Regulations in Thailand: No umbrellas or sunbeds on Wednesdays in Pattaya and Jomtien
Visitors to Pattaya/Jomtien will undoubtedly have noticed that there are hardly any parasols or sunbeds on the beach on Wednesdays.
That is the new regulation to let people enjoy the sea view more, at least that is what politicians want us to believe. Last week I also got to see the regulations of the Banglamung district. Beach owners are only allowed to occupy 50% or less of the beach from 7.30:18.30 in the morning until 7:40 in the afternoon. Each piece must not be deeper than 60 meters and have a total of XNUMX seats. The Pattaya and Jomtien beach must remain unoccupied for at least XNUMX%.
What has been overlooked, however, is that the open spaces are no longer maintained and cleaned by anyone. In addition to the "ordinary" pollution, I saw a brown beach, especially on the Jomtien beach, due to the many leaf litter from the trees. Due to the difference in ebb and flow also lags behind. I think it's sad for a number of beach keepers, whom I know personally, that they had to look for other work. It is a small consolation for them that also for the other beach owners due to a decline in tourists and a day less rental, they already earned less.
You can guess what the next political step will be. Amazing Thailand!
Not the politics, the damn j……..they interfere with everything now, and I just think that the army served to protect the country. No, here they must impose the moral and other values of the average Thai and the rest of the world likes it that way
'Rest-of-the-world' doesn't think it's good at all, see the reactions from Europe and America.
The junta has recently focused almost exclusively on China for good reason.
(So don't complain about annoying Chinese tourists…!)
What struck me in May/June last year was that more than 90% of the Dutch/Belgian 'farangs' wholeheartedly welcomed the new regime...! Was a disappointment for me.
The reason I come to Thailand again and again is precisely the beach.
When the junta gets even more involved, I will look for another Asian country that offers tourists more freedom…!
Yesterday afternoon at low tide…. horrible, all that rubbish on the beach of Jomtien.
It's time for national awareness about Thailand's huge pollution!
I think it's a pity that it has to be like this in Phuket, it is already
they also know that fewer holidaymakers will come as a result
It's a shame I'm going in April, but if I had known this in advance
i went to another place
Many tourists will not come back next year because of this measure.
They better turn things around.
And clean the streets a little better, clean up the litter along the roads.
Many people throw their garbage along the road, they don't want to pay the 400 Bath per year to the garbage man.
The beach keepers can't keep this up!
I understand that on this Wednesday the beach would be cleaned and the reason was…..
So aren't the beaches in Thailand cleaned on this day?
Unfortunately that does not happen Jasmijn!
In fact, because there are no beach keepers on Wednesday,
can they clean the beach first on Thursday morning.
Really a ridiculous measure for the beach keepers.
Not for me, I'm not much of a beach lover.
With such regulations, from Parasol, and sunbed rental, and the ridiculous reasons the government gives, for justifying these prohibitions, as a tourist you get two thoughts, either they don't want tourists, or they have no idea what a tourist is. as a normal wish.
Why can't they conduct a survey among tourists, and respond to the real wishes of people who bring a lot of money into the country, and thus keep an entire industry alive?
It is not only all the comments above, but also the space per seat has been reduced as the operator still wants to get rid of as many seats as possible. I saw my 'space' reduced by 40% and therefore less privacy and more nuisance (from smokers and drinkers).
This is a ridiculous measure. This is just to scare tourists away. Then complain that fewer people are coming. Most European tourists are at a certain age that they don't want to sit with their butts in the sand anymore and want to have a chair.
Furthermore, the current places with chairs have become quite cramped. The free beach is now quite large but also empty. By the way, I didn't see anyone there enjoying the view
All in all. this is driving tourists away. Decreasing income from beach entrepreneurs. I do not understand that the tourist lobby such as hotels etc. do not sound the alarm louder to cancel ea.
On Wednesday no umbrellas on Jomtien alternatively we went to koh larn where we were chased off the island by the police at 15.00pm normally the last boat goes at 17.00pm so seems like bullying tourists after all.
The beach in Hua Hin is also empty on Wednesday.
Very annoying for us who go here for lunch every day while on vacation.
Now you have to wear something (unfortunately not everyone thinks) to eat something in the town.
By the way, who does “that goddamn j….” meant?
He must mean Junta – Unelected military government – Difficult word!!
This measure is also in effect in Hua Hin. On Wednesday no beach beds and umbrellas and the beach bars are closed. So what does the average hibernator do who buys a stretcher himself and the beach tent owners are the victims. No income on Wednesday and no rental beach beds all week.
Too sad for words
Greetings Rino
Well Well what are we raging against the Thai government again. We know better and are already pointing our Dutch finger.
I just went through two months of no beach in Hua Hin on a Wednesday. An exception at Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Nothing wrong at all.
The entrepreneurs maintain their place well. They had to give up space and beds, but are taking them back piece by piece (that's how it goes, isn't it??) If they continue to be normal towards Mr. Soldier, it's not so bad. (they do come to check regularly)
But did you know that those beach people otherwise work 7 days a week from 6 am in the morning to 7/8 pm in the evening. (we don't mind that at all) No, as long as we have our drink and snack and can lie lazily on a bed. Just stop.
We shouldn't pretend that we are on the beach 7 hours a day, 24 days a week. Just a nice day for us to do something different. No disaster.
Yes, as far as the seller is concerned, one day less income, that is true. And that's sad. But for us it doesn't matter.
Besides, you can just go to the beach. Just no service for us spoiled people.
And the sellers are well registered. Grumpy at first, but don't know any better now. The jet ski holders are also better controlled.
It's not all misery. And now stop grumbling. Me, too !!
Incidentally ; Nonsense to mention that many tourists no longer return due to this measure. What nonsense. And if you think it's that bad, then find another country (which is also suggested) where you can lie on your bed on Wednesdays.
I come for the sun and want a chair with a parasol, otherwise I won't go to Thailand anymore.
It's that easy! On Wednesday day off??? There are still many uneducated unemployed, put them to work!
Can you imagine that you can't sunbathe on Zandvoort/Noordwijk on Wednesday, invented by our government, too crazy for words
Bye bye Thailand
Dear Ruud tam ruad,
The point is not that a tourist does not know how to organize his/her holiday, there are certainly other options than lying alone on the beach.
The point is that you cannot forbid a tourist who brings a lot of money into the country, and thus keep an important industry alive, in common sense, from renting a standard chair, and try to defend this with the ridiculousness, that the tourist is so has a better view of the sea.
What is now only Wednesday in Pattaya is already a daily fact in Phuket.
On Patong it was first allowed for tourists to bring their own sunbed and umbrella, because many people understandably do not want to lie on a towel in the blazing sun all day.
After a message in the Bangkok post, bringing a beach chair and a parasol is now also prohibited by the government, so that every tourist remains at most a towel. (Amazing Thalland)
Moreover, this not only has to do, as you call it, with the Dutch finger, and that we know everything better, but has long been a thorn in the side of the international public, of which the Dutch finger is only a tiny part.
Just an addition: eating on the beach is no longer allowed on Phuket. And smoking is also prohibited (you used to be allowed to smoke in restaurants without air conditioning. Why? Maybe the government will install air conditioning on the beach
We were in Jomtien for 10 weeks, our beach keeper had it all together, reasonably clean, until yes, the beach was no longer allowed to rent out chairs and sunbeds for the beach keeper on Wednesday,
So people were allowed to sit on their towel, I have never seen such a garbage dump on the beach in the morning after the day off, so Thursday and on the beach road near the containers it is an even bigger garbage dump
And stink shit yes thanks to the yes
I remain faithful jomtien, staying away is also not an option,
Maybe we're not the only ones who think this way
Gr han
What a relief for the eye, the ear and especially the stock market. Yes, you can now see that Pattaya also has a beach. Previously you did not see sand, only umbrellas, outright pollution of the horizon. The prices of food and drink on the beach are also skyrocketing. The Thai police in collaboration with the army had conducted an investigation last week after complaints and it turned out that the prices at the beach chair rental companies had doubled compared to the normal regular prices across the road, 10 meters away.
They are and remain money vultures, those beach chair renters, and try to rip everyone's purse empty as quickly as possible.
Keep your guard up on the beach in Pattaya.
In principle, prices are free.
No one forcing you to order your food and drinks on the beach.
Everyone is free to walk 10 meters further for half the price.
I do agree with you about the "disappeared" beach. We ourselves regularly come to Bangsean and there too the entire beach (up to the tide line) was taken up by beach chairs and umbrellas.
I totally agree that people put a limit on that, but that has nothing to do with a Wednesday closure. And here too, if you buy food on the other side of the street (and what many people do) it is significantly cheaper.
gr. Nico
Ruud's comments and grumbling really make no sense! Many tourists come here for sun, sea and beach, others for culture or whatever…
But it is very tourist-unfriendly to give a different interpretation to your holiday and it does not benefit anyone. It is their choice whether they want to work 6 or 7 days a week. I have lived in Jomtien for many years, and know many beach keepers, masseurs, manicurists, vendors, etc. And they complain bitterly that they lack so much income. At least, if they know and trust you.. Because THEY are not allowed to say anything about it, if that comes out they will be arrested!
And the "beach cleaning" reason is a fallacy! It only pollutes worse on Wednesday, because the people who come then, with their towel, leave a mess behind.
Thailand has always been a tourist-friendly country, but this measure is driving tourists away, which is the main source of income in Pattaya and Jomtien. I feel sorry for the Thais who have to earn their living in the beach industry, and are now losing so much on their salary…. They are not satisfied, the tourists are not satisfied..! Who is satisfied with this idiotic measure?
Pattaya? Beach? Ok then, but then also really work on the jet ski mafia! But strangely enough, hardly anything happens in that area?
By the way, those criminals have moved their business to the go-kart tracks!
Great then, because I like to tear a piece with such a thing. Hopefully Andy from Pattaya Go-kart Speedway will keep his outdoor track!
Patong Beach is even worse. New rules every day. One day seats and umbrellas are not allowed, other days, or one is allowed and the other is not. The authorities themselves have sent a team on the beach to prohibit tourists from placing their own seats and umbrellas. Incredible! It is true that a cleanup had to be done. But that beach chairs, umbrellas have to go and that jet skis can stay is against all logic. But yes, the strength of the money will come first, surely???
When will those anti-tourist rules end???
I wouldn't mind at all that umbrellas and beach chairs are offered along the beach, were it not for the fact that the beaches in question look like a wilderness.
It is crammed with umbrellas that are usually in a far state of decomposition, a jungle of “umbrellas”… often with advertising texts from a distant past. And around it all kinds of immense garbage containers, preferably with open lids and a lot of junk around. Well, if those are your favorite holiday destinations, congratulations! Not to mention the Thai logistics used by those “beach entrepreneurs”… The overall picture is horrible, I have no other word for it.
I really can't imagine that there are so many people who want to be exposed on that beach like packed zombies.
In the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and so on, you can at least see something of the sea. Can you imagine that it would also be crammed with that rubbish? Do you think this would be widely accepted?
Here on the Thai beaches mentioned it sometimes seems like an anti-holiday destination, sometimes almost barbaric, sorry but that's how I feel.
Personally, I think that the current leadership of Mr. Prajuth is the best Thailand has ever experienced.
Some work had to be done in this country and he does.
Of course not everything can be done in just a few months or even years, there is goddamn work to be done in this country.
And many here don't seem to realize that there are also people who want to enjoy the sea from a terrace without necessarily sitting in the sand or taking a walk along the beach.
And don't worry, it is still in a transitional phase, the clearing of leaves etc. will be handled in a different way. One thing will lead to another.
And if a certain category of "tourists" were to disappear from these beaches, then another category would certainly take its place that is attracted by neat beaches with neatly organized entrepreneurs and with good-looking equipment.
And it will therefore have to be checked (almost daily) otherwise it will definitely go wrong again in the long term. If you know how a Thai handles regulations….
It would be better for tourists if there were enough chairs on spacious plots everywhere every day. That's true.
However, some relative comments.
It had indeed become a mess, so it is understandable that there is some limit to it.
People who come all the way from the Netherlands to Pattaya especially for the beach???
Yes, I question that.
And if as a tourist you are most bothered by a military junta that has come to power in a non-democratic way through a coup when you cannot sit on the beach, then I would say go on holiday in another country where martial law has been declared.
Another solution to this "problem" can be, only fold out the beach chair and parasol when the
tourist or thai come to the beach !!. Seems like a good solution to me and everyone is satisfied, I often see
that of 100 seats, for example, only 25 are used, and this solution also gives you more visibility.
I just got back from a few weeks in Thailand and as usual (again) I visited Jomtien for 2 weeks. I didn't know what I saw, many empty restaurants, bars and complaining dignitaries. I've been coming there for many years now, but I've never seen it like this. I spoke to the owner of the apartment complex in Soi 4, a Frenchman, he told me that he had his business refurbished in order to sell it because he says there is almost no profit left. he also said that the Junta wants to bring back norms and values in Jomtien and to end the 'sex image' that Thailand has anyway. According to him, the plan is to clear all tourist activities of bars, shops in the side streets (Soi's) and designate only the Boulevard for “high-quality” tourist activities such as Hotels and restaurants. The bars would then only be allowed on the site of the market where that is already the case. I think it is THE death blow of Jomtien and later maybe Pattaya and maybe all of Thailand. The military regime consists of people from conservatives and supporters of Thai morals and values (whatever that may be) it is clear that something is changing under the current regime. Whether that will also be positive for Thailand, the future will show, it is clear that tourism is suffering, as evidenced by the complaining entrepreneurs, bargirls and tourists. Thailand has made a lot of money from tourism in the last 30 years, also because no comparable tourism was offered in the region I can imagine that other countries would rub their hands with Vietnam, Malaysia and later countries such as Burma with the "help" they receive of the current Thai rulers. According to the French apartment manager, “Thai tourist culture is over.
It seems that he wants to make Thailand a tourist destination with only 5 star hotels.
If that succeeds, it will be very good for the international hotel chains and bad for the local population.
He will have to go back behind the plow and the buffalo.
Because those 5 star hotels will not create that much employment.
There will also be far fewer tourists in Thailand to spend money with the locals.
Lung addie is now thinking for a moment…. Are there only three beaches in Thailand? Pattaya, Hua Hin and Phuket? I don't have any problems with that, no smelly garbage dump left by the "tourists", no "horizon pollution", no high double prices etc etc... I can choose here where I go sunbathing (although I almost never do it ha ha)... I just stay away from those “cups full of herrings” places, have plenty of room on the beach, have crystal clear water to swim in and enjoy beautiful Thailand. Of course, here it is the “desert or jungle” for the tourists…. keep it like that !!!
lung addie
Where exactly is that beach, because that's where we all want to go with our sunbeds and umbrellas.
They must do! On Koh Larn the beach closes at 3pm on Wednesdays with police on the beach. If things continue like this, we will go to another country next year where we are welcome and free to rent a chair / bed. Not only do I think about this, but many Dutch people agree with me. To us it comes across as tourist bullying. If I can believe the rumors that we will soon not be allowed to use alcohol and food, it's really over for us!
I am surprised to read over and over again that there are still people who try to defend all the ridiculousness, and even try to convince people who actually came to Thailand for a beach vacation, of their alternative day schedules.
We certainly cannot compare the political situation with other countries that have a different form of government than a military Junta, but we must not forget that we as paying tourists can still express our opinion, especially considering that the limits of ridiculousness are at many actions more than achieved.
Suppose we had a government in the Netherlands that wants to ban beach chair rental from next summer for the region, Zandvoort, Scheveningen, and Katwijk, and that they also ban ice cream sellers, herring sellers, and other eateries that are near the beach.
To make the satire even more complete, the government could ensure that in spring the Keukenhof is only open on rainy days, so that the staff can water undisturbed on sunny days, to prevent any dehydration.
To make it even more ridiculous, they could forbid the people of Volendam, who are admired by most tourists for their traditional dress, to wear wooden shoes at the weekend, so that the tourist is not disturbed by clog banging, and can thus better enjoy the natural murmurs of the Zuiderzee.
You could point out to people who find all this ridiculous, just like the chronic junta defender tries to do, that you cannot compare the Netherlands with other countries, moreover you could provide them with alternative ideas how they can enjoy the Netherlands, and if all these sensible counsels fail to bear fruit, the last possibility remains that next time they will hold a holiday in France, Belgium, or Germany. And as a paradox, the Ministry of Tourism, together with the tourist office, continues to spend millions to promote the Netherlands as a holiday destination.
There is a regulation in Amsterdam that stipulates that terrace permit holders may install heating elements on the terrace, but may only use them in the summer.
So yes, I would like to finish your statement 'suppose that in the Netherlands …': '… then we do what is told and we stay indoors.'
Dear French Amsterdam,
That is why you can put it into perspective as you wrote, because you are also used to it from Amsterdam, it continues to annoy me, and therefore have no understanding for such measures, and I am certainly not alone with this opinion.
Gr. John.
Dear John,
Any opinion other than yours ridiculous?
You just used the wrong examples. Are there herring sellers on the beach in the Netherlands? Are there jet skis in the sea and nowhere to put your towel, because the beach is occupied by private entrepreneurs? Is the beach in NL not properly cleaned by the government?
The central Thai government wants to move closer to a situation like the one in the Netherlands.
Everyone has a different holiday feeling. I was just disappointed about all those tourists who made it possible for the Thai to spoil their beaches. If you have experienced the Thailand of 20 years ago, the current situation on the beaches does not really cheer you up.
If you listened to the (your?) majority of tourists (and blog readers?), all beaches would turn into a huge Benidorm in no time; in my ridiculous opinion. It's just an opinion...
Dear Eugene,
I clearly used the word “satire” in my response to explain in my own way what the government of Thailand is causing among many tourists.
In Pattaya it is only Wednesday, and on Phuket the ban on beach chairs and umbrellas is already a daily reality.
What was first partially allowed in Phuket, by bringing your own chairs and umbrellas, has now been completely banned in the second instance.
Even the Thai newspaper, Bangkok Post, has addressed this situation, which is seen as a negative development by many tourists, as an unsustainable situation.
No one would have anything against a measure that aims to lead the so-called proliferation of beach chair rental companies and further traders in the right direction, but a total ban as currently on Phuket clearly goes too far here, and is beyond ridiculous.
In Phuket, what is prosecuted as a ban by the local police one day is disproved the next day by the military government, and then banned again a few days later, so that any sane person judges this as complete chaos, where no one knows what exactly to do.
If one develops a controlled system, then one can achieve something, for example by granting permits to beach chair rental companies and other traders, which also serves the employment and satisfies the tourist.
Only an unthinking ban usually has to do with a poorly thought-out concept, and does not cause the Benidorm you feared, but the much smarter ABSURDISTAN.
I like to keep a place in the front row for your towel, so that you have an unobstructed view of the sea, as long as you understand that not every 50+ person wants the same thing.