The tourism industry is slowly beginning to revive, and businesses hope that keeping pubs and clubs up until 4 a.m. would help to stimulate the economy.
Owners of nightlife establishments are lobbying the government to change the mandatory closing hour of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. Businesses in popular tourist areas anticipate a 20-30% increase in income as a result of this step, which will aid the overall economic recovery and strengthen the industry.
To that end, Mr. Sanga Reuangwattanakun, President of the Khao San Road Business Association, has informed us that Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, will bring up this issue at next week’s Cabinet meeting.
Khao San Road, Soi Cowboy, and Soi Patpong in Bangkok, Bangla Walking Street in Phuket, and other tourist destinations in Krabi, Phang Nga, Samui, and Pattaya are all places he sees as good candidates for piloting this operating hours extension.
Mr. Sanga stated that this sort of zoning restriction will assist facilitate the job of police in terms of drunk driving suppression, and he proposed that checkpoints set up around these zonings would encourage more people to take taxis, thereby increasing the income of taxi drivers.
Phuket’s Patong Entertainment Association President Weerawit Krueasombat said that the group has formally requested that the closing hour be extended to 4 a.m. so that visitors would feel more comfortable staying there.
He said that the later closing time will be more convenient for European visitors, who often don’t start hitting the clubs until after midnight.
The Thai Public Taxi Association has declared its willingness to endorse and adhere to the new law. The COVID-19 epidemic has had a major impact on the taxi industry as well. Since the number of ordinary passengers is greatly reduced during peak transmission, they have reacted by dividing their cabin and servicing COVID-19 patients.
