Social media seems to be going crazy as of late with people shouting like it is the end of the world. It is not doomsday just yet. Thailand is not dead or dying, it is sleeping at the moment like every other country in the world, thanks to the pandemic.
The virus has brought out the worst in people attitude wise, it seems. Sure, if your business wasn’t doing very well prior to the virus outbreak, you may be in for a world of hurt financially. Some businesses will close. In Pattaya it is hard to say whether or not the virus was the cause of a business closing, or if the business was just doomed to fail regardless of circumstances. Businesses here open and close almost weekly it seems. The city’s facade is constantly changing.
There are several owners out there that are going to have to make some decisions based on the new rules and regulations required when opening their bars back up. With the new rules, can you still make enough to get by and thrive? The only person that can answer that is the person that owns the business. There are WAY too many pessimistic people out there at the moment though. Negativity feeds negativity, which is probably why it is always the same exact people online moaning and groaning.
The vast majority of Pattaya will re-open and continue on. There are just as many fighters out there that will not let the closures get the best of them if it is within their power. Soon you’ll be able to go back to warming your favorite bar stool and seeing your favorite bar girls and things will be back to normal.
Look around, the “new normal” of mask wearing is already wearing off for the most part. Everywhere you look there are Thais without masks on, or with them not on all the way. Seven-Elevens and Family Mart have already basically done away with the phone check-in application (and many have also done away with the sign in forms). What people see as the “new normal” will quickly fade from existence and be replaced by the “old normal” that we all know and love.
The ones out there hollering that things will never be the same are the same people that have been hollering that Thailand is dying for years, when indeed, we know that to be untrue. The demographic in Pattaya has changed but other than that, things in Pattaya were still pretty active prior to the virus. The ones screaming about how terrible things are will never openly admit that though.
When things re-open it will all come back down to whether or not you had a successful establishment prior to the virus. It’s not like they will re-open the city and people will suddenly start going to check out the places that are always empty, with or without a pandemic. Businesses with a decent regular customer base will see their customers return. EVERYONE is tired of being locked up at this point, aside from the people who swear that we need to wait for a vaccine (that’s a whole other opinion article).
My recommendation is this. Keep calm and see how things go for now. The last thing that you want to do is make any decisions based on advice from social media, where everyone is an entrepreneur and can offer the best solutions for your life. Chances are they are the type of people that will walk into your place of business and begin a conversation by saying something like “You know, if this was my shop”. It’s not.
Thailand has done generally well with their virus response when you look at the numbers of cases and deaths. There is a lot to be positive about (you know, like getting read to be able to generate income again) so don’t sit around focusing on all the negative energies flying around out there.