General Information

Pattaya is located on a beautiful bay on Thailand’s East Cost, 170 kms. Southeast of Bangkok. The transformation of Pattaya from a fishing village to the most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia has been dramatic. Pattaya offers the dream tropical vacation with picture perfect beaches and a host of exciting activities.

Pattaya is different from other beach resorts due to the high-level of pampering and facilities it has to offer. The natural beauty of the place combined with its tourist infrastructure makes Pattaya the ultimate tourist destination. Pattaya has lots to offer for each type of tourist – be it high-adrenaline sports or just to laze around the beaches.

History

Pattaya got its initial name from the historic march of King Taksin the Great, also known as Phraya Tak, with his followers from Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi, just before the Burmese invasion of Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767. King Taksin was stopped at Pattaya by Nai Klom, but was impressed by the dignified figure of King Taksin the Great and his well-disciplined army. Nai Klom surrendered without fight and this place was named Thap Phraya, meaning the Army of Phraya, in memory of this encounter. Later this region was named Phattaya after the wind blowing here during monsoon from southwest to northeast. This became Pattaya over years.

Until the early 1960s, Pattaya used to be a fishing village without much interaction with the outside world. The turning point for Pattaya was the arrival of about a hundred American soldiers for relaxation during the Vietnam War. This put Pattaya in the tourist map and it became a hot tourist destination. Soon the tourist infrastructure developed with boardinghouses to ultra-luxury hotels and resorts sprouting up all over the place. The fishing boats were converted into tourist boats and restaurants, shops and entertainment centers came up to attract more tourists.

Present scene

Pattaya has developed into one of the best beach resorts in the world, gifted with lush green landscapes and picturesque beaches. The place has hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities measuring up to international standards. More than 300 hotels and innumerable restaurants, bars and shops cater to every need of the visitors. Recreational activities include golf, lawn tennis, Thai-boxing, go karting, shooting, gyms and weight lifting. An assortment of other activities is available here like elephant rides and driving monster bikes or colorful convertible jeeps or simple automatic mini-bikes. Water-based activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, water-skiing, parasailing, scooters, speedboats and deep-sea fishing are a hit with tourists. For those looking for aerial sports options, there are flying the motor gliders and gliding on ultra-lights.

Nightlife is vibrant with restaurants, bars, nightclubs, theaters and cabaret shows. Other choices include billiard and snooker clubs, massage and sauna parlors, discos and bowling halls. Shopping enthusiasts can shop day and night with the shops here providing amazing opportunities.

Facts and figures

An incredible 5 million visitors come to Pattaya each year. The number of repeat visitors is high which speaks volume of the Thai hospitality. The friendly Thai people and the world-class infrastructure help tremendously to boost the tourism industry in Pattaya.

Pattaya is located 147 kilometers away from Bangkok on the Eastern coast with the sea on its west and Sukhumvit Road forming its eastern boundary. It lies at 13N latitude and 101E longitude. It is spread over 208.1sq.km. and has a 15km. coastal line.

Administration

Since 1978, Pattaya is under a special autonomous body with the Mayor at the helm. The body is equivalent to a municipality with powers to frame policies and run public services.