The city of Pattaya is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok in the province of Chon Buri. It is one of the largest centers of tourism in Thailand, with some 5 million visitors arriving in 2004. Tourists visit Pattaya for many reasons including luxury hotels, beautiful beaches, friendly people, excellent shopping, reasonable prices and a wide variety of nearby tourist attractions. Others come for the world renowned nightlife. Pattaya enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the following seasons: warm and dry (November to February), hot and humid (March to May), and hot and rainy (June to October). The most comfortable time of year coincides with the peak tourist season, which is over the Christmas and New Year period.

Pattaya's main attractions are its beaches. Pattaya Beach is situated along the central city in close proximity to shopping, hotels and bars. The over-abundance of jet-skis and speedboats has contributed to the pollution of the water along Pattaya Beach. The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is adjacent to the core of Pattaya's abundant nightlife area, hence it is less family-oriented than the North Pattaya, Na Klua and Jomtien beaches.

Jomtien Beach is divided from the main part of Pattaya by Buddha Hill, just south of the city. In contrast to Pattaya Beach, Jomtien is a popular spot for family vacationers and watersports enthusiasts. Jomtien is essentially a residential area with beachside hotels, bungalow complexes, condominiums and restaurants. A wide array of watersport activities can be found, including jet-skis, para-sailing and scuba diving. Dongtan beach, in Jomtien, is known as the gay beach, and is busy every day of the year.

Islands
Ko Lan is a small island situated 7.5 km west of Pattaya. Ko Lan is accessible by speedboat and ferry. The ferry departs hourly, and is a 45-minute ride costing just 20 baht each way. Speedboats are more expensive, but can reach the island in less than 15 minutes. Ko Lan has several beaches, which are known for their cleanliness, relaxing atmosphere, soft white sand and crystal-clear water.
Off Pattaya there are two small island groups, the "Near Islands" (Ko Sak, Ko Krok) located close to the northern shores of Pattaya, and the "Far Islands" (Ko Rin, Ko Man Wichai, Ko Hua Chang, and Ko Badan), located offshore directly west of Pattaya. These islands, especially the "Far Islands", are the primary scuba diving destinations in and around Pattaya.

Other activities include golfing at the area's many golf courses, and there are 21 golf courses within 1 hour of Pattaya, go-cart racing, visiting the construction site of an elaborate private wooden temple known as Sanctuary of Truth, and different theme parks and zoos such as Mini Siam, and Elephant Village. The private Sri Racha Tiger Zoo features several hundred tigers and thousands of alligators as well as some other animals.
The Vimantaitalay tourist submarine takes customers underwater to see corals and marine life just a few kilometers offshore. There are many boat trips from an hour to all day trips available, mostly leaving from Bali Hai Pier, near Walking Street.
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden has one of Asia's best maintained botanical gardens and lively cultural shows.
Other attractions in Pattaya: The Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm, Elephant Village, Pattaya Park Beach Resort Water Park and Funny Land Amusement Park, Siriporn Orchid Farm, Underwater World Pattaya (world class aquarium), Alankarn cultural show, Sriracha Tiger Zoo, Bottle Art Museum, Mini Siam, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and Walking Street.
Some tourists take daytrips to nearby Rayong for beautiful beaches, as well as Ko Samet island.
In recent years, new shopping malls, outlet stores and jewelry stores have opened up, which has helped in increasing the length of stay of visitors to the city.

Pattaya is renowned for its night-life, which caters primarily to foreigners. While some of this is unrelated to prostitution, the central Pattaya Beach Area is known as a destination for sex tourism. While prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, it is widely tolerated.
Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) matches aimed at the tourists can be seen at many of the open-air beer bar complexes.

Many foreign tourists come to Pattaya for dental and medical care, for first class treatment at reasonable prices. Due to the large number of foreign residents, Pattaya boasts several expat clubs which have regular monthly or weekly meetings.

Pattaya's relaxing tropical ambience is synonymous with every ingredient for memorable holidays. Accommodation ranges from luxuriously appointed backside hotels with superb convention facilities to simple guesthouses.

Pattaya's tourist trade is booming with improved services and infrastructure, including hotels, the Fairtex sport complex, cinemas, shopping malls and the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Last year 5,338,009 tourists arrived in Pattaya, up 6.5 per cent from 2004, according to the Tourism Authority. Of these, 66 per cent were foreign. With an average length of stay of 3.4 days and average daily expenditures of Bt2,819 per person, tourists spent about Bt48 billion in the resort.

Last year there were 293 hotels and guesthouses with a combined 34,007 rooms in Pattaya. They had an average occupancy rate of 58 per cent.

"In 2005, the hotel occupancy rate grew by 28 per cent. Pattaya has a strong prospect of attracting more tourists in this year," said TAT governor Juthamas Siriwan. Pattaya was benefiting from its proximity to Bangkok, she said, and could be reached in about 90 minutes via two motorways.

In recent years, Pattaya has seen a wide range of tourism-related developments. The Pattaya Beach Bus has recently opened its Red Line service, which runs a lengthy, circular route around the city. Healthland Spa has just opened one of its popular resorts. Meanwhile, Fairtex is Pattaya's newest entertainment complex, combining a Thai boxing school for foreigners, a traditional Thai massage service and fitness centre.