Pattaya (Thai: พัทยา, RTGS: Phatthaya) is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand about 165 km southeast of Bangkok located within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung in the province of Chon Buri. The city of Pattaya is a self governing special municipal area which covers the whole tambon Nong Prue and Na Kluea and parts of Huai Yai and Nong Pla Lai. It is located in the heavily industrial Eastern Seaboard zone, along with Si Racha, Laem Chabang, and Chon Buri. However, it remains mostly a tourist city, with very light industry. It is one of the largest centers of tourism in Thailand, with some 5.4 million visitors arriving in 2005. The vast majority of tourists that visit Pattaya are male, in groups or on their own, due to the town's world-famous sex industry, in which girls of many ages are available for, by Western standards, very cheap prices. The town also offers many luxury hotels, beautiful beaches, friendly people, excellent shopping, reasonable prices and a wide variety of nearby tourist attractions.
The city had 101,378 registered inhabitants in 2007. This figure excludes the large number of Thais who work in Pattaya (many come and go for tourism related work) but remain registered in their hometowns, and many long-term expatriate visitors. Including non registered residents, the population numbers around 300,000 at any given time. It covers 22.2 sq km.
Whilst Thailand has some of the world's most beautiful beaches, Pattaya's is not amongst them. Despite recent efforts to improve the beach, it remains in a sorry state. At high tide the beach is, in places, less than a meter wide. Pattaya Beach is situated along the central city in close proximity to shopping, hotels and bars. The over-abundance of jet-skis and speedboats has contributed to the pollution of the water along the beach, as has the practice of dumping sewage in the ocean. The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is adjacent to the core of Pattaya's abundant nightlife area, hence it is less family-oriented than the North Pattaya, Na Klua and Jomtien beaches.
Most sections of the beach are covered by rented deckchairs run by local beverage vendors during daylight hours so finding an available spot of sand is rather difficult and also unadvisable due to the poor condition of the beach. (Visitors are advised to avoid the beach after dark. Although the Beach Road itself is busy and brightly lit, some criminal elements find the unlit beach useful as a cover for their activities and the local police target this area in various ongoing clampdowns.)
Nightlife and Prostitution
Pattaya is renowned for its nightlife, which caters primarily to foreigners. While some of this is unrelated to prostitution, the central Pattaya Beach Area is known as a destination for sex tourism (alongside several districts in Bangkok and Phuket). While prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, it is widely tolerated.
Since the "social order" crackdown of 2004, there are very few sex shows (such as the ping pong shows) although they can sometimes still be found. Depending on the enforcement climate, go go dancers may be seen fully nude, topless or in bikinis on different days or weeks.
Muay Thai (Thai boxing) matches aimed at tourists can be seen at many of the open air beer bar complexes.
The Boyztown, Sunee Plaza, and the Jomtien Complex areas are famous for their many gay nightclubs, cabarets and go-go clubs. Pattaya probably has the largest concentration of establishments catering to the gay community in Thailand. There are literally hundreds of "host" and go-go bars. Many specialize in certain types of hosts (slim, muscular, effeminate), while others have a broad range of men available.
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