Transcript of the above video:

Yeah, okay, so the thumbnail first of all; I'm calling the expats if you will of Pattaya the ‘Watchmen’ for purposes of this video, so that's the reason for thumbnail. Also the reason for the thumbnail is, times they are a-changin’, and what I think the Watchmen down in Pattaya are seeing is something I've been seeing and that is - and I'm going to cite an article here - and it comes at it from the perspective of they don't think that tourism numbers or the official stats are aligning with what they are seeing on the street. I think they are probably right insofar as their observation on the street down there if you will is that there seem to be less tourists and things. I think the point that's being missed by those folks though is, it is not that there are less folks coming in - I actually believe the official numbers - it's that the demography of the folks coming in, be they expats or tourists, is changing. 

That said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Pattaya visitors question official tourist numbers as "Quality Tourism" push faces skepticism. Now again, the Watchmen sort of reference is to the expats that are just down there because there is a part in that article, and I urge those who are watching this video, go check that out, pattayamail.com, but in that article there is a thing that says, "we are here" which is basically they are on the ground, they can see it, and they are seeing that the official statistics regarding tourism are not sort of aligning with what's happening on the ground down there. 

While I'm talking about this, I think it's fair to point out that for expats or tourists alike, my better half and I did set up a restaurant here in downtown Bangkok. If you are interested in American Diner style food or breakfast anytime, Pancake Palace is the name of the place and we have also got American Diner style food, hamburgers, cheeseburgers. We now have tacos, we have got the grilled cheese, chilli bowls - in my opinion, best buffalo wings in Thailand. So if you're interested, please feel free to come on down, link is in the description below.

But also there's a link in the description below to the YouTube video of the opening of The Watchmen which the theme of that is "Times They are a-changin’ by Bob Dylan, and I just love that opening. It's one of the best clips of a movie I've ever seen in terms of just the art of just that clip; it's like one of the greatest music videos if you will ever made, so that's the reason for the thumb and things. That said, let's go ahead and jump into this. Quoting directly: "Foreign residents argue" and these foreign residents are the Watchmen I am referring to. Quoting further: "Foreign residents argue that statistics alone do not reflect actual activity levels in Pattaya's core tourism zones. While transport hubs such as Suvarnabhumi Airport may appear busy at peak times, they say large parts of Pattaya feel noticeably quieter than in previous years, even during what should be high season." I'll get to this more in a minute, but I think again I don't think the numbers are off, I just don't think the demography is the same. Quoting further: "Several long-term visitors point to empty bars on the streets such as Soi LK Metro, Soi 7 and surrounding nightlife areas, saying crowds are concentrated at limited times or locations rather than spread across the city. Quote: "If 130,000 tourists a day were really flowing through Pattaya, you wouldn't be wondering why beaches and entertainment zones look half empty," one resident commented." 

Yes, I think that's correct but again, I'm not sure that they are going to Pattaya. The difference in demography is profound, and I immediately thought of this when reading from that same excerpt. "Several long-term visitors point to empty bars." Yeah, this is a demography shift of epic proportions especially for the nightlife and food and beverage sector, and that demography shift is these younger folks, especially from the West, so-called millennials, they don't drink; not in the numbers that we are used to in the expat and tourism community. I mean I think I remember reading somewhere that it's like 54% or 57% down overall in terms of, they drink that much less as a demography. The other thing to bear in mind, they may go to different places than Pattaya. The old school tourists, the old school on-again-off-again expats who are like veterans in the Vietnam War, they were the oil and gas industry, those folks tended to congregate to Pattaya. The younger folks don't necessarily have that same draw and connection from their own past. There are a variety of different reasons also for this possibility, but they are just doing different things. 

Something else that is going on here which I have talked about in other videos and I've even talked about it on other people's podcasts is yeah, the demography shifting, there are a lot of young women coming to Thailand now, and they have a totally different set of desires and goals for what they want to do with respect to being a tourist in Thailand, and it doesn't necessarily include hanging out in the bar on Pattaya Beach. And that's not good, bad indifferent, that's just, they are new, they are different, they don't do what the old tourists did. So I think that more than anything is what's coming up here. 

That said, quoting further: "Skepticism has also been fueled by official data showing that foreign visitor arrivals in January 2026 fell by about 18% compared with January 2025. For many on the ground, February already feels more like low season than peak season, raising questions about claims of a strong rebound. Quote: "People living here can see the difference year to year," said another long-term visitor. "You don't need spreadsheets to notice when foot traffic drops." I think that they are probably on to something with regard to Pattaya, but I think what they are - my sort of two cents on this - is what we are seeing is a demographic shift. Tourists are different now, especially post-Covid. 

Another thing to bear in mind is not only is the drinking thing a clear trend just among millennials in general, there was the legalization of Cannabis which allows for an alternative recreational use product and the folks that imbibe upon that product, they operate differently. They sit around playing Mario Kart or something. They don't again go out and hang out necessarily in beach bars in Pattaya. It's a different thing. Times they are a-changin’. I don't think it's necessarily for the worst, but I do think it is a major change and change often brings transition. Transition can usually, especially in some of these business sectors that cater to tourism, sometimes transition can be difficult. That said, I don't think we have to worry about overall numbers in Thailand. It is just a change in the demography and a change in the taste of the new travellers we are seeing coming here to the Kingdom of Thailand