• Within the Province of Chonburi
• Popular beach resort in east coast of Gulf of Thailand
• Population of 219,164 (Chon Buri) by World Population Review
• From Singapore to Pattaya - est 5 hours
From Bangkok to Pattaya
• 90 mins by car
• 40 mins by plane to U-Tapao, and 50 mins to Pattaya from U-Tapao

Thailand's US$7 billion high-speed train linking 3 airports gets off the ground after months of dispute BANGKOK: Thailand's plans for a new US$7.4 billion high-speed rail that will connect three airports from Bangkok to the tourist town of Pattaya got the go-ahead on Thursday (Oct 24) after months of negotiations that spilled over into public acrimony. The Thai government said it had signed an agreement on Thursday to begin construction with a consortium led by conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group and including China Railway Construction Corporation.

Chon Buri: The Pattaya City administration plans to build a nine-kilometre monorail to ease traffic congestion and connect the city with the government's flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project BANGKOK: Pattaya City administration has allocated a budget of 70 million baht for a feasibility study project, adding the rail project in Pattaya will be designed to link with the government's infrastructure development in the EEC which spans three eastern provinces of Chachoengsao, Chon Buri and Rayong. Investment may be under the public-private partnership (PPP) model under the EEC's announcement, Mr Manote said.

The meeting acknowledged the "Eastern Aviation City" development project within the area of 6,500 rai in U-Tapao Airport, with the approximate investment budget of 290 billion Baht...It is expected that the project create additional 15,600 jobs per year within the next 5 years, and engender new technologies, as well as labor skill development in aviation business and other related businesses.

The combination of the growth of industry, the development of efficient transport infrastructure and the area's natural beauty and attractions gives the area high potential for future growth. CBRE sees the area growing as an upmarket hub and believes Pattaya provides many opportunities for developers to cater to rising demand in a variety of market segments, including hotels, residential homes, retirement communities and retail centres, and for investors to start looking for their own opportunities.

Thai Hotel Association and Association of Thai Travel Agents suggested to the PM:

• visitors undergo a COVID-19 check-up before travelling to Thailand
• resumption of aviation to Thailand without any requirement for visitors to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
• VAT to be reduced from 7% to 3%

"When you look at what happens to tourism after a crisis, you always see a strong rebound," Dr Benckendorff says. "There will be considerable unmet demand for travel while people are locked down and once they are able to travel again, we will see a surge in travel. "We are already seeing this in China, where some jurisdictions have lifted lockdown restrictions. So it is not a question of if, but when and how fast this will occur."