12°57N 100°53E. Beach resort in E Thailand; on the NE shore of the Gulf of Thailand S of Bang Phra; the Riviera of Thailand, with resort facilities.
Pattaya (Thai: พัทยา, RTGS: Phatthaya) is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand (12°55′39″N, 100°52′31″E), about 165 km southeast of Bangkok in the province of Chon Buri.
History
Pattaya was simply a small fishing village until the rich of Bangkok discovered it as a beach resort in the 1960s.
In 2005, more than 35,000 hotel rooms were available in Pattaya. Despite its reputation as being largely a destination for sex tourism, Pattaya has seen a large increase in family tourism in recent years, thanks to efforts to present a more wholesome image. Pattaya also has a large international expatriate population, due to the low cost of living as well as the significant modern infrastructure, which includes hospitals, shopping malls, supermarkets, and fast food outlets.
Administration
The rapid growth of tourism brought about many negative consequences, such as petty crimes and prostitution. In 1976, the Pattaya City Act was passed by the Thai legislature, making Pattaya a self-administrating municipality governed by a Council-manager government.
Recreation
Pattaya Beach
Pattaya's main attractions are its beaches. Pattaya Beach is situated along the central city in close proximity to shopping, hotels and bars. The over-abundance of jet-skis and speedboats has contributed to the pollution of the water along Pattaya Beach. The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is adjacent to the core of Pattaya's abundant nightlife area, hence it is less family-oriented than the North Pattaya, Na Klua and Jomtien beaches.
Jomtien Beach
Jomtien Beach is divided from the main part of Pattaya by Buddha Hill, just south of the city. In contrast to Pattaya Beach, Jomtien is a popular spot for family vacationers and watersports enthusiasts.
Jomtien's most visible landmark is the 56-story Pattaya Park tower, part of the Pattaya Park entertainment complex which also features a water park, roller coaster, monorail and children's activities.
Ko Lan
Ko Lan is a small island situated 7.5 km west of Pattaya.
Sports, tourist sites
Other activities include golfing at the area's many golf courses, and there are 21 golf courses within 1 hour of Pattaya, go-cart racing, visiting the construction site of an elaborate private wooden temple known as Sanctuary of Truth, and different theme parks and zoos such as Mini Siam, and Elephant Village.
Shopping
In recent years, new shopping malls, outlet stores and jewelry stores have opened up, which has helped in increasing the length of stay of visitors to the city. Among the shopping malls are:
Central Festival, Pattaya Second Road – Indoor mall anchored by a BigC; Carrefour, Pattaya Central Road Mike Shopping Mall, Beach Road Royal Garden Plaza, Beach Road – Three-story indoor mall with a Ripley's Believe It or Not! Tesco Lotus, Pattaya North RoadNightlife
Pattaya is renowned for its exciting nightlife, some of which revolves around the sex oriented industry.
Pattaya is known for its cabaret revues featuring kathoeys (male-to-female transsexuals), with Alcazar and Tiffany's being the largest and most elaborate.
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) matches aimed at the tourists can be seen at many of the open-air beer bar complexes.
Pattaya also has a large number of massage parlors.
Climate
Pattaya enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the following seasons: warm and dry (November to February), hot and humid (March to May), and hot and rainy (June to October).
Crime
Petty crimes such as picking pockets are an occasional problem in and around the major tourist areas, such as Jomtien Beach and Pattaya Beach.
In 1975, a string of apparently related murders of western tourists occurred around Pattaya, now believed to be committed by the Frenchman Charles Sobhraj.
For several years, Pattaya has served as a hideway for foreigners with connections to organized crime, and dozens have been murdered in gang-related disputes.
The authorities are increasingly cracking down on paedophiles and a number of high profile arrests of wanted sexual predators have been made in recent years.
Pattaya, along with the rest of Thailand, is known for its abundance of pirated DVD movies, music CDs and software.
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