tourism
Thailand allows bars to have longer opening hours
Vacationers on Patong Beach on Phuket. photo
© Carola Frentzen/dpa
Thailand’s tourism industry has still not recovered from the pandemic. Now the government wants to attract partygoers from all over the world.
Accordingly, nightclubs will be allowed to keep their doors open until 4 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. in the future. However, the regulation only applies to the tourist hotspots Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri with the party metropolis Pattaya as well as to the islands of Koh Samui and Phuket.
New regulation from December 15th
The ministry had previously said the new rules should come into force on December 15. It was not initially known whether it would stay that way. The aim is to further boost tourism, said Traisuree Taisaranakul, spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry. The industry has still not recovered as much as authorities had hoped since the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thailand expects 28 million foreign guests for 2023 as a whole. For comparison: Before the pandemic, the country welcomed 39.8 million international vacationers per year. In order to stimulate the important market from China, the government allowed Chinese citizens to enter the country visa-free for 30 days in September.