How Thailand’s notorious Pattaya was transformed from fishing village to sin city

After a long deployment in the Middle East, a US navy aircraft carrier is set to dock in Thailand’s infamous resort city of Pattaya, triggering a hasty crackdown on prostitution.Nearly 5,000 American sailors and marines are set to arrive on the USS Abraham Lincoln and two accompanying vessels on Wednesday after more than 200 gruelling days at sea during Donald Trump’s war with Iran.Five days of rest and recuperation will come as a relief following weeks of mounting reports of dire conditions on board the carrier, including food shortages, water contamination and the deteriorating mental health of staff.Pattaya has acquired a reputation as a hub of vice despite efforts to clean up the city (Reuters)But while the visit is expected to bring a much needed $3 million to the local economy, law enforcement officials say they will have difficulty policing the visit.The Independent looks at how Pattaya earned its status as an international ‘Sin City’.Pattaya transformed from fishing village to tourism hotspotPattaya is today a metropolis of some 350,000 people renowned worldwide for its long beaches and nightlife. But that was not always the case.Until the second half of the 20th century, Pattaya was a fishing village on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, some 150km southeast of Bangkok.That began to change with the arrival of American soldiers on leave during the Vietnam War. A large group of U.S servicemen arrived in 1959, renting houses at the beach’s south end and that has become what is known as its strip.Word soon spread of the local hospitality and by the late 1970s, Pattaya had been granted city status.High-rise condos and investment into a burgeoning tourism industry flowed through the 1980s, and even as the war wound down, the city retained its appeal with westerners.Pattaya today remains popular with British tourists, with occasional headlines in the UK press recording bar brawls, police raids and shootings.It also played host to Manchester boxer Tyson Fury’s latest professional fight.Tyson Fury fought at Pattaya’s Max Muay Thai Stadium in July (Getty)The heavyweight beat Mariusz Wach in Pattaya’s Max Muay Thai Stadium in July.The local authorities are working to shed the city’s image as a hotspot for vice and debauchery, investing in family friendly attractions and child-friendly hotels. But Pattaya’s Walking Street, brightly lit with neon signs, remains a busy centre of restaurants and parties, pressed together with an array of brightly lit nightclubs and sex shows.While prostitution remains illegal in Thailand, the sex industry is openly visible in major ​tourism hubs, including ⁠parts of Bangkok and Pattaya.And this year has also seen a number of tragic incidents in the city. Pattaya beach ahead of the arrival for the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier (Getty)In February, Quentin Griffiths, a co-founder of online fashion retailer Asos, died after falling from a high-rise condominium in the city, police said.Thai police said Griffiths, 58, a British passport holder, fell from the 17th floor of his apartment building.Authorities last month said that a 17-year-old girl whose body was found in a suitcase near a railway in June died from suffocation.Pattaya City police chief Anek Srathongyoo told the BBC: "She also suffered some brain injury but that was not the cause of death."It could have happened after she died as the accused moved her body in a suitcase before dumping it."US soldiers bring needed boost to economyNearly 5,000 American sailors and marines are set to arrive in Pattaya following a record long deployment aboard a troubled US aircraft carrier.The Abraham Lincoln is due to dock on Wednesday at nearby Laem Chabang. Shore leave is typically staggered, meaning not all personnel will step off the vessels at the same time.The local government is hoping that each sailor could spent around 1,000 to 3,000 baht per day ($30-91) depending on how long they stay ashore and whether they stay overnight, according to mayor Poramet Ngampiches.Pattaya has developed a reputation for sex tourism (Reuters)After meeting with American officials Monday, Poramet shared that the service members will be banned from certain recreational activities such as parasailing and marijuana use. Medical cannabis was legalized in Thailand in 2022 and dispensaries have become common in Thai cities.Pattaya brings in around 28 million tourists annually but has been struggling in recent years, in part due to travel disruptions and rising costs linked to the war in the Middle East.Lisa Hamilton, president ‌of the Pattaya Nightlife Business Association, said the arrival was a “source of hope” for the community after what she said had been the slowest year for business in two decades.But money could also flow into the unseemly part of Pattaya's entertainment industry, so massive that the FBI described it a decade ago as "one of the world's leading sex tourism destinations." "The risk to health and safety, as the influx of a large number of customers may increase the likelihood of ‌sexual exploitation and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases," said Pipatpong Fakfare, an associate professor at Bangkok University's School of ​Humanities and Tourism Management.