Pattaya welcomed more than 12 million tourists in the first six months of this year, a million more than in 2023, according to the local Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office.
TAT Pattaya office director Urai Mukpradabtong said tourism in Chon Buri province saw a 9.32% increase in visitors, rising from 11.61 million reported during the same period last year.
Of the 12.69 million visitors to Chon Buri and Pattaya city from January to June, most of them were Thai, with 7.2 million recorded, while the other 5.49 million were foreigners, Ms Urai said.
The TAT expects one million more visitors to Pattaya in the latter half of this year, with 25 million people visiting the province for the full year, up from last year's record of 23 million. Ms Urai saw the number as a good opportunity for tourism operators to continue working on promoting the market by exploiting the province's advantages.
These include the short travel time from Bangkok and strong connections between the private and public sectors in promoting tourism events, she said.
The province has been hosting many events to attract visitors, including the Pattaya Marathon and Vijitr Chonburi Light Festival at Koh Loy of Si Racha district last month, and the Amazing Music Festival from Aug 31–Sept 1.
The Pattaya International Firework Festival will be held on Nov 29-30, she said.
The TAT local office has attempted to arrange tourism promotion events for Pattaya and other areas in Chon Buri every month, especially in the low season. It has also collaborated with U-Tapao Airport operators and the carrier Lion Air for a sweepstake that has helped boost visitors to Pattaya during the rainy season.