Licensing hours for bars, karaoke clubs under review
The government is considering extending the closing time for entertainment venues (pubs, bars, karaoke joints) in a bid to boost tourism and the local economy, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Wednesday.
Srettha, who also doubles as Finance Minister, was speaking at the event “Thailand Economic Outlook 2024” hosted by Krungthep Turakij newspaper in Bangkok on October 4.
Addressing measures to promote the tourism industry, the PM pointed out that despite having several advantages, the country is still below par in the promotion of tourist attractions and the organisation of world-class events.
“Furthermore, we are still kidding ourselves that all rules and regulations are followed,” said Srettha.
The PM said people go to pubs and bars at around 10 to 11pm when the venues are about to close. As a result, some venues stay open under the radar, he added.
“On the other hand, allowing entertainment venues to open 24 hours could cause social and security problems,” said Srettha. “Therefore, we need to reconsider if the current closing hour of 1am is enough to make Thailand competitive compared to other cities in order to become the tourism hub of the region.”
Currently, the law allows entertainment venues in Thailand to stay open until 1am or 2am, depending on the city zoning and types of business. Talks have been in the pipeline since the last government to extend the closing hours to 4am in selected tourist cities to boost tourism, although several parties have expressed concerns about problems related to drinking, such as road accidents and crimes.
Srettha went on to say that extending the closing hours of entertainment venues will be carried out along with improving the taxation system in a bid to ‘make Thailand better’.
“The free visa (for Chinese tourists) policy is a start, and the government still has more measures to boost the tourism industry and make Thailand a tourism hub and desired destination among foreign visitors,” he said.
“The government believes that these policies have both pros and cons. Therefore, the communication of information on both sides is required,” said Srettha. “I would urge all parties to discuss the policies in a straightforward manner with constructive criticism.”
