A tourist walks on a beach in Pattaya in Thailand. Photo by AFP

Thai police have banned prostitution services on Pattaya beach as part of a major crackdown to prevent crimes against foreign tourists.

Thailand’s Tourist Police on Wednesday announced sex workers were no longer permitted to stand along the beachfront in Pattaya to provide sex services to tourists, the Thaiger reported.

If the police find them working there again, they will face heavy fines, said Colonel Somchai Thiraphatphaisarn.

Sex workers were never allowed to find clientele at the beach since all prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand. However, the law is rarely enforced in Pattaya, notorious for being one of the world's sex capitals.

Pattaya beach has recently turned into a hotbed of petty crimes after many foreign tourists complained they were robbed or attacked by sex workers while walking along the beach.

Earlier this month, a Thai woman was accused of stealing a Rolex watch worth a million baht ($30,000) from a British tourist in Pattaya.

Thailand received 8.6 million foreign arrivals in January-April, around one-third of the full-year target. The Thai government estimates that between 25 to 30 million people will arrive in 2023.