Everyone wants to own a business in Pattaya and most times it ends up being a bar or resturant. Over the past 5 years business has changed in Pattaya and what used to work before might not today. Internet cafes used to be big business until broadband came around and many ran into trouble.
What you need to know about Pattaya. Over the past 7 years the government has attempted to change the face of Pattaya. One can see today that property prices have increased and that the face of Pattaya has changed as today their are more Russians arriving which was not so just a few years ago. You are also starting to see more families arrive in Pattaya whereas it used to be a single man’s paradise. Those have all come to a slow end.
Many have bought bars or are buying a bar in Pattaya and these did and today surely don’t really survive as the competition is tough. There are twice as many bars spread over a larger areas giving people more options. Most businesses in Pattaya do no make it to their first financial year end as most end up being resold as a ‘good business’ with potential.
Just because you have a bar does not mean that you do not need to do anything else. Firstly you are not allowed to work in a bar as you would not get a work permit to hold such a position. Secondly the entertainment licenses in Pattaya have become tough. Many place this into the name of a Thai however this does not normally work out well. What you do see today is more brand names moving in but these are mainly franchise operations. They don’t really fail and tend to do much better than a stand alone business with no reputation. This is something to look into if you are looking at retirement in Pattaya or better yet something to keep you busy while living in the Fun City.
According to those in the know you are also seeing far more middle eastern tourists in Pattaya and Indians have become a large and growing tourist profile. To this you note that many more Indian restaurants are opening by the day to take advantage of this change in the Pattaya profile. Not many can make this change and they will also fail. Living in Pattaya can be tough!
Guest houses used to be a good business but like much of Thailand everyone copies the other. 2 years ago Pattaya had a glut of unused beds in the city. Too many beds and too few tourists. If you are looking at starting a business in Pattaya then visit our office in Pattaya and speak to our solicitor in Pattaya who lives in Pattaya and had spent many years in Thailand.
Need an answer now – then visit our main website and speak to us online. You can also call our tollfree UK and US telephone numbers other than simply walking into our Pattaya office. Don’t take bar-stool advice – take advice from our solicitor in Pattaya.
