USS Abraham Lincoln port call expected to benefit Pattaya businesses
Many Pattaya businesses began offering promotions and special discounts after around 5,000 US sailors and Marines arrived for a port call following more than 200 days at sea.
- The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln brings approximately 5,000 US sailors and Marines to Pattaya for rest and recreation.
- Local businesses, including bars, restaurants, and shops, anticipate a significant economic boost from the influx of US military personnel after a slow period.
- Many vendors are preparing for the visitors by offering special promotions and discounts to attract customers and increase sales.
Reuters reported a lively atmosphere in Pattaya, Chonburi province, after the US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln docked at Laem Chabang Port on Wednesday (September 2, 2026).
It brought around 5,000 sailors and Marines to Thailand for rest and recreation after spending more than 200 days on a prolonged mission at sea.
The visit raised high hopes among business owners and vendors along Pattaya’s renowned Walking Street.
Operators of bars, jewellery shops and clothing stores were gearing up for an influx of American customers, with many beginning to offer promotions and special discounts specifically for US sailors and Marines to boost sales after a long period of sluggish business.
A local food vendor expressed delight in an interview with Reuters, saying, “It is good every year when military personnel come. They always help stimulate the economy.”
Restaurants would not be the only beneficiaries.
Bars, entertainment venues and other shops were also expected to benefit from increased spending.
A clothing vendor in Pattaya said she was very excited to see customers return after her shop’s daily sales had fallen to only around THB1,000.
She hoped the arrival of US personnel would push sales sharply higher and had prepared some items especially for them.
USS Abraham Lincoln and its roughly 5,000 personnel recently set a new modern-era record for the longest uninterrupted period of operations at sea without a port call.
The carrier’s period of duty in the Middle East had been extended beyond the US Navy’s usual deployment of around six to nine months because of tensions surrounding the conflict, before it was finally authorised to dock in Thailand for rest and recreation.
