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Published on April 8, 2008

Throughout its 33 years, Tiffany's Show Pattaya has entertained travellers with its transvestite cabaret performances in this beach town. And it has gradually upgraded its format to suit the high-end international market.

Its marketing strategy appears to be paying off, drawing more top-end local and foreign customers, the company said.

As Pattaya grows more popular with cash-rich groups, the company is upbeat about its outlook for the future, as are many other Pattaya service operators.

When Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in September 2006, the travel time from Bangkok to the town was considerably reduced. A trip can take just 90 minutes when the highways are not congested with industrial traffic.

There is a general expectation among some investors that more tourists may visit Pattaya more frequently from now on.

Many global hotel chains are already operating in Pattaya, while more brand names are expected to open in the future.

Apart from its proximity to Bangkok, Pattaya's nightlife is also considered a chief magnet for many visitors.

Although much of its beaches are intensely packed with tourists and vendors, tourists can still get away from the human congestion if they travel out of the city centre.

Sheraton already runs a hotel there while the InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Sofitel are planning to enter the market as well, said Alisa Phanthusak, assistant to the managing director of Tiffany.

At the same time, many existing hotels are trying to prop up their ranking as three-star venues to become four- and five-star properties in order to exact higher room charges.

Several properties are being renovated in the hope that they will soon be able to rake in more income.

Cashing in on this uptrend are several property developers who are selling condominiums at premium prices in the hope that they may lock in wealthy visitors keen to own units in this resort area.

The perception is that the boom in luxury hotels, resorts and condominiums should bring in rich people to a place that traditionally caters to a more modest, middle market.

"The number of wealthy travellers will rise significantly in the next two years when more luxury hotels open," Alisa said.

Tiffany, which stages three shows a night with 1,000 seats per engagement, has long been preparing itself for such an expected surge in business.

In the past years the firm has staged overseas shows with the help of luxury hotels abroad.

The experience has been invaluable for the firm to raise its standards so as to match the expectations and demands of the global cabaret industry.

It has a show-design department to create new formats every six months. The department has to survey market expectations about what is trendy and capture the shifts in the entertainment industry.

"We consistently invest a lot in production and we always ensure our shows have a fresh appeal every year. Old audiences would be happy to revisit us to see the new shows," Alisa said. She is one of the second generation of workers at Tiffany, following in her father's footsteps.

The shows are engineered to keep audiences thrilled from start to finish in an 80-minute extravaganza.

Many of the foreign crowds come from Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"We consistently conduct public relations activities locally and abroad. We try to penetrate new markets every year.

"Our new targets are people from the Middle East, China and new markets in Europe, " said Alisa, adding that the company has set aside Bt20 million to achieve this goal.

Alisa said Tiffany had done a good job generating awareness but that to ensure it can draw wealthy customers, Pattaya must improve its hygiene and safety standards.

Its tour guides and workers also need to improve their English skills to communicate better with guests.

"We should not only focus on [low-yielding] mass tourism any more. We have limited resources and beaches, and many are occupied by private businesses," she said.

"We should give Pattaya another facelift and focus on providing a better environment with better facilities. We need to be able to guarantee the safety of visitors also, if we want to rich people to come."

The public sector also needs to chip in, she said.

Alisa is running in the local election for Pattaya city manager, a job that carries a four-year term.

She has formed a team called the "new sky" group to support her campaign in the election, which is to be held on Friday.

If elected, Alisa said she would hand over her Tiffany post to her sister.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation

Pattaya