Pattaya businesses buckle under pressure as tourism slumps, say 2028 recovery timeline feels out of reach amid soaring costs and fewer visitors. (Photo by Jetsada Homklin) PATTAYA, Thailand – As Thailand’s tourism slump drags on, few places feel the impact more acutely than Pattaya’s famed nightlife and bar scene. Once a magnet for foreign tourists, the city is now grappling with thinning crowds, shuttered shops, and rising despair among small business owners. “We’re barely making enough to cover rent,” said Nok, a longtime manager of a popular beer bar on Soi Buakhao. “If it wasn’t for a few regulars and long-term guests, we’d have closed already.” The numbers reflect the reality: entertainment venues nationwide recorded the highest closure rate in Q2 2025 at 13%, but in Pattaya, insiders estimate it could be even higher — especially among unregistered venues and informal operators. Bar staff reductions, dimmer lights, and quieter nights have become common. “This used to be the low season. Now it just feels like no season,” one venue owner said. “Even during the pandemic, we had some government support. Now we’re invisible.” Others pointed to rising operating costs, from electricity bills to security fees and the high cost of imported alcohol. “And with the baht so strong, Europeans are spending less. They come for one beer, not ten,” added Jib, who runs a bar catering to German retirees. The slump has also changed visitor behavior. Operators say many tourists now travel in groups, spend less per head, and avoid nightly entertainment in favor of cheaper daytime excursions or food delivery at their hotels. “They don’t even walk around anymore,” Nok said. The Tourism Council of Thailand projects a gradual rebound by 2028, but for small operators, that’s too long to wait. “If we don’t see a real pickup this high season — I mean real tourists, not just transit passengers or selfie-takers — I’ll have to shut down,” said another bar owner. Until then, the neon signs stay lit, the music plays on — but the mood on the ground is anything but upbeat.