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Thursday, March 28, 2024

80 percent of Pattaya massage shops will never re-open

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The Eastern Spa and Wellness Associations says 80% of massage shops in Pattaya have closed forever, with fewer than 100 still able to operate.

After speaking to the Pattaya News, the association’s president, Chairat Ratananophas, had stated that the businesses that are left will need financial support and be clear on when they can open.

The current Covid-19restrictions that are in places means that the Chon Buri massage shops, spas, saunas have had to stay closed for the last 2 months.

Chairat also said that before the global pandemic, there would have been around 400 licenced spas and massage shops in and around Pattaya.

From today that figure is now less than 100 shops with many remaining permanently shut. However, this could change and these shops may re-open if and when the tourists return to Pattaya.

Up until now, these shops have been able to stay afloat due to domestic tourists and local ex-pats.

This year’s closures had put  “the final nail in the coffin” for many of these businesses as ex-pats and local tourists no longer have the money to spend the same before. Many owners have had to give up on the shops and return to their hometowns in order to survive.

According to Chairat, many of the shop owners in Pattaya still have faith that tourists will return and the situation will improve once tourists can return without quarantine.

However, until this day arrives, business will need urgent help if the remaining shops can stay open to serve visiting tourists.

He is calling on the government to provide clarity on how long the current closures might last, and a roadmap out of the restrictions.

In addition, wellness businesses and their workers need financial support, which Chairat says has been insufficient to date.

Finally, he wants a clear timetable for the return of foreign tourists to Pattaya, including prioritising wellness employees for vaccination against Covid-19.

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