PATTAYA, Thailand: U.S. Navy personnel coming ashore from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln have been spreading through Pattaya since early morning today, and one of the busiest daytime stops on Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, was the Sanctuary of Truth.
Both male and female service members were seen touring the landmark throughout the day. Beyond the towering teak architecture and hand-carved wooden halls, visitors joined activities on the grounds, including elephant rides, elephant feeding, horse-drawn carriage rides, horseback riding, rowing boats, speedboat trips, and renting traditional Thai costumes for photographs.
Those extras have been putting money into local operators as well as the attraction itself. Anupong Kulpetchwanan, marketing manager at the Sanctuary of Truth, said spending by U.S. personnel inside the site alone was expected to reach no less than 100,000 baht a day.
About 40 shuttle buses a day have been moving sailors between the port and Pattaya, showing the scale of the shore leave. City businesses have long associated U.S. port calls with nightlife but officials and vendors at the Sanctuary of Truth say this visit is also lifting daytime tourism.
