New shine for Thailand's dirty child.

So far, Pattaya, especially for the large number of famous and infamous sex tourists. But now investors want to transform the Thai city: From the Red Light Paradise is a premium destination will be.

 

The Fish Martini is blue Curaçao. The Knabberfischlis to taste the sea. The Cocktails of the "Baraquda Bar" of the ultra-modern "dusitD2 'maritime bear names, like the whole design of the newest hotels in Pattaya thematically oriented on the sea. The white bar on the terrace of the third floor like a spaceship hovers high above the dense traffic on the main artery Pattaya Second Road.

The Baraquda is empty. Perhaps because the bar is still too new, too unknown. Perhaps also because the whole of the urban designer hotels Schick simply not to shabby suits Pattaya. The bars compared with red light as the only design feature stands out, however, are well attended. With kess stacked beaten legs sit hostesses as prostitutes elegantly described in mini-skirts on wobbly bar stools. "Hello, come in", they call vorbeischlendernden passers, both men and women, and lard. The main thing is that the true beer sales.

By the end of December, the D2 opened elegant Dusit group, the young, urban clientele gutverdienende from Bangkok in just two hours drive away Pattaya lure. The time is ripe, is General Manager Dusit Randon Paolo: "We talk to those people who have not Pattaya visitors were. Rotlichtviertel are everywhere in Pattaya, perhaps more than elsewhere. But we must not go."

At the beginning there are two letters

Pattaya has no red light district. Pattaya is a red light district. "Sex is always the selling point will remain," says Sunan, who for many years in this city of sin as a real estate manager lives. At the start of Pattaya Sextouristendestination stood as two letters: R & R, Rest & Recreation, such as "Relaxation & Recreation". In the fishing village on the Gulf of Siam sent the U.S. during the Vietnam war, GIs on the front to leave the R & R. For Sex, beer and rock'n roll soldiers were able to break loose, war and death for a few days, forget it.

After the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 Thailand had learned his lesson: Western men with Asian beauties. Instead of the B 52 of the American Air Force began to have sex-bombers from Europe to land, full of mostly older, lascivious men from Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia. Eventually the Thai Pattaya was so embarrassing, but that it modestly the mantle of the PR-silence on the beach covered with Megapuff. Pattaya still remained popular and a major foreign exchange bearer.

But now begins in Thailand, his dirty attraction, the long a vibrant city with more than 100,000 people and reported six million visitors each year has become, and rediscover aufzumöbeln. Randon says: "Pattaya is changing more and more a place for family and a resort for couples." So much so that the bars in Walking Street, the mother of all Pattaya's red light district, now with large signs "Couples Welcome" to recruit clients. Mature couples from Germany spectacular semi-Go-Go Girls. Young (heterosexual) Asian couples from Singapore or Seoul pulls it into the gay bars with live sex shows. Russian tour groups are from a flag officer with Sodom and Gomorrah Show.

Cocktails instead of beer bottles

The Thai city of Pattaya's Tourist Office and fathers put on the new clientele. If only people rich enough to attract the cocktails instead of beer bottles slurp, Prada instead of cheap T-shirts bear the French Edelrestaurant place on the noodle stand on the street dine, then change the image automatically, so the optimistic calculations.

So were built luxury hostels, golf courses created, trendy restaurants opened, while the other is still no decent sewerage system, as the bad odor in some places of the Beach Road clearly shows. In doing the sidewalks are huge, dangerous holes on the taxi drivers are crooks; on minimalist narrow beach next to the dense traffic on Beach Road Wabern the sun-starved tourists noise and exhaust fumes to the nose and ears.

Divers drawn to Pattaya because of the great diving spots out there in the depths of the Gulf of Siam; golfers putt on one of the 20 golf courses, who come for the island, may of Pattaya from day trips to beaches of Koh Larne, Koh Samet and Koh Chang enterprise ; visitors from the Middle East as a medical tourist, which is in international Pattaya hospitals at bargain prices verarzten leave.

It opened in January Mega Central Festival department store, according to self-promotion of Asia's first and only shopping mall right on the beach, including an (unfinished) Hilton Hotel with 300 rooms underlines the claim Pattaya, its raunchy image to Wellness, Lifestyle and Urbanity supplement. Khun Kobchai Chirathivat, president and CEO of the operator group CPN Pattaya sees the future with confidence: "The city has the potential of Thailand's premium tourist spot to be."

A paradise for the Elderly

One of his dream home just in from Pattaya and rebuilds the Osnabrücker Wolfgang Jung. Under the stage name Steve Young is one of the 62-year-old with his band for nearly 30 years, the primary rocks of the entertainment on the island. But for the rest wants to be Young in Pattaya, not to "Malle".

Young stands on the balcony of his inside and out all in white held villa looks over the pool up to that of a golden Buddha statue crowned hills, the sister of Pattaya City Jomtien separates, and says: "This is paradise for me. We live very nice quiet. But I need me just to set up a scooter and I'm five minutes from the city or on the beach. " Paradise is still cheap. "My house would have me here in Mallorca cost ten times as much, at least," says Young and Pattaya cheerfully called "a retirement home", the one in Germany could not afford.

To have thousands of Europeans in the eternal summer Pattaya established, wealthy entrepreneurs as well as retired people with small money compared to Europe in Pattaya are wealthy. Like Young, who is in his white house along with his Austrian partner makes at home, many, including his wife relocated to Pattaya. Others live with their Thai partners and make the experience that they are also responsible for the welfare of the extensive, low-relatedness of exotic wife have to pay financially.

Then there are those huge army of single seniors from Gerolstein and Gothenburg, Birmingham and Berlin, Salzburg and St. Gallen, in Pattaya to enjoy their retirement-supplied with Viagra, for the many pharmacies in Pattaya with meter-high neon advertising signs advertise . Also, almost 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War based Pattaya attraction still on two points: R & R.