THAILAND: HOLIDAY ISLAND OF PATTAYA.

Record ID: 1056182

  • Title: THAILAND: HOLIDAY ISLAND OF PATTAYA.
  • Date: 16th October 1977
  • Summary: 1. GV Pattaya Holiday Island and newly-build beach-front hotels (3 shots) 0.14 2. SV Tourists lazing in the sun 0.19 3. GV Tourist riding motor boat 0.24 4. SV Tourists boarding boat, wading out knee-deep to get into larger boat (3 shots) 0.43 5. GV Hotel Royal Cliff on seafront 0.48 6. GV PAN OVER Beach TO tourist on motor boat (2 shots) 1.04 7. GV Yachts on beach head and tourists, surf boards with sails with other water sports in bay (4 shots) 1.28 8. CU Elephant walking along beach (3 shots) 1.44 9. GV Pattaya street traffic and residents walking in market. (4 shots) 2.11 10. SV Women tourists walking in street, Europeans and Thais seated in bars drinking (7 shots) 2.46 11. SV Policeman in street (2 shots) 2.54 12. SV Europeans drinking in bar 3.00 13. GV Shopping centre at night (2 shots) 3.10 14. GV Island scene and fishing boats at night (3 shots) 3.28 NEAT: "To quote the tourist pamphlets, Pattaya has come a long way. More than 30 international hotels now crowd the beach front, and more are planned. The Asian package holidays became popular for thousands of Americans, Europeans, and Australians. Tour operators found they could include Pattaya on Their schedules a little extra cost. For the European, Pattaya provides a package of swaying palm trees, coral reefs, and smiling Asian faces. Together with the air-conditioned hotels it's an encounter, however, brief, with the tropical paradise of the tourist pamphlet. And the hotels, like the famous Royal Cliff, are regarded by travel agents as amongst the best in Asia. But the transition from fishing village to international resort in the space of only 10 years has brought many problems. Pattaya's water, power and sewage systems remain inadequate. Crime, police corruption, and Thailand's political instability have damaged Pattaya's international image. The political situation resulted in numerous tour cancellations, particularly amongst Americans and Australians. The military-backed regime has launched........a campaign to improve not only Pattaya's facilities, but also its international image. The elephant and the sandy beach will soon become part of a world wide promotion for Pattaya. Thai authorities, plus countless Japanese consultants, are attempting to give Pattaya a distinctive Thai image. They want the average tourist to stay longer than just a few days on a stop-over between Hong Kong and Singapore. Pattaya's bars and nightclubs are one aspect of the American era that are certain to remain. Each year, thousands of European men, particularly West Germans, fly to to Thailand on package holidays. Authorities describe the girls as hostesses and there's no doubting their importance to Pattaya's tourist economy. Female tourists are outnumbered three-to-one in Pattaya by their male counterparts. It's not uncommon for European men to visit Pattaya and then return home with a Thai wife. Whereas, when the American servicemen were Pattaya's main customers, and English as the accepted language of the resort, these days, most of the Thais need to speak some German. Most of the bars, restaurants and nightclubs have been hastily constructed. Few conform to building regulations. In fact, the abuse of law and order has been one of Pattaya's major head-aches. Half of Pattaya's police force was transferred earlier this year after being found guilty of corruption. The government is now adopting tough measures to reduce Pattaya's crime rate. Hotels continue to employ their own security guards. The ...........tourist dollar is eagerly sought throughout much of Asia. The advent of the package tours, if anything, heightened competition for that dollar. And, increasingly, it's a former fishing village on the Gulf of Thailand called Pattaya that's winning an increasing share of the Asian tourist market. Initials BB/1830 GARY NEAT Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 30th October 1977 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Access Restrictions:This media cannot be downloaded as there may be copyright restrictions. Please contact us for more information
  • Location: PATTAYA ISLAND, THAILAND
  • Country: Thailand
  • Reuters ID: LVAATTDI9NBK8BXPOFL8NED0Z0KR
  • Story Text:
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS - SOURCE TO BE VERIFIED
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register