Big spending tourists in Pattaya ??

According to figures from the TAT, tourists in Pattaya over the last two years have spent, on average, less than 1,000 baht per person during their holiday - are these the high spending, up-market tourists that were being discussed in posts on Pattaya's future?

Chaiwat Charoensuk, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Region 3 Office said that 2007 was a good year for Pattaya City and Chonburi Province in terms of tourist arrivals, with the figure standing at 6.62 million. Pattaya City itself received an income of 5.9 billion baht from tourism.
This represents an increase of about 8 percent over the previous year, 2006, when there were 5.5 million tourists and a tourism income of about 5.3 billion baht. (Pattaya Mail)

Lies, damn lies and statistics ....

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less than 1,000 baht per person during their holiday

Is that currency correct or should it be dollars etc? Also what duration of holiday are they talking about?

1000 baht does not last me more than an hour or so in one evening!

[Marsilius]

At first I thought that the strange finding might be due to the two possible uses of "billion" - i.e. (a) a sum equivalent to 1000 million, or else (b) a sum equivalent to 1,000,000 million. [See the Wikipedia entry on "billion".]

However, on the basis of dividing the pool of of 5.9 billion baht by the 6.62 million tourists, the first option gives a finding of spending per tourist of just 831 baht (= ┬г13 = $26) and the second option gives a spending per tourist of 831,000 baht (= ┬г13,000 = $26,000), so neither seems very likely.

[gumblebee]

Chaiwat Charoensuk, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Region 3 Office said that 2007 was a good year for Pattaya City and Chonburi Province in terms of tourist arrivals, with the figure standing at 6.62 million. Pattaya City itself received an income of 5.9 billion baht from tourism.

Imho the figure of 831 Bath per tourist must the share (taxes,...) the Pattaya City local government received, not the total expenditure per tourist.

[Marsilius]

If that's so (and it certainly sounds quite plausible) then it's a case of yet more sloppy writing - in this particular case using the term "Pattaya City" in two completely different senses in adjacent sentences - from that appalling rag The Pattaya Mail.

The Mail really is no more than an excuse for a newspaper, full of poorly written sycophantic waffle rather than the hard news that is just waiting there to be uncovered in our favourite seaside resort.

I am an European staying 1 month in Pattaya each Summer, spending around 140.000 baht each time, not including travel and hotel costs. I don't off boys, as I have a steady Thai friend who looks after me, so I take care of HIS expenses too of course (he is very humble, all he's asked for in 4 years, and was given, is 1 mobile phone and 2 gold chains). Restaurants, bars, shopping (I'm not a BIG shopper), and my friend's friends also go out with us sometimes, and of course I take care of their expenses too at those times.
So, what do you guys reckon, do I waste too much money? I wonder how much "normal" people spend.

It is neither sloppy writing (although, agreed, it could well be from the Pattaya Mail), nor taxes. It is the amount that the TAT estimate tourists spend in Pattaya every year (around 6,000,000,000 baht); the number of tourists (around 6,000,000) includes all "tourists" including, for example those coming down by the pick-up load for the songkran "festivities".

My main reason for posting this was to show quite how useless statistics are, even (or especially!) when given by a government department; this year, for instance, the police claimed that there had been no water antics on Sukhumvit during Songkran (19 April) - the only thing I noticed through the spray when I had no option but to drive along Sukhumvit was that all the police posts were either unmanned or had been removed!

... the bus loads of mainland Chinese who arrive, spend next to nothing, gawp and leave

[ikarus]

I am an European staying 1 month in Pattaya each Summer, spending around 140.000 baht each time, not including travel and hotel costs. I don't off boys, as I have a steady Thai friend who looks after me, so I take care of HIS expenses too of course (he is very humble, all he's asked for in 4 years, and was given, is 1 mobile phone and 2 gold chains). Restaurants, bars, shopping (I'm not a BIG shopper), and my friend's friends also go out with us sometimes, and of course I take care of their expenses too at those times.
So, what do you guys reckon, do I waste too much money? I wonder how much "normal" people spend.

If the data provided Gone Fishing is correct, than using elementary statistical tools (Markov inequality), the number of people visiting Pattaya and spending more than 200000 baht per visit cannot exceed 30000 people (out of 6 million). This is an elementary calculation accessible to undergraduates and hopefully can be reproduced by it least some of the members.
Now, TAT has absolutely no way to know or estimate how much money is paid in tips to sex workers (obviosly nontaxable income). Secondly (and this is more on anecdotal side), say the price of a modest dinner with vodka (and what is Russian dinner without vodka?) in restaurant "Traktir u Zakharovny which is located right opposite Big C on Second road is easily exceed 1000 baht. The restaurant is the most popular eatery among Russian tourists in Pattaya and always fully booked during high season (it may be closed though now because, Zakharovna, the owner, very nice lady, usually closes it this time of the year). Last year she opened the second branch in Naklua area, because demand clearly exceeded supply.
There is a number of other Russian restaurants in Pattaya even more expensive and this number is growing every year.
In my opinion, both the estimate from Markov inequality and other evidence presented here make the number of 1000 baht as average spending per visit
totally and completely unrealistic. It must be much, much higher.

They all sit at Duc's bar in Sunee Plaza