Today marks three months in a row that Pattaya’s world famous nightlife has been shut, as owners ask-how much longer?

[The Pattaya News]

Pattaya- Today, June 18, 2020, marks three months in a row that Pattaya’s world famous nightlife and entertainment industry has been shut by the Thai Government due to Covid-19 concerns. The industry was originally told to close for “two weeks” on March 18, 2020. However, as the Covid-19 situation escalated and uncertainty grew worldwide the […]

Today marks three months in a row that Pattaya’s world famous nightlife has been shut, as owners ask-how much longer?
The Pattaya News

Click To View The Pattaya News Website

[Klongwater]

Quality journalism!

"For now, the neon lights of Pattaya remain quiet and owners can only wait to be allowed to reopen."

[Edge]

"Pattaya, unlike most of the country, still resembles a ghost town in many areas due to the amount of entertainment venues versus other types of business............................situation Pattaya is in with an estimated eighty percent of the cities businesses dedicated to nightlife and hospitality

..................allow owners to reopen their livelihoods and get tens of thousands of people back to work......"

Yes it's like a ghost town, as anyone here knows, apart from a little cluster of folk in Tree Town, mostly sitting around drinking long necks from the 7-Eleven......barely enough spenders to fill a full size WS GoGo.

So my Q is, how would opening up all the bars get "tens of thousands" of Thai people back to work.......doing what exactly?
Until the borders/airports are opened and customers come back in volume, surely opening the bars is futile?

Restaurants are allowed to open now, and even sell alcohol, but look around, many haven't bothered to open or are empty because there are no customers.
The same would almost certainly happen with bars and GoGos.
 

"........as pictures went viral from across the country, including Pattaya, of hundreds of people filling markets and restaurants to drink alcohol."

.................well yes, we know how that happened.     
 

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister says :-

"It is a time of change. It is a time for change. And it is a time of great opportunity to improve our country and our lives."

We wait4c 

[fugtugly]

When I read articles like this they all scream open the borders without actually saying it.


I do wonder how long they be able to withstand the internal pressure from buisnesses and let the masses in.



Sent from my SM-A515W using Tapatalk

[Greg_B]

17 minutes ago, Edge said:

"Meanwhile, the Prime Minister says :-

"It is a time of change. It is a time for change. And it is a time of great opportunity to improve our country and our lives."

 

Before change, there must be a plan and this is where the problem starts

[Klongwater]

29 minutes ago, Edge said:

So my Q is, how would opening up all the bars get "tens of thousands" of Thai people back to work.......doing what exactly?
Until the borders/airports are opened and customers come back in volume, surely opening the bars is futile?

Every man and his dog knows that opening a tourist-orientated business in a tourist-centric city without any actual tourists is a recipe for disaster....that rationale can't have gone over even Mr Judds head.

Curious as to why the Pattaya News are pushing the ridiculous scenario that opening bars will benefit barowners, when there will be bugger-all bellringers who like seeing their names written on a mirror with a water-based Sharpie for many months to come and that social distancing will make their business model incapable of functioning in any meaningful way.

Curiouser and curiouser, these Pattaya News stories.

[Edge]

20 minutes ago, Greg_B said:

Before change, there must be a plan and this is where the problem starts

“I would like to kick-off, today, a national mission to plan a great Thailand together under a nation-building programme I have called ‘Thais Together Build Thailand’. And I would like to invite every citizen to resolve to do their part and be ready to contribute to that plan.”

Every citizen....not us lot obviously.  

[Edge]

27 minutes ago, fugtugly said:

When I read articles like this they all scream open the borders without actually saying it.

I do wonder how long they be able to withstand the internal pressure from buisnesses and let the masses in.
 

I try to read most of these statements and, from those making the decisions, I see no weakening of their resolve to keep Thailand free of Covid-19.
In fact, fcukups such as NZ letting in those two from UK probably only serve to strengthen it.
I've no doubt they'll find a way to work with China and other Asian countries, but Euro and US?
Wasn't it about 70% of Thais voted to keep farang out?

About the "internal pressure" you speak of, apart from that from farang sources as above, which pressure do you mean?
 

[lavista4u]

Don't forget the Authorities were Hell Bent on Closing the Bars Anyways and turn it into a Family Vacation Destination.   May be this would put sense into some that let nature take its course not made up human moral principles and laws. 

Atleast, now they should allow bars to open 24/7. let Bhat bus stop where ever they want, stop the raids, expats open more business. Don't fight nature...let it do its thing.

Stop harassing girls in  Coconut Bars - Make Hay, While It Shines - Not Sure when the next calamity would strike.

People should be allowed to make money 24/7 and spend money 24/7 in Pattaya to come back to life.

[timbota]

I talked to a WS go-go bar owner a couple weeks ago.   He indicated that he has no intention of opening his go-go until international tourism resumes to a reasonable extent.

I'm sure there are plenty of night life business owners who know that being given a green light to open won't help them and they won't bother to open right away.   How long can they afford to wait?

Another bar owner on soi LK is ready to open right away.   If he cannot make a go of it, the bar closes again and he waits for international tourists.   For businesses like this, the reopening will simply be an experiment.

Others will be so desperate that they will have to open as soon as possible knowing that if they can't make a go of it, they will be gone.   This will be their last stand. 

With the exception of maybe less than 20%, 10%, 5% (pick your number) of the night life businesses which survived the shutdown, not being able to open their establishments is NOT the real problem. 

It has been 3 months.  Or maybe it would be more accurate to say 'it has only been 3 months'.   Because for most businesses in Pattaya (night life or not), it is all about international tourism.

 

[Macawber]

58 minutes ago, Klongwater said:

Every man and his dog knows that opening a tourist-orientated business in a tourist-centric city without any actual tourists is a recipe for disaster....that rationale can't have gone over even Mr Judds head.

Curious as to why the Pattaya News are pushing the ridiculous scenario that opening bars will benefit barowners, when there will be bugger-all bellringers who like seeing their names written on a mirror with a water-based Sharpie for many months to come and that social distancing will make their business model incapable of functioning in any meaningful way.

Curiouser and curiouser, these Pattaya News stories.

You make an interesting point ... do you think that maybe Mr Judd is 'connected' in some way to the bar owners and has their best interests at heart? 

[fugtugly]

1 hour ago, Edge said:

I try to read most of these statements and, from those making the decisions, I see no weakening of their resolve to keep Thailand free of Covid-19.
In fact, fcukups such as NZ letting in those two from UK probably only serve to strengthen it.
I've no doubt they'll find a way to work with China and other Asian countries, but Euro and US?
Wasn't it about 70% of Thais voted to keep farang out?

About the "internal pressure" you speak of, apart from that from farang sources as above, which pressure do you mean?
 

i was thinking the businesses the depend on tourism to survive.  it's a huge part of the economy.

 

[Petesie]

I can see a Domino effect coming; if there continues to be no light at the end of the tunnel you just stop paying the electric bill. The Pie in the Sky undertones from those on high are beyond the grasp of the ordinary folk who just want rice in their  bowl & shelter.

Yep Tree Town is bouncing for a few hours, great, not knocking that in the slightest, it's a welcome respite till they come to close it down.  Now the curfew has been lifted a drive around the Soi's reveals the amount of people sleeping on the streets. Some bars are being looted for electronics & booze.

The other side of Sukhumvit is business as usual, more & more shops are opening & the markets are busy. People are getting on with normality as it comes.

The Dark Side of the Toon is now the Third Road to the beach.

Edited June 18, 2020 by Petesie

[Ohyesuare]

2 hours ago, Klongwater said:

Every man and his dog knows that opening a tourist-orientated business in a tourist-centric city without any actual tourists is a recipe for disaster....that rationale can't have gone over even Mr Judds head.

Curious as to why the Pattaya News are pushing the ridiculous scenario that opening bars will benefit barowners, when there will be bugger-all bellringers who like seeing their names written on a mirror with a water-based Sharpie for many months to come and that social distancing will make their business model incapable of functioning in any meaningful way.

Curiouser and curiouser, these Pattaya News stories.

Many bar owners are still paying rent, salary for some staff etc.. so if they can even mitigate a bit of that loss by opening, why not? The massage shops that have reopened are not busy but the ladies are getting some customers and earning a few hundred baht more than they would be just sitting in their room doing nothing.

[Edge]

1 hour ago, fugtugly said:

i was thinking the businesses the depend on tourism to survive.  it's a huge part of the economy.

 

Yes, apologies, I got a bit of tunnel vision.

In Pattaya, posting on Pattaya Addicts and responding to a farang orientated Pattaya News/NW post, I was focusing only on those bars they are appealing on behalf of .........including their own.  

Businesses generally which depend on (international) tourism to survive need the airports and borders to open and that's a different discussion to whether they should allow the bars to open surely?

[Petesie]

1 minute ago, Edge said:

Businesses generally which depend on (international) tourism to survive need the airports and borders to open and that's a different discussion to whether they should allow the bars to open surely?

Agreed, however, one drives the other.

Realistically most bars would be happy just to open, a few baht every day will help the deficit. I'd rather have the lights on with a few pretty ladies sat on barstools than not.

[lenthelicker]

I suspect the covid situation is the perfect excuse authorities need to eradicate the nightlife (prostitution) industry in thailand.  At least as far as foreign tourists go.

[Klongwater]

23 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

Many bar owners are still paying rent, salary for some staff etc.. so if they can even mitigate a bit of that loss by opening, why not?

Of course a few will keep their heads above water, an entire local industry won't vanish like the morning mist, but if the dazed and confused coffin dodgers clucking around TreeTown these last few weeks represent salvation for the nightlife industry then the game is surely up for many. A few sartorially challenged pensioners can't re-float a bar scene as big as exists (existed?) in Sodom-by-the-Sea, nobody in their right mind believes that.

[Edge]

38 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

Many bar owners are still paying rent, salary for some staff etc.. so if they can even mitigate a bit of that loss by opening, why not? The massage shops that have reopened are not busy but the ladies are getting some customers and earning a few hundred baht more than they would be just sitting in their room doing nothing.

I'm told that most(?) of the GoGos in LKM (and some in WS) have paid rent in advance, so yes, they would no doubt give it a go if they could.

The issue the authorities are stuck on is Social Distancing though, which no way would be complied with in closed AC bars, or even open front single unit shop bars like Soi 6.

The argument, therefore, should be to abandon SD and Masks if you want the bars open and I see no chance of that at present.

1 minute ago, Petesie said:

Agreed, however, one drives the other.

Realistically most bars would be happy just to open, a few baht every day will help the deficit. I'd rather have the lights on with a few pretty ladies sat on barstools than not.

It's not about us.  

Seriously, although I could imagine that SD might be complied with in some of the beer bar complexes by sticking red crosses on alternate seats.....and mainly because so few customers.......how do you think SD would work in bars generally, especially closed ones like GCs?  

[Saddic]

"The CCSA has stated they are keeping all bars closed as they are concerned with making social distancing work (which hasn’t in other countries that have re-opened nightlife) and afraid of massive crowds flocking to the establishments when open. Their fears appeared to be concerned this week as pictures went viral from across the country, including Pattaya, of hundreds of people filling markets and restaurants to drink alcohol."

All those youtube vids posted were just what the intolerance advocates where waiting for to keep the bars and other entertainment closed..  They played right into their hands and supported their agendas...  Good work guys...

[Edge]

4 minutes ago, Saddic said:

...................................................

All those youtube vids posted were just what the intolerance advocates where waiting for to keep the bars and other entertainment closed..  They played right into their hands and supported their agendas...  Good work guys...

As I posted in response to that video :-

"Who was surprised?

Nobody here methinks, including the local BiB, who I've seen cruising through and even filming.

It's been commented on here and on FB for the past two months, so that just leaves the authorities in Chonburi and Bangkok who will now see the Pattaya News report and video........ and yes they chose the first night when bona fide restaurants like Prime Burger were at last again allowed to serve alcohol legally and they knew others would push the envelope.......so yes, staged if you like for maximum effect.

There is a culture here of 'dobbing in' other bars, as happened to English Rose recently..........and it is usually done under the banner of 'It's not fair' perhaps in the hope of persuading the authorities they should be allowed to open too.

Dobbing other businesses in can backfire though......... glass houses etc."

So no, I don't think it was a very smart move.

[Saddic]

5 minutes ago, Edge said:

As I posted in response to that video :-

"Who was surprised?

Nobody here methinks, including the local BiB, who I've seen cruising through and even filming.

It's been commented on here and on FB for the past two months, so that just leaves the authorities in Chonburi and Bangkok who will now see the Pattaya News report and video........ and yes they chose the first night when bona fide restaurants like Prime Burger were at last again allowed to serve alcohol legally and they knew others would push the envelope.......so yes, staged if you like for maximum effect.

There is a culture here of 'dobbing in' other bars, as happened to English Rose recently..........and it is usually done under the banner of 'It's not fair' perhaps in the hope of persuading the authorities they should be allowed to open too.

Dobbing other businesses in can backfire though......... glass houses etc."

So no, I don't think it was a very smart move.

And to re-enforce the point, you will notice they did not haul out the defamation laws and punish the youtubers for making the government look bad, or the PM look bad, etc etc...  That's for next time when the vids no longer serve their agenda... so beware...

[Petesie]

We are of course biased & Pattaya centric; the bars are also opening quietly across the realm...or did they ever shut. 

The spotlight, let's face it, is focussed on the activities of Farangs, we can be named, blamed & shamed & the Thai's seem willing to believe it.

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Petesie

[Ipsa est veritas]

I know some bars have had leases that were for 24 months.Not an enviable position to be in at the moment if your lease has expired or about to.

Co$tly times for barowners and big decisions to make,however if you have ca$h flow,sitting and waiting may pay dividends. 

Those WS Au Go Go's must be hemorrhaging??

Edited June 18, 2020 by Ipsa est veritas

[timbota]

2 hours ago, Ohyesuare said:

Many bar owners are still paying rent, salary for some staff etc.. so if they can even mitigate a bit of that loss by opening, why not? The massage shops that have reopened are not busy but the ladies are getting some customers and earning a few hundred baht more than they would be just sitting in their room doing nothing.

Bar owners (especially gogo's) will need to weigh overhead costs while closed vs. overhead costs while open.   I suspect for some of them, the only way to determine the best strategy will be to open and see what happens.    

I can visualize a wave of voluntary bar closings after the grand reopening.   Sadly, voluntary is probably not the right word for it.