PATTAYA, THAILAND – Pattaya aimed to position itself as a nationwide model city for “Creative Nightlife Tourism” and to set the course for a high-quality, safe night-time economy.
Second high-level workshop convened
A second high-level workshop on developing Creative Nightlife Tourism took place on 2 December 2025 at the Pattaya Discovery Beach Hotel, starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Dee Room. The event was organised by the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Senior city officials at the table
The city was represented by Deputy Mayor Damrongkiat Pinijkarn, Assistant Secretary to the Mayor Korn Phatthanasin, Pattaya City Council President Banlue Kullavanich, Council Secretary Bancha Kullavanich and other specialist municipal officials. Participants from both the public sector and private businesses were invited to contribute.
Part of a broader national tourism strategy
According to the organisers, the initiative was part of a national strategy to build high-quality tourism offerings with a clear local identity. At the same time, it was intended to develop innovative formats that would strengthen the night economy over the long term.
The goal was to create stable income for local communities and the state through an entertaining, safe and creative nightlife sector that could be transferred to primary and secondary cities across the country. Pattaya and Chonburi served as the pilot area, following an initial meeting in October.
Planning for zones, routes and governance
Working groups discussed key building blocks of the future night-time economy, including conceptual master plans and spatial zoning for creative nightlife areas. They also examined possible night tourism routes linking core and peripheral districts, as well as governance and management models for operating the night economy.
Methods for measuring and recording turnover in specific nightlife zones were also on the agenda. One central focus was the development of a standardised index to systematically capture revenues from night tourism, aligned with existing indicators for creative and cultural tourism.
Deputy mayor stresses joint effort
Deputy Mayor Damrongkiat Pinijkarn underlined close cooperation between the municipality and businesses.
“Pattaya is fully ready to work with the Department of Tourism and private entrepreneurs to position the city as a national benchmark for creative, safe and sustainable night tourism.”
said Damrongkiat Pinijkarn, Deputy Mayor.
Pattaya to act as flagship model
The outcomes of the workshop were set to feed into a national network for Creative Nightlife Tourism, bringing authorities, private operators and industry experts together at local, regional and policy levels. Within this network, Pattaya was expected to serve as a flagship when the final master framework is introduced in other cities in the coming years.
The eastern coastal city thus took on a key role in reshaping the country’s night-time economy and in defining standards for creative, secure and sustainable nightlife development.