Pattaya is expected to be bustling with tourists from today until Sunday, in celebration of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun’s 70th birthday today. Mayor of Pattaya Poramet Ngampichet estimates that a whopping 80,000 tourists will travel to Koh Larn island off the coast of Pattaya in the eastern province of Chon Buri during the four-day royal birthday weekend from July 28 – 31.
Poramet said that Pattaya is welcoming more than 10,000 tourists per day lately – mostly from Thailand, Vietnam and India. During the long holiday, Poramet expects 20,000 tourists per day to flood through the Bali Hai Pier in Bang Lamung district and take a 30 minute ferry over to Koh Larn, also known as Coral Island. The mayor did not say where exactly he got the predicted numbers from.
Tourists are welcome to park their cars at the pier free of charge during the long weekend, said the mayor. Although, tourists might struggle to find a parking space if Poramet’s forecasted tourist numbers come to fruition. The multipurpose zone at Bali Hai Pier will be turned into a parking lot big enough for a maximum of 200 cars.
The mayor visited Koh Larn yesterday to inspect whether the island is prepared to welcome such an exodus of tourists. The mayor was impressed with the island’s preparations and reiterated that Pattaya City is prepared to keep tourists safe this weekend.
Perhaps he is referring to Pattaya police’s preparedness to take down “armed, drunk and aggressive foreign tourists” with metal poles, as rehearsed on Jomtien beach in this hilarious video.
Who knows, perhaps Poramet’s prophecy could come true given that Pattaya is the eighth hottest tourist destination in the world to visit this summer, according to Agoda’s most recent booking data assessment. Bangkok came in at number one and Asian cities took all 15 spaces on the list.
If you’re going to visit Pattaya this weekend, read the Thaiger‘s guide on how to make the most of a four day break in Pattaya.
SOURCE: KhaoSod