Thailand Balances Booze Ban with Tourism on Buddhist Holy Days

[Sydebolle]

How lovely that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society has sorted out all his other problems and now can focus on booze on religious holidays. Possibly got some intellectual assistance from Myanmar, Laos and/Cambodia - as those Buddhists there enjoy alcohol (or not) irrespective of what the calendar says. 

So it is proven, that it is not prohibited by the Men of the Cloth but rather a power play of the respective government breathing down the necks of the electorate tax payers?

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Prasert Chantararuangthong, a meeting took place at the Government House on March 4. The ban will stay, but alcohol sales will be allowed in certain locations like international airports, designated tourist areas, hotels, and venues hosting major events.

Just creating those grey boundaries again... just drop the ridiculous ban

[Ralf001]

38 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

 but the other 360 days when there is a ban on buying alcohol before 11am and between 2pm and 5pm is absurd especially in supermarkets.

 

I do not buy at a supermarket so meh... but one used to be able to buy 10lt's or more outside of selling hours.... is that no more ?

[Peterphuket]

3 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Thais are buddhists mostly

 

Only when it suits them best, yes.

[redwood1]

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

 

I do not buy at a supermarket so meh... but one used to be able to buy 10lt's or more outside of selling hours.... is that no more ?

 

Well almost everyone that drinks bottled wine in Thailand buys from supermarkets thats for sure......And whats also for sure is just about every last wine drinker in Thailand has been stung by the afternoon sales ban, a number of times....

 

And for what??

[Olof Karlsson]

What’s the meaning with a prohibition of buying alcohol , when there are a million places where you still can buy alcohol ?

[Lopburikid]

17 hours ago, JustThisOnePostOnly said:

 

As I've commented before, this should be for arriving passengers.

If people can't go a day without consuming  alcohol, they need to seek help. Buddhist religion, don't like it go to spain, they have restricted tourist to 6 drinks in one 24 hour period. Don't know how they intend to enforce that.🤪🤪

[ikke1959]

4 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Thais are buddhists mostly

 

yes they are no Buddhists but mixed religion  and pretend to be Buddhist.. Buddhism is not about gambling, gossip, killing and even drinking alcohol is nor forbidden unless you are a monk..And no other Buddhistic countries there is an alcohol ban on holy days,,,And why can you drink alcohol between 11.00 and 14.00?? Just because there a activities or parties in and around temples for weddings, making you men monks etc  etc, and than they give food to the monks and after that the party starts and people will drink with their food.... in a temple or a party were monks praying and eating and that is never a problem for the Thai Buddhist...Hypocrisy

[DTL2014]

Another nice little grey area for venues hosting major events has been created- i wonder how much getting approval is? open to abuse by the authorities i think - who will pocket the approval money and tell you that this law makes it ok for them to do exactly that.At least it's a step in the right direction for the tourist industry...

[newbee2022]

4 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

What a joke..... Modernize the whole alcohol law... sell and buy everyday from a age of 21 with id card by doubts .. Much better than all this kind of so called solutions for stimulating tourism.. This is not working, just because Pattaya and Phuket are tourism spots with foreign tourists and Thai tourism must be boosted  in May, but when you are Thai you are not allowed to buy alcohol than??

Agreed. For those who are addicted it's a problem?

[StayinThailand2much]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Alcohol sales will be permitted under strict conditions in:

 

• International airports for departing passengers.

 

So, they expect tourists to get drunk before boarding a flight, thanks to the fact that during their yearly holiday they were only allowed to drink water and soda?

[Petemcc64]

1 hour ago, factual monk said:

How does a booze ban of 1 day effects tourism... unless the authorities are worried about alcoholic people... 

As it is people buy a day before such dry days... 

4 to 6 days a year of dry days affecting tourism... sounds absurd to me...

OK, if you go out in e.g. central Pattaya on any given night, you will find hundreds if not thousands of non-Thais in entertainment venues. When there is a no-alcohol day there are none and the place looks like a sad ghost town. Those tourists or locals then have to go elsewhere or just not spend any money.

Why is it some people label others who may want a drink everyday as alcoholics? Just because this legal passtime doesn't suit your way of life doesn't mean that everyone who does is to be scorned and talked down to.

Personally, when I was a tourist here, I avoided coming on any alcohol-free days. There's little worse than coming to a place like Pattaya with your hard-earned cash on a much-needed break to find it closed.

 

[Ralf001]

40 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

.

 

And for what??

 

Cause they too stupid to buy a few bottles and keep in the fridge.

 

 

[jayboy]

2 hours ago, proton said:

 

Not being able to get a drink with your meal in the afternoon is pointless and damages restaurant income, as well as pissing off visitors 

 

Nonsense.Doesn't matter at all and will have no effect on tourism.

 

It might inconvenience a few alcohol dependent tourists/sexpats in Pattaya and similar dumps who cant get cheap beer at the 7-11 whenever they want, but who cares about their addiction problems.

[ChipButty]

If you have lived here for any length of time, you will know were to get a few beers, 

[connda]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The ban will stay, but alcohol sales will be allowed in certain locations like international airports, designated tourist areas, hotels, and venues hosting major events.

Realistically, that makes a ton of sense.  I can remember getting here in 2007 and pretty easily finding a place selling beer during Visakha Bucha Day on Khao San Road.  The establishment was doing "the old coffee cup trick," and the bevy of other foreign tourist I was hanging out with were all happy as clams.  Thailand should codify this.  Thailand generates a large amount of it's GDP on tourism, so cater to foreign tourists, most all of whom on not Buddhists, and who are here during Buddhist holiday and allow drinking in designated tourist areas. 

[connda]

And get rid of those ridiculous mid-afternoon bans on alcohol sales. 

[loong]

3 hours ago, factual monk said:

How does a booze ban of 1 day effects tourism... unless the authorities are worried about alcoholic people... 

As it is people buy a day before such dry days... 

4 to 6 days a year of dry days affecting tourism... sounds absurd to me...

 

Some years ago, some friends of mine came to Thailand for a holiday. Their arrival coincided with elections and there was an alcohol ban for their first 2 days. It is totally ridiculous that tourists cannot buy an alcoholic drink for 2 days of their 10 day holiday. They swore never to return to Thailand and they have not been back! So yes, it can affect tourism!

[Eaglekott]

3 hours ago, cookie1974 said:

Not being able to buy alcohol for a day or 2 during buddha days is hardly a problem, unless you are an alcoholic, in which case stock up the day before, its not rocket science is it?

I had a delegation of 5 business men from Japan visiting to talk business, and after our meeting they wanted to host me dinner at a pretty nice riverside restaurant, and when we arrived we learned it was an alcohol ban day, they were very disappointed and some tried to drink that undrinkable Heineken 0.0 including me.

 

 

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[Harrisfan]

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

yes they are no Buddhists but mixed religion  and pretend to be Buddhist.. Buddhism is not about gambling, gossip, killing and even drinking alcohol is nor forbidden unless you are a monk..And no other Buddhistic countries there is an alcohol ban on holy days,,,And why can you drink alcohol between 11.00 and 14.00?? Just because there a activities or parties in and around temples for weddings, making you men monks etc  etc, and than they give food to the monks and after that the party starts and people will drink with their food.... in a temple or a party were monks praying and eating and that is never a problem for the Thai Buddhist...Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is the world.

[Felton Jarvis]

While staying with my girlfriend in Bangkok, she was always able to tell me of places that appeared to be closed but would sell you alcohol if you knock on the door. It made no difference what the time of day was or whether it was a Buddhist holiday. Business always finds a way to operate.

[kingstonkid]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

File photo for reference only

 

Thailand's Alcoholic Beverage Board has decided to maintain the ban on alcohol sales during five major Buddhist holy days, but with some exceptions to support tourism. The new rules are expected to start before Visakha Bucha Day on May 11.

 

Chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Prasert Chantararuangthong, a meeting took place at the Government House on March 4. The ban will stay, but alcohol sales will be allowed in certain locations like international airports, designated tourist areas, hotels, and venues hosting major events.

 

“This plan supports tourism while keeping order,” Prasert explained. He added that the Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Interior will enforce the rules to prevent underage drinking and ensure public safety.

 

The affected holy days are Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day, Asarnha Bucha Day, Khao Phansa Day, and Ok Phansa Day. Alcohol sales will be permitted under strict conditions in:

 

• International airports for departing passengers.
• Licensed tourist area venues.
• Hotels under the Hotel Act.
• Approved venues hosting major events.

 

 

 

Moreover, the board is studying the potential legalization of online alcohol sales.

 

Prasert clarified that the prohibition periods can't change yet due to Revolutionary Council Announcement No. 253, which governs alcohol sale and consumption hours. Regulatory amendments are underway.

 

Public input will be sought over a 15-day period on an official website before submitting the final proposal to the Minister of Public Health. If approved, it will go to the prime minister for signing and publication in the Royal Gazette.

 

"We expect these rules to be in place by May 11," Prasert mentioned.

 

This decision illustrates Thailand’s effort to respect religious traditions while catering to international tourists and the hospitality sector, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-03-04

 

 

This will be interesting from a bar girl's perspective.  Many are good Buddhists who use those days to go to the temple or to visit family.  It was a day off to do home stuff.

 

So I asume that they mean that bars in Patpong cowboy and the nana area will all vbe alowed to stay open. 

[Ben Zioner]

4 hours ago, proton said:

 

Not being able to get a drink with your meal in the afternoon is pointless and damages restaurant income, as well as pissing off visitors 

Go to Monsoon, the empress of Soi 8, rules and thrives...

[proton]

5 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Go to Monsoon, the empress of Soi 8, rules and thrives...

 

Not been soi  8 for years

[erectem]

4 hours ago, proton said:

I was in a wine connection last year when tourists were told no wine with the meals as it was after 2PM. We had the same when trying to buy a bottle. Looking at wines with the waitress standing there saying nothing, only to be told when choosing one, solly five past two. Madness. Now we make sure we get there by one.

Strangely last time we were given 3 glasses of wine to taste and rate, free. It was well after 2!

You can drink booze any time of day. Only buying/selling hours are restricted

[wensiensheng]

7 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Thais are buddhists mostly

 

You are not wrong. The south of the country probably wonders why Buddhist rules apply to them though. 

[Harrisfan]

5 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

You are not wrong. The south of the country probably wonders why Buddhist rules apply to them though. 

Go to Malaysia then

[wensiensheng]

“This plan supports tourism while keeping order,” Prasertexplained. “
 

So tourists in tourist areas get booze, locals in local areas get kept in order?

 

How about this for an idea. Practicing Buddhists who take their faith seriously, make a choice not to drink alcohol on religious days. People of other faiths, no faith or less serious Buddhists get to drink alcohol.

 

Forcing the terms of a faith on everyone is bound to cause controversy. 

[Chelseafan]

This old chestnut again. The Story's been circulating for the last 20 years.

 

I'm OK with the ban, afterall it gives me a day or two to detox.

What they SHOULD remove is the stupid daytime law of buying alcohol in the supermarkets.