A sudden boom in guest house and bar construction from 2006 onwards has resulted in a great deal of spare capacity in the off-season.— There has been a large increase in Thai people visiting after Pai was featured in a romantic Thai film, Pai in Love.
It can be hard to find a room during the busy season (Oct-Feb).
There are now around 350 guest houses and hotels in Pai, and the city centre has transformed into a tourist centre containing Western-style restaurants, souvenir shops, live music venues, tattoo parlours, and bars that cater largely to the now significant influx of tourists and package tours.