Pattaya is an exotic holiday beach destination nestled along a
picturesque bay on the East Coast of the Gulf of Thailand,
roughly 170 kilometers southeast of Bangkok. From a fishing
village in the 1960's, Pattaya has emerged as the favorite
Southeast Asian vacation center. A fascinating escape where
tourists, holiday makers and retirees from around the world can
enjoy an incomparable array of pastimes to unwind relax or
partake in sports and other exciting activities.
Unlike other beach resorts, where natural surroundings are used
as magnets to attract tourists, Pattaya makes an all-out attempt
to provide the best of everything. Here, everything means
everything a tourist can imagine while on holiday: recreation,
entertainment, sports, sightseeing and fun. To put it simply,
Pattaya is a paradise for everyone, as it has a variety of
attractions suitable for all types of visitors.
This is the
place where you can fill your day, from dusk to dawn, with
endless activities, or you may choose to do nothing at all and
relax. There are 18 professional standard golf course within 45
minutes drive of Pattaya, water sports include jet skis
windsurfing and of course scuba diving. Pattaya is unique in the
fact that the climate allows diving 12 months of the year unlike
other similar diving centers.
It's a shopper's paradise with
large department stores and super markets down to local markets
and street vendors. Eating is a delight apart from the
incredibly low prices and high standards; Pattaya offers every
international cuisine as well as fine dining international fast
food outlets and food delivery services.
The Past
Pattaya's name was originated from the march of Phraya Tak
(later known as King Taksin the Great) and his followers from
Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi just before the fall of the Ayutthaya
Kingdom to the Burmese invaders in 1767.
When Phraya Tak's army arrived in the vicinity of what is
Pattaya today, he encountered the troops of Nai Klom who tried
to intercept him. When the two leaders met face to face, Nai
Klom was awed by Phraya Tak's dignified manner and his army's
strict discipline, thereby surrendering without a fight. The
place where the two armies confronted each other was later
called Thap Phraya, which means the Army of the Phraya. This was
later changed to Phatthaya, which happens to mean the wind
blowing from the southwest to the northeast at the beginning of
the rainy season. Today the spelling of the name has been
simplified to Pattaya.
For centuries, Pattaya was a small fishing village almost cut
off from the outside world. But a big change occurred on 29
April 1961 when the first group of about 100 American servicemen
who would join the Vietnam War arrived in Pattaya for
relaxation. Soon, sleepy Pattaya became Thailand's premier and
most successful beach resort, which annually attracts hundreds
of thousands of pleasure-seeking visitors.
A full range of
accommodations from super deluxe hotels to bungalows and
mini-pocket guesthouses replaced fishermen's huts along the
beach. Fishing vessels were adapted to become tourist boats and
swimmers and sunbathers from various parts of the world
frequented the quiet powdery golden beaches. Places of nighttime
entertainment have also sprung up and are popular among
international tourists.
The Present
Pattaya currently integrates the delights of a 1st class beach
resort, city-like dining, shopping and night entertainment
facilities with more than 300 assorted hotels, thousands of
shops, restaurants and bars. In addition, there are an array of
sports and recreational activities including beaches, golf
courses, tennis courts, go-kart, gyms for working out, weight
lifting and Thai-boxing gear. Pattaya offers a broad range of
things to do. During the day, one may enjoy riding elephants or
driving humble automatic mini-bikes, monstrous motorcycles, or
even monster multicolored convertible Jeeps.
Others go for
shooting firearms, scuba diving and surfing, deep-sea fishing,
speed boats, scooters, water-skiing, parasailing, or aerial
sports such as gliding ultra-lights and flying motor-propelled
gliders. On the other hand, at night, there are restaurants,
bars, theaters, cabaret shows, night clubs, bowling halls,
billiard & snooker clubs, exotic erotic shows, discos, sauna &
massage parlors, not to cite its absolutely incredible shopping
which is available non-stop both day-and-night.
Pattaya Facts
This exotic beach resort welcomes approximately 3 million
visitors a year. The friendly and hospitable Thai nature boosts
its promotion, frequently bringing back the repeat visitors and
constantly increasing the number of newcomers.
Pattaya city is located on the eastern coast of the country at
latitude 13 N and longitude 101 E in the area of Chon Buri
province. It is 147 kilometers from Bangkok and lies parallel to
Sukhumvit Road on its east and the coastline on its west.
Pattaya occupies an area of 208.1 sq. km. that is divided into
53.44 sq. kilometers of land and 154.66 sq. kilometers of
islands and sea. Its coastline is 15 kilometers long.
Pattaya has a plain on the coast with some high mountains to the
south. The area on the east slopes down towards the sea on the
west.
Administration
Pattaya City has been administered under a special autonomous
system since 1978. It has a status comparable to that of a
municipality and is administered separately by the mayor of
Pattaya City, who is responsible for making policies, organizing
public services, and supervising all employees of Pattaya City
Administration.
Data
www.tourismthailand.org
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