The go-go bars are empty and sex is on sale at half price as Bangkok's infamous red light districts suffer from a blockade of the capital's airports.
An old man played guitar and sang along to a karaoke machine inside. Outside, beneath the pink neon, about 10 women in almost identical low-cut dresses tried to drum up trade. Sex tourism is no exception. Patpong depends on foreigners to keep afloat, but as the , air travellers stranded by the airport closures rush to leave Thailand, replacements are not coming in.
Lam is hopeful the trade will return to Patpong, a lurid strip of live shows and sleazy nightlife. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is not so optimistic. The group expects incoming travellers in to be half the At the normally standing-room-only "ping-pong" shows, five or six women swarm each new arrival. Some are following the example of Thailand's resorts and luxury hotels by offering discounted rates. Prostitutes offer two hours of sexual services for baht about 22 US dollars instead of the normal 1, to 2, baht that would cost.
The airport closures also hurt Bangkok's other entertainment options, such as the famous "ladyboy" cabaret shows. The Calypso also cancelled its second daily showing during the November December 3 chaos, when images of frustrated tourists trying to flee Thailand from a military airbase beamed around the world. The blockade may have brought in some extra trade. Thailand was until the world's leading destination for sex tourists, when its crown was taken by Brazil, according to Interpol.
Although prostitution is officially illegal in Thailand, estimates for the number of sex workers range from 80 to two million women and men. At her Patpong bar, Nan says she hopes the tourists return soon, as she sends the money she earns back to her family near the Cambodian border. Sunday, March 15, sex discount in bangkok red light.
