PATTAYA, THAILAND – Authorities in Pattaya intensified checks on unlicensed vendors renting mats and chairs to tourists and occupying public beach areas.
Checks along the shoreline
Officers from the municipal Enforcement Division inspected the beach section running along Beach Road and focused on operators offering beach mats and chairs for rent.
According to the city, several businesses offered their equipment without the required permits and used areas officially designated as shared public space.
Why the city tightened enforcement
Officials justified the operation with rules on the use of public areas that were intended to prevent individual businesses from effectively “reserving” stretches of the beach.
The beach was classified as a shared public zone that had to remain open to all visitors, regardless of whether they rented equipment or not.
Mats and chairs confiscated
During the operation, officers secured several commercially placed items, including mats and chairs that had already been set up in the sand.
The confiscated equipment was loaded onto a truck and taken to the municipal enforcement center, where it was placed in storage.
Fines for operators without permits
Anyone identified as violating the rules during the inspections had to expect fines under local regulations, according to the city.
Authorities also made it clear that this would not remain a one-off action and that repeated violations would be consistently sanctioned.
Order, fairness and a signal to the sector
City representatives described the inspections as part of an ongoing strategy to ensure fair use of public space and maintain order along the beaches.
Commercial operators were urged to comply with the rules and to use public communal areas only within the framework of the applicable regulations.