Tourism Concerns Spark Plea for Alcohol Sales Law Change

[webfact]

 

On February 1st, 2024, Mr. Thanakorn Kuptajit, the advisor to the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association (TABBA), petitioned the Thai government to consider revising the law prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM as it negatively impacted Thailand’s tourism in overall.

While the implementation aligns with the government’s policy to boost Thailand’s tourism by extending entertainment service hours, Thanakorn noted remaining challenges, such as issues related to road accidents from DUIs and the sale of alcoholic beverages to individuals under the age of 20.

 

Thanakorn suggested a review of regulations hindering economic recovery, such as the ban on alcohol sales during specific hours, and aligning them with the tourism context. Furthermore, Thanakorn emphasized the importance of maintaining safety measures and strict control over youth access to alcohol.

 

Additionally, Thanakorn mentioned the bilateral agreement on reciprocally permanently waiving visas for Thai and Chinese tourists effective on March 1st, 2024. This has significantly increased the number of Chinese tourists seeking information about Thailand, aligning with the government’s efforts to boost the economy, remarked Thanakorn.

 

By Kittisak Phalaharn

 

Full story: THE PATTAYA NEWS 2024-02-03

 

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[stoner]

wait is this man saying people should be treated like .......adults ? 

[Skipalongcassidy]

ADULTS... not when they continue to act like children.

[daveAustin]

What tourism concerns? They were just saying how great it was going to be this year. While you’re at it, perhaps also point out how ridiculously expensive (after tax) alcohol is here—look at Vietnam and Cambodia for ideas—and also worth mentioning the horrible monopoly on beer and the extortionate wine tax. Addressing those issues will surely bring in more tourists.  😉

[ChipButty]

Stop ripping the tourist off I feel sorry for them, us old timers we know the score I went in a restaurant a while back I was going to have a beer and when I looked on the menu 160 baht for a bottle of chang. 

 

As a tourist it's a constant battle,  

 

Dont get me started on 5 star hotels, food and drink over the top

[findlay13]

Yeah there's not enough time to buy alcohol we NEED the extra 3 hours!🤣

[BenStark]

24 minutes ago, findlay13 said:

Yeah there's not enough time to buy alcohol we NEED the extra 3 hours!🤣

 

It are not extra 3 hours, it are an extra 14 hours, and because maybe you are a teetotaller, don't push your opinions on others

[Bangkok Barry]

Why is there a photo full of people drinking at night when it should be of an empty bar in the afternoon? Answer: because there are no empty bars in the afternoon as the law isn't enforced (of course, as always).

[dinsdale]

2 hours ago, findlay13 said:

Yeah there's not enough time to buy alcohol we NEED the extra 3 hours!🤣

Let's see. 2 pm-5 pm and midnight-11:00 am. Yep 3 hrs. Being fair though everytime there is some chatter on this the hours of 12:00 am-11:00 am is never mentioned. The reality is there is only 10 hrs of alcohol sales a day when it comes to this extremely anachronistic law.

[dinsdale]

15 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Why is there a photo full of people drinking at night when it should be of an empty bar in the afternoon? Answer: because there are no empty bars in the afternoon as the law isn't enforced (of course, as always).

Agree but if you want to buy a beer at 10:30 in the morning from 711 or go to a 711 to buy a beer at 2:00 pm  you can't.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, stoner said:

wait is this man saying people should be treated like .......adults ? 

Absolutely, that means all tourists and Thais age 30+

[brianthainess]

It's the 11am one that pees me off, if I go shopping in the morning which I like to do, then I can't buy booze, Mucking Stoopid.

[dinsdale]

27 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

It's the 11am one that pees me off, if I go shopping in the morning which I like to do, then I can't buy booze, Mucking Stoopid.

I'm guessing you mean the midnight to 11 in the morning. Yep it's just BS. Go shopping at Big C at 8, 9 or 10 o'clock for example and alcohol cannot be purchased. Good to get the shopping done when it's not too hot and not too many people but NOOOOOOOO you cannot buy alcohol. Pure insanity. 

[dinsdale]

It would appear the laughing emoji troll is busy today.

[brianthainess]

11 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

I'm guessing you mean the midnight to 11 in the morning. Yep it's just BS. Go shopping at Big C at 8, 9 or 10 o'clock for example and alcohol cannot be purchased. Good to get thje shopping done when it's not too hot and not too many people but NOOOOOOOO you cannot buy alcohol. Pure insanity. 

And before all the whole meal bread is gone.

[thenewgoo]

The only rationale of the 2 - 5pm ban seems to be kids are buying it during these times. Never really understood that - they can just wait to go out at 5pm like the rest of us. If shopkeepers/7-11 staff etc had the confrontation skills to request ID from minors and refuse sales appropriately, and, if penalties were applied to those selling it to minors - this ban wouldn't be required. This is the culture that exists in the west, but is not something culturally easy for Thais so it seems. Hence these peculiar rules apply.

[Paul Henry]

The problem with Thailand is the inmates run the asylam!

[lavender19]

6 hours ago, findlay13 said:

Yeah there's not enough time to buy alcohol we NEED the extra 3 hours!🤣

So say you are in a restaurant and you want a glass of wine ,beer ect with your meal . Oh wait it's 13.59. then 14.00. sorry can not serve alcohol. Pathetic.

Same as I can go and buy 10 liters of alcohol with our licence but we can't buy one litre . Absolutely stupid

[StayinThailand2much]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

On February 1st, 2024, Mr. Thanakorn Kuptajit, the advisor to the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association (TABBA), petitioned the Thai government to consider revising the law prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM as it negatively impacted Thailand’s tourism in overall.

 

Wait! Didn't the TAT just announce record numbers of tourists, and another million to arrive during Chinese New Year? So, why is he worried?

[Ctkong]

No alcohol sales during 2-5 pm is always a bother when shopping for groceries because this is the time when the foot traffic is less. I like to select this period to shop for groceries after my lunch. 

[BenStark]

8 hours ago, thenewgoo said:

The only rationale of the 2 - 5pm ban seems to be kids are buying it during these times.

 

Kids are supposed to be in the classroom between 2 and 5pm.

 

They have break between 12 and 1pm when sales are allowed, and they are leaving school at 5pm, when alcohol sales are allowed

[Jingthing]

It's quite annoying to expats too.

That time period was when I would always buy beer at my closest convenience store who had been ignoring the law for several years.

Then they suddenly enforced it.

Now I need to plan trips there and stock up.

I don't even want to hear the logic of it.

I remember when I moved to a red U.S. state and brought a bottle of wine to the counter to enjoy in a culinary manner and was told nope, this is Sunday.

I was thinking, is this Iran? I'm not even Christian. 

[Deserted]

Maybe they could reach a compromise and agree to see alcohol in the shops between 2-5 but only cans of shandy?

[uttradit]

19 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

ADULTS... not when they continue to act like children.

Who acts like children?

[uttradit]

9 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

The problem with Thailand is the inmates run the asylam!

Why did you move to Thailand then?

[Paris333]

Thailand is a tourist destination from October because Europe and America have winter months.
So on the one hand there is a ban on drinks at certain hours and the closure of shops and bars and in other hand the compulsory health insurance fines for tourists will not be good for tourism.
Nobody goes on holiday to get sick and when that happens he promtly stops his holiday and take a plane and go home for treatment furthermore do not extend his..............already expensive holiday staying in "vacation" ..... at hospitals.
I have been to Thailand for 10 continuous years and I have not taken any useless health insurance because...... I always leave my home country healthy whether for tourism or working abroad.

So if I had taken any health insurance I would have paid double money "vacation" to the medical mafia.
Racism against tourists should be end somehow because we have : 
1. Racism against olders. 
2.Racism against tourists because they rest at the pool and beach and the locals work.
These are complex syndromes and not the norms of a liberal anti-discrimination society.
Lady boys "Shinawatra" politics? I guess so......!!!

 

[uttradit]

13 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Let's see. 2 pm-5 pm and midnight-11:00 am. Yep 3 hrs. Being fair though everytime there is some chatter on this the hours of 12:00 am-11:00 am is never mentioned. The reality is there is only 10 hrs of alcohol sales a day when it comes to this extremely anachronistic law.

If you can't last a week without alcohol you have an addiction. If you are addicted you could buy enough to last 24 hours could you not? 

[Ralf001]

14 hours ago, brianthainess said:

It's the 11am one that pees me off, if I go shopping in the morning which I like to do, then I can't buy booze, Mucking Stoopid.

 

I shop at tops.

they open at 7am and iam done by 7.30am.

Across the road is a booze shop, I stop there and grab my bottle of JD and a slab of soda.

[dinsdale]

7 hours ago, uttradit said:

If you can't last a week without alcohol you have an addiction. If you are addicted you could buy enough to last 24 hours could you not? 

This is a rediculous argument. This is about the availability of a product to adults not about alcoholism or alcohol dependancy. This is about some bizaare form of prohibition not about people's drinking habits.

[uttradit]

4 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

This is a rediculous argument. This is about the availability of a product to adults not about alcoholism or alcohol dependancy. This is about some bizaar form of prohibition not about people's drinking habits.

No such word as rediculous. Also if you can't buy a week's supply in 70 operating hours you need to improve your shopping habits.