soldiers who started to arrive in the 1960s for Rest and Recuperation (R&B) during the Vietnam War period.
coinciding, international mass tourism sharply increased during the same period due to the rising standard of living, more people acquiring more free time and due to improvements in technology making it possible to travel further, faster, cheaper and in greater numbers, epitomised by the Boeing 747 which first flew commercailly in 1970. Thailand was one of the major players in Asia to capitalise on this then-new trend.