Pattaya

When the world's greatest tourist destinations are mentioned, it is impossible to ignore Pattaya. This beach town is located along the northern area of the Gulf Coast in Thailand. It has two main beaches, the Pattaya Beach and the Jomtien Beach, which are equal in their popularity. These beaches are complemented by various islands dotting the sea that flanks this town. Most of the tourist activity in Pattaya is centered on its famous beaches and islands, but it has several other points of tourist interest, including the Buddha Hill.

For long, Pattaya has been known as the sleaze capital of Southern Asia because of the ready accessibility to all kinds of seedy activities in this town. Even today, Pattaya has a very liberal ambiance, but there has been a lot of regulation and control to make tourism safer. Today, Pattaya sees five million tourists on an annual basis, most of which are family groups with children in tow. This very well indicates the changing life in Pattaya, which has made is better for global consumption. Asians form the largest number of tourists here, while it also remains a popular spot for local Thai people as a weekend getaway.

Pattaya is variously spelled as Phatthaya (one of its historical spellings), Pataya (mostly by global tourists) and even Pattayah. But whatever it is spelled as, it still remains one of the splendid destinations in the world to have a cozy and inexpensive vacation with family or probably a group of close friends.