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Russians in Pattaya

There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings about the Russian holidaymakers in Pattaya. Some are not so happy about it while others are reeling in the Russian money flooding into the place. In March 2007 Thailand and Russia entered into a mutual visa waiver program between the two countries. This enables Russians to come here on the standard tourist visa as we all know today. The following graph shows the numbers of Russians that have visited Thailand over the past 6 years.

Growth of Russians in Pattaya

As you can see the amount of Russian tourists has simply exploded, Pattaya has seen it's  biggest share of those Russian tourists but you have to simply ask why? Seems to me a lot of them are down on the beach oblivious to the hookers lining the palm trees. I can see young kids playing in the sand and walking down Walking street, what's up with that?

Are the Russians ruining Pattaya? No of course not, this is an international city now and people are going to come here from everywhere, Russian Chinese Malaysians Indians are also increasingly coming to Thailand and why not it's a great place why can't everyone come?

The problem with the new wave of Russian tourists into Pattaya is many if not most of them are not the sex tourist. I remember more than 15 years ago when I first went to Pattaya that's all there was, sex tourists. It was like a secret global meeting place of mongers from all over the world who were seeking one thing. A place where every business revolved around the Sex Industry.

Things have changed a lot now the happy beer bar girl has to watch hundreds of family holiday makers walk by before she get's the opportunity to shout out "sexy man". Anyone working a beer bar isn't too happy about the new "Family Friendly" arrivals.

Russians in Pattaya

Are the Russians turning off the wanna be sex tourist? Maybe. Mongers typically don't want to pick up hookers in front of women and children, just makes you feel a little off. Remember this place used to be a secret getaway where you could do this shit without women and children being around, that's why you left yours back home isn't it? It's off putting and I'm sure there are plenty who feel the same effect.

But it's not just the Russian invasion that has changed things, big business and hotels have changed the face of Pattaya as well. Higher rents closer to the beach has been pushing the beer bars further away from the beach.

Pattaya is changing all the time and quite frankly you can't say it's better or worse nor can you live in the past. Take a look at this picture of Pattaya from nearly 50 years ago, there's always an argument that it was better 10/20/30 years ago. Hell in 10 years time we could be saying that today were the good old days.

Are the Russians really outnumbering the original isaan Pattaya girl? Hardly! Whatever horror stories you've been told just forget about it. There are plenty of young brown girls to choose from.

Pattaya 1965

Photo of Pattaya in 1965

Whether the Russians are here or not it really doesn't matter, as much as Pattaya has changed there's one thing that will stay the same even if 3 million Russians arrive in Pattaya. The Go Go's the beer bars and especially the girls will always be around they just might not be in the place you remember.

Are the Russians really ruining Pattaya?


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About Chris

Chris founded LivingThai.org in 2011 and has received over 3 million visitors. He has lived here for over 10 years and speaks reads and writes very good Thai.

26 Responses to Russians in Pattaya

  1. ChiangMaiGuy April 1, 2013 at 12:09 pm #

    Privet!!! I like Russians (not the mafia type obviously) and picked up a hot chick in BKK recently – Russians and Russia get a bad vibe from people but I have been there many times and loved it. Have met some in Pattaya and they don’t really remind me of the ones I met in Moscow and Pete on all those hunting trips between 1994 and 2004 – not sure why… the Russian hookers are rough I must say (so far). Is it a good thing? not sure as they are building a ‘state within a state’ and will not mix much with other farangs I have found.

  2. Alex April 2, 2013 at 9:28 am #

    That’s the one of the reasons escaped from Pattaya, even though I’m russian.

  3. Milbrath April 5, 2013 at 11:29 pm #

    I know a lot of really cool Russians, but the ones coming to Pattaya seem to be mostly lower class Russians. Probably on a cheap tour package or something. Yes, they have ruined Pattaya right along with the insane amount of rude and low class, cheap-skate Arabs. Oddly, just a few years ago most of Pattaya was anti-Arab and many restaurants and bars had signs saying Arabs were not welcome there. How times have changed.

    • greg October 13, 2014 at 2:12 am #

      I recall the Grace disco(replaced)on walking street was almost exclusively Arab. There’s a longstanding large thriving Arab/Persian bar group that’s hard to miss where soi VC crosses second road toward walking street.
      The staff there back in the day had to ban the US Navy for assaulting the arab guys who were the preferred customers. Kuwaitis,UAE,Qataris,Saudis are generous to a fault. It’s the north african muslims(Algerians) that cause the trouble. Beware of anyone from former french african colonies. Ignore this advice at your peril.
      In Bangkok Sukumvit soi 4 Farang bar owners used to ban Muslims to keep them to soi 3.
      As far as cheapskates go no one surpasses the Indians,Nigerians.
      Just sayin’…..

      • Mina November 16, 2014 at 9:48 pm #

        So racist article. We all human being. All nations have good and bad people, so please don’t generalize.

        • ron March 21, 2015 at 11:30 pm #

          Greg is not generalizing those people are scum, the entire population.

      • Deepika December 13, 2016 at 6:08 am #

        Racist spotted.

        A Proud Indian

  4. Thommy June 15, 2013 at 6:37 pm #

    Its definitely not bad for Pattaya (i’m here now) – if you want old-style crazyness, you can get it a bit later than before – 3-4 am – most of family tourists already sleeping. Also now its a pretty Russian girls, for the difference, most of them want to meet some good guys from other places, but don’t like Arabs and Iranians (I’m Ok with everyone, its just recent impression).

    Bad side is that 90% of Russians don’t speak English and don’t want to. Also i see influence on Thais now – some of them bacome more agressive and greedy, police looks like i Moscow sometimes.
    And bad for those isolated Russians is, that nobody really care now – just trying to avoid them, like some aliens. There are the walls between them and others, that you can almost tauch.

    But, you can notice it, surprise, and easily ingore it after!

  5. Arab October 11, 2013 at 11:20 am #

    Hahahahahahaha, A Arab needs just to say Hello to any Russian, and she replies him Marhaba Habibi. That’s the full truth.

    • mohamed November 29, 2016 at 11:41 pm #

      russians women don t like us

  6. Derek January 13, 2014 at 7:47 am #

    I have lived in Pattaya two years and am from America! I have a Russian girlfriend! Why would the Russian men want to take a thai women do you see these Russian girls!! EWWEEEEEEEEEEE!!! 🙂 They are not just gorgeous but cook clean and take very good care of their man! A thai lady can not cook for the most part, cleans long enough to get married and then fills your house up with her family! My father has been here 8 years and had two thai wives so I am not speaking out the side of my head! How are we going to knock a group of people like the Russians because they come with a little morale and want to have family time here instead like the people that come from where I am from, from the UK, and Europe that come here to PERV!!!! You can’t go wrong with a Russian women Men I am telling you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

  7. aziz October 4, 2014 at 8:03 am #

    did thailand girl like saudi arabia man yes or no thank you

    • Chris October 5, 2014 at 3:28 pm #

      I think you’ll find a range of women, some that like Europeans, some that like Aussies and americans, some that like arabs and some that like jews. But they all love money. 😉

  8. rumi June 26, 2015 at 10:51 am #

    What’s wrong with you ALL, specially you who wrote this “article”?!.. “the Problem (!) is that many russians now are not into the sex-tourism”.. you guys are ficked up in the head, you had something missing in your childhood, some lack of sex-experiences and general teenagers-stuff, that’s why you guys are flooding this country with one thing in mind: SEX-SEX-SEX. Shame on you.

    • Chris June 28, 2015 at 3:03 pm #

      You got a problem eith sex?

      • rumi June 28, 2015 at 10:40 pm #

        Actually I DON’T have a problem with sex, unlike many Pattaya’s expats whose main reason to be here is getting an AFFORDABLE fuck with a girl 2-3 times younger than them. What a big bunch of LOSERS .. Does this ring any bell to any of you?!……

        • Chris June 29, 2015 at 3:48 am #

          Well since u mentioned age are you an older gentlemen with urges to fuck young thai girls? If not then who are you to have a problem with that. Being 60 and fucking 20 year old youd problably find that same guy at 25 liking the body shape and buzz of a girl in her late teens early 20s as well. Nothing wrong with it. Its natural and how some people are. Like some people are gay or get off from sex with ladyoys. We dont or shouldnt care about what they do or the people who pay for sex do either. They arnt losers though some of them probably are, its got nothing to do with with wanting to fuck women younger than oneself even for money. Theres worse things to bitch about.

    • Deepika December 13, 2016 at 6:14 am #

      Exactly. All i can read about here is Sex. I thought i have found a informative website with a plethora of information about Pattaya. Alas!!!! Every article is about sex and showing what cheaters, the author and his friends are.. Having children back home and fucking with girls here.
      Man! You might not publish my comment but you are fucking moron with only one aim – SEX

      • Chris December 18, 2016 at 11:31 pm #

        wait….why you going to Pattaya? for the beaches lol

  9. rumi June 29, 2015 at 10:22 pm #

    SEX TOURISM-PLAGUES are exactly the type of things we SHOULD and we MUST care about, but perhaps this is not an interesting topic for such a spammy blog. Would you care if it was your young daughter the one fulfilling seedy-perverts desires for not having enough choices or opportunities back in your farang country?! A normal and emotionally-balanced person wouldn’t, but based on your early subsmissions is likely that many of you WOULD, without shadow of doubt. I hope you all disappear one day from this country. Enough trash and corruption you brought so far.

    • Chris June 30, 2015 at 5:04 pm #

      Huh. Its thier choice. If you brought your daughter up strong willed with a mind of her own theres nothing u could do to stop her doing it if thats what shes decided. Stop trying to control people.

    • Daniel September 6, 2015 at 12:20 am #

      @ Rumi Why Do Thai parents enjoy the money from their Sex worker son or daughter?
      Some parents buy cigaretts and alcohol with money made from their daughters spreading their legs. The girls are sweet and come from poor families and they make this sacrifice for their parents often times just the Mom. I respect the girls for helping, But I wish they had a good normal job to help them, But not every is body is lucky like you. I think you should give all the girls money to send home so they can quit their Job you dislike. Rumi your a Troll that dosen’t have 2 Bhats to rub together. So Big Man what is your solution? Too many lazy parents expect their daughter to help them instead of making it on their own.
      I blame the Thai Parents not the Girl. Once the girls get the taste of the bar life and fun it is hard to take the bar life out of them. Most of Them like spreading their legs for the easy money.

  10. rumi June 30, 2015 at 5:29 pm #

    Yep, is their choice, but the facts remain: if you travel here for shagging young-girls you’re doing it basically for one reason: You’re such a loser in life that you can’t have someone loving you for what you are, and you can’t even afford in your own country to PAY girls for sex and wife-like things. You can’t. Because you are not successful, you’re ugly and your bar-stool lifestyle doesn’t attract any respectable woman other than poor, not-educated whores.That’s why you love being here. You convinced yourself you’re not a loser, because “Hey! I fuck a young-good looking girl, I’m not a loser!” Sorry buddy, you still are. Every man who is obliged to pay in order to have sex or even just to feel loved (sigh) is a poor devil, or as I said before, a LOSER.

    • Chris October 24, 2015 at 3:02 pm #

      Not everyone is a loser rumi. Take me for example, I have two condos in Bangkok, one where my wife stays. the other one where my girlfriend stays, I take care of my wife obviously but my girlfriend not a cent. Sometimes i’ll barfine bitches bring her back to my girlfriend. Most often though I have a one bar fine policy if they want more they come for free (which they normally do). Why do people like you say you have to be a LOSER to pay for sex. Makes no sense, define LOSER anyone, if I look it up probably says like this: LOSER = Rumi.

      • mike42night January 28, 2017 at 10:33 am #

        Agreed, Then a large percentage of the male Thai population are losers as well as far more locals partake in P4P then tourists.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Why Sex Tourism in Thailand is Dying | Living Thai - April 22, 2013

    […] to that of yesteryear is much smaller. This can clearly be seen in Pattaya where you’ll see Russian Families sharing the beach right alongside Thai hookers. The regular western monger is being pushed […]

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