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Pattaya
was simply a small fishing village until it
was discovered as a beach resort by Bangkok
residents in the 1960s. Soon thereafter,
American servicemen from the U.S. Air Force
base at U-Tapao in neighbouring Rayong
province began using the area for "rest and
recreation" (R&R), causing a huge boom in
prostitution. When the Americans left
following the end of the Vietnam War, the
city fell into a crisis. However, modern
mass tourism, particularly Sex tourism from
Europe and America brought a new lease of
life to Pattaya. In recent years the City
has pushed hard to clean up its image and
family-focussed entertainment is
increasingly available, however the core-sex
industry has ensured that Pattaya retains
its position as one of the World's largest
red light districts.In 2005, more than
35,000 hotel rooms were available in Pattaya.
Pattaya has seen a large increase in family
tourism in recent years, thanks to efforts
to present a more wholesome image. Pattaya
is an especially popular vacation
destination for families from Russia,
Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Pattaya also
has a large international expatriate
population and many services meet
international standards.The rapid growth of
tourism brought about many negative
consequences, such as petty crime and
prostitution. These problems seemed beyond
the capabilities of the Central Government.
In 1976, the Pattaya City Act was passed by
the Thai legislature, making Pattaya a
self-administrating municipality governed by
a Council-manager government. However, many
argue that this administration system has
drawbacks (for example, the mayor may
disagree with the city manager). Critics
have recommended abolishing the system.
Pattaya City
is a city in Thailand, located on the east
coast of the Gulf of Thailand ,about 145 km
southeast of Bangkok in the province of Chon
Buri. It is one of the largest centers of
tourism in Thailand, with about 5 million
visitors arrived in 2005. Tourists visit
Pattaya for many reasons including luxury
hotels, beautiful beaches, friendly people,
excellent shopping, reasonable prices and a
wide variety of nearby tourist attractions.
Others come for the world renowned
nightlife.The city has about 99,000
registered inhabitants. This figure excludes
the large number of Thais who work in
Pattaya but remain registered in their
hometowns, and many long-term expatriate
visitors. |
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