflated prices during a check on shops in the Government Complex.

The vendor admitted selling masks at 100 baht for a package of five, but said the cost price was high and she cold not sell them for any less.

Face masks and hand-sanitising gel were categorised as price-controlled goods after demand skyrocketed in recent weeks.

Those found guilty of overcharging could face a fine of up to 140,000 baht and/or a jail term of up to seven years.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has posted a message on his Facebook page saying that the ministry will start handing out 100,000 face masks a day on Monday.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ect-sunday