Thai authorities intensify efforts to curb sex tourism in Pattaya, a renowned beach resort 90 miles east of Bangkok, aiming to reshape its image for family travelers.
Pattaya’s Notorious Reputation
Known as the world’s top sex tourism hub with approximately 60,000 sex workers, Pattaya features hundreds of go-go bars, massage parlors, and brothels. Often called the ‘porn version of Disneyland,’ its red-light districts draw crowds with stage performances where women dance topless or nude, available for hire at low costs starting from £10 for short encounters or extended ‘long time’ arrangements mimicking a girlfriend experience during vacations.
Recent Police Raids
Tourist Police conducted sweeps this month in key areas like Pattaya Beach and Beach Road, arresting 16 sex workers primarily from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uganda. Authorities revoked their visas and fined 12 individuals 1,000 baht (£23) on the spot. This follows a Valentine’s Day operation where undercover officers detained over 20 women soliciting clients on the streets.
Expats Share Their Stories
British expats, numbering around 40,000 in Thailand, frequent these venues. Stephen Webster, 53, a former car worker from south Wales, explained his move: “I was a single man living a pretty sad life on my own in south Wales and I started to look around me. I was surrounded by middle-aged blokes like me who were doing anything to keep their nagging wives happy and watching the cost of living rise by the day. The weather is miserable, everybody is skint and what was I supposed to do if I wanted a partner? Instead I went to visit Thailand for a while and once I saw the lifestyle in Pattaya there was no going back.”
Graham Baldwin, 66, a retired builder from Norfolk, relocated permanently after a post-divorce trip a decade ago and married a Thai woman. He noted: “Thailand is more relaxed and less stressful than the UK and is much cheaper.”
Risks and Tragedies
Encounters carry dangers, including reports of tourists being drugged and robbed. One case involved a victim losing £1,150 in cash and a £16,000 Rolex watch to two women in his hotel room.
Pattaya also sees high suicide rates among foreigners, dubbed the ‘Pattaya Flying Club’ for balcony plunges. Quentin Griffith, 58, co-founder of online retailer ASOS, died in February after falling from his 17th-floor balcony. His ex-wife Ploy, 43, revealed he spent £1,000 nightly on parties with bar girls after falling for the city’s allure. The foreign suicide rate here exceeds the national average by five times, often linked to depleted funds or heartbreak from relationships with younger bar workers.
Trevor Knight, a British resident documenting Pattaya life on his YouTube channel Buzzin’ Pattaya, warned: “Many people come out here, particularly men, with great expectations that they will be living the dream. We have so much temptation at our fingertips but it is very easy to get carried away. When your dreams are shattered and your heart is broken, desperate times call for desperate measures.”
