Comments on: The New Walking Street Sign

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:24:27 +0000

Hey Talen, this just confirms the Thai opinion of advertising – any place, anywhere, nothing is sacrosanct. Adverts are literally everywhere.

Could be worse, I’ve heard stories from locals of Thai mayors replacing perfectly working lampposts with new fixtures made of gold. The allegation is that the major over budgets the cost of work in order to fiddle the accounts and pocket extra money.

Jons last blog post..Much ado about crossing

By: Martyn

Martyn — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:47:58 +0000

Talen it is a shame about the new appearance to the entrance to Walking Street but you did mention money and that’s what the famed walk is all about. Behind the sign nothing has changed and it’s business as usual for the girls and ladyboys. A shame but this is Pattaya and the money men ain’t into tradition, just good old bucks.

Martyns last blog post..Land of the Rising Yen

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:39:00 +0000

I have never been to walking street but I tend to agree with your sentiment. Perhaps they will go for a full blown Times Square effect, which I actually quite like in NYC.

Perhaps you are right about the mix of nations now drawn to Pattaya, I personally know a lot of Russians who have visited and really rate it.

Mikes last blog post..Children in Thai Foreigner Relationships

By: Ben Shingleton

Ben Shingleton — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:52:32 +0000

Agreed. Garish, unwelcoming. No class, no character. Crap. Should be a public outcry.

Ben Shingletons last blog post..Give a man a fish he will eat for a day. Teach him how to spot roadside food and the rest is history ……

By: Talen

Talen — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:09:45 +0000

Pete, I really don’t think they care so much about western tourists anymore. Most of their efforts are centered on China, Korea, Russia and India.

I can’t say that I have ever seen any Thailand tourism related content at any time in America.

When you walk around Pattaya these days you see a lot of signs written in Chinese and Russian and a bunch more Russian establishments have opened up in the past 2 years.

By: Pete, frogblogger

Pete, frogblogger — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:43:32 +0000

When you think how poorly TAT have promoted some aspects of tourism in Thailand, when you consider the lackadaisical easy come, easy go approach the Thais have had in the past to Westerners, the political farce and the effect that has had on the number of visitors, all the missed opportunities… are you surprised? Its a bit like the reaction some have had to reduced numbers of farangs to their businesses. Discounts? Sure, some of the time. But some have tried to put their rates up to compensate! I know that we expats sometimes don’t make enough effort to integrate and understand Thai culture, but if they want to attract Western tourists, they need to make a bit more effort in the other direction as well…

Pattaya kind of developed in a haphazard, unplanned way, but I suppose it has its charm

That sign you snapped looked good, but maybe the Thais just don’t get nostalgia…

Pete, frogbloggers last blog post..Chiang Mai Thailand – foreign residents summoned to police station

By: Talen

Talen — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:07:42 +0000

It really is a shame but I’m sure they saw the dollar signs when someone brought up the advertising aspect.

I’ve seen just as many people taking pictures of the old sign as I have seen people taking pictures of other landmarks in Thailand. Didn’t see anyone taking pictures this time…just me and not because it was pretty.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:51:35 +0000

Talen, I’ve never been to Walking Street, but that would irk the bejesus out of me too! And what were the Thais thinking? Tourists continued to be attracted by quaint – just look at the different attractions in the UK and the US – and huge ugly TVs are not quaint at all.

What a pity.

Catherines last blog post..YouTube: Thai Tylenol Ad and Tones