Phuket nightclub venues seek for later closing time

[Lite Beer]

Phuket nightclub venues seek for later closing time
The Phuket News

PHUKET: A meeting was held at Patong Hospital on Thursday (September 10) to discuss nightlight zoning including opening and closing times as well as feedback from business operators.

Weerawit Kurasombat, head of the Patong Entertainment Business Association operators, revealed that a letter will be sent to the Interior Ministry requesting the extension of business hours to 4am.

The meeting was attended by Kathu District Administrative Officer, Pattanapong Nueklorng, as well as Patong business operators.

“After long discussions, the majority of business operators all voted towards changing the closing time to 4am to give tourists maximum satisfaction,” he said.

“Tourists wanted to party until late and most were not satisfied when nightlight venues were closing early. We think that by changing the closing time to 4am will be the best option for both partygoers and business operators.”

“We will have all business operators sign the petition before we can send it to the Ministry of Interior for consideration, and it is up to the Ministry to then decide whether or not to grant it,” said Weerawit.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-nightclub-venues-seek-for-later-closing-time-54087.php

-- Phuket News 2015-09-12

[robblok]

That wont happen.. the police will not be able to extort money then from clubs staying open later and loose a nice source of income.

[BigBadGeordie]

How altruistic of these business operators to want to stay open till 4am.

Purely of course to give "tourists maximum satisfaction".

[khwaibah]

Article 44.

[CiaranO]

That's nice of them to vote to change the business hours purely to help the tourist out. I guess nothing to do with linking your pockets with cash then.

[NongKhaiKid]

Tightening up around the country and allow Phuket to remain open to 0400 ?

The small shop in my soi has been told to sell alcohol only during the hours observed by supermarkets, 7-11 etc i.e. 1100 - 1400 and so on and have displayed a sign to that effect. Mind you I'm not saying they're complying !

Edited September 12, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[jimbo34]

It won't make any difference closing at 4 a.m. - there's nobody around at 2 a.m. these days ! Whatever figures ToT produce about airport arrivals and so on aren't being translated into customer 'spend' anyway. Most bars and nightclubs are in pretty desperate trouble and just asking for later hours ain't gonna cure it.

[rebelplatoon]

All the tourists they have lost, and will NEVER RETURN, will tell their friends and family NOT to go to Thailand. People on a holiday wanna have fun. The 24.00 closing time really helped. Ah well, I like things quiet.

[springheeled jack]

I don't think extending opening hours for night clubs in Phuket is the right thing to do and it is not the first time it has been mooted I think the 2am closing time is right and should be adhered to.

[jimbo34]

As a barowner myself, in Soi Bangla, i could care less about the closing time being 2 a.m. or 4 a.m.. There are far more fundamental issues to fix on this island......and we all know what those are! Unfortunately after a half-hearted start by the military a year ago, things have gone back to how they were. Or worse!

Until Phuket makes itself, once again, attractive to the higher value tourist, we're all disappearing down the toilet. Just encouraging ever greater numbers of chinese package tours simply isn't going to work.

[slipperylobster]

Does that just sound insane? Four in the morning....stumbling back to the hotel full of liquor, and an easy target for thugs....after twelve hours of drinking. If this actually happens, expect crime, deaths on scooters, and more domestic violence. These businesses will be sitting back, counting their cash. It seems they are looking for 24 hour alcohol sales.

Solution: Open later, but no alcohol after 2am. Give the guests a chance to wind down. Also, tax these guys heavily, as more police are going to be required to keep things safe. At the same time, ensure these bars don't pass on their taxes to the customer, by capping prices.

[KarenBravo]

Ah yes! The old "let us stay open until four in the morning" plea.

Happens every year. High season must be getting close.

[jimbo34]

Does that just sound insane? Four in the morning....stumbling back to the hotel full of liquor, and an easy target for thugs....after twelve hours of drinking. If this actually happens, expect crime, deaths on scooters, and more domestic violence. These businesses will be sitting back, counting their cash. It seems they are looking for 24 hour alcohol sales.

Solution: Open later, but no alcohol after 2am. Give the guests a chance to wind down. Also, tax these guys heavily, as more police are going to be required to keep things safe. At the same time, ensure these bars don't pass on their taxes to the customer, by capping prices.

"Easy target for thugs" ? - oh come on, thuggery is far less prevalent here than on any other holiday destination i have ever been to. Try any UK town or city on a friday or saturday night!

"........crime, deaths on scooters, and more domestic violence."? - very little of this comes from tourists. And if there was a decent public transport system, the incidence of deaths on scooters would be dramatically reduced.

"....tax these guys heavily, as more police are required to keep things safe."? - most bars pay the so-called 'tea money' to the police anyway. Personally, i have no objection to my "levy" of 3,000 Bt per month, as a policemans pay is derisive. And as there is a fairly heavy police presence on Bangla at nighttime, it seems reasonable.

".....ensure these bars don't pass on their taxes to the customer, by capping prices."? - bars are asking high prices because of the high rents their landlords demand. Only when the bars have disappeared will greedy landlords finally accept that the party is over.

Sorry mate, but your response is ill-considered, ill-informed tosh !

[KamalaRider]

It won't make any difference closing at 4 a.m. - there's nobody around at 2 a.m. these days ! Whatever figures ToT produce about airport arrivals and so on aren't being translated into customer 'spend' anyway. Most bars and nightclubs are in pretty desperate trouble and just asking for later hours ain't gonna cure it.

It might not do a difference for bar hoppers in Patong, but it could mean a last resort to survive for many bars in other areas.

Bangla would absolutely lose on the deal, people would stay in their area where there's bars open until 4am .

Edited September 13, 2015 by KamalaRider

[TheWizardofRnR]

Do you live in Phuket or do you own a Business there ? Do you live in Thailand ?

Well I lived in Phuket for over 22 years , it will help give them more hours to operate , so they can pay the ridiculous rents that Landlords demand now-a-days , and the other payments that exist whether you close at 4 or 6 , will still be there . How dare you want these people to close at 2 AM , ur messing with too many

people Rice Bowl kiddo . It'd be better to go to 24 Hr or 22 Hrs openings , so they can clean up for 2 hours like some places do. That way they close when the customers are gone , open the Businesses if they got customers and are making money . Thailand famous for paperwork , could add a monthly or yearly open 20-22 hour permit for 12,000Baht a year. Everyone including Thai Govt, and business operators might make more profits , instead of just working for the Lanlords ....in 29 years it has never been this slow here , even the Tsunani , when I lived & worked in Phuket !

I don't think extending opening hours for night clubs in Phuket is the right thing to do and it is not the first time it has been mooted I think the 2am closing time is right and should be adhered to.

[IamNoone88]

4am? I see closing a number closing at 6am already! This is an ongoing farce for years and years.

[slipperylobster]

Just read the other day that Phuket was number one in the traffic accident category. Last thing they need are more drunk drivers. Stayed there quite a while, my first year here. Phuket had people getting lost in the forests, had several people robbed/stabbed, and a fair share of of other incidents. One only need read the newspaper. I would not be against a probationary period. Go ahead and let the clubs open until 4am, on the condition that alcohol related events, involving the need for Police/Medical related incidents do not rise. Compare the numbers for closure prior to 2am with closure at 4am. If it works out, I would be the first to concede.

Forums are for expressing opinions, not for crude/uneducated name calling and degradating insults about what one knows and does not know. You can see that the aggressive insults are pretty self serving....people that need alcohol to four am. These would be the last people to take advice from.

There are two sides...people that drink until four in the morning, and crawl home. The other side are people that want to go out for a few drinks, but don't need to watch the sun rising, as they stumble back home. People that live here for longer periods of time usually, like me, would much rather go home early, and safely. There is always the next day to look forward to...and we can do it again.

The people who disagree might lighten up. I just give opinions..not write the rules. It seems thatt many posters retaliate with fear and anger over losing their four a.m. drink. They would not be in the majority.

Edited September 13, 2015 by slipperylobster

[TheWizardofRnR]

Well they may need a Tipsy Taxi service like we had in Colorado ( No rip off tuk tuks allowed ony straight honest drivers like we had there in the 80's & 90s),

but u arrest the drunk drivers whether it 2 Am 4 AM or 2 in the afternoon...plus opinions are like .....and even people whose livelihood is threatened by what some folks think is a bad option for helping business make money. Let us see how it feels when all kinds of Domino Effects start closing more not bar or restaurant businesses but cause the jobs start to disappear in Patong. When I move to Naklua 2 years ago it was very quiet for a few years in Patong , my source tells me its now worse then ever in Aug & Sept.....as usual , only time will tell but watch-out for the Domino Effect to happen , since High Season all 2 months its might have now dwindled down to , well maybe only 2 weeks late Dec.and 2 weeks early Jan.

I was here in Patong in the days of High Season ,when it was October thru April.....time will tell !

BTW , I stopped drinking after I stopped getting paid to do it managing Rock Hard in Patong Beach after 14 years but still have 1 beer or glass of wine depending on what I have for Dinner. I worked in Tourism all my life , in NYC, Va, Beach & Norfolk ,Va.; New Orleans ,Denver, Georgetown & Steamboat Springs Colorado and Bangkok & Patong Beach-Phuket My reasoning comes from experience in making your Visitors feel like it was the best Holiday they ever had , not like it became in Patong , Pattaya and other places ...... places

with too many rip-offs & scams !

Just read the other day that Phuket was number one in the traffic accident category. Last thing they need are more drunk drivers. Stayed there quite a while, my first year here. Phuket had people getting lost in the forests, had several people robbed/stabbed, and a fair share of of other incidents. One only need read the newspaper. I would not be against a probationary period. Go ahead and let the clubs open until 4am, on the condition that alcohol related events, involving the need for Police/Medical related incidents do not rise. Compare the numbers for closure prior to 2am with closure at 4am. If it works out, I would be the first to concede.

Forums are for expressing opinions, not for crude/uneducated name calling and degradating insults about what one knows and does not know. You can see that the aggressive insults are pretty self serving....people that need alcohol to four am. These would be the last people to take advice from.

There are two sides...people that drink until four in the morning, and crawl home. The other side are people that want to go out for a few drinks, but don't need to watch the sun rising, as they stumble back home. People that live here for longer periods of time usually, like me, would much rather go home early, and safely. There is always the next day to look forward to...and we can do it again.

The people who disagree might lighten up. I just give opinions..not write the rules. It seems thatt many posters retaliate with fear and anger over losing their four a.m. drink. They would not be in the majority.

Edited September 13, 2015 by metisdead
Oversize font reset to normal.

[Kevin2012]

Does that just sound insane? Four in the morning....stumbling back to the hotel full of liquor, and an easy target for thugs....after twelve hours of drinking. If this actually happens, expect crime, deaths on scooters, and more domestic violence. These businesses will be sitting back, counting their cash. It seems they are looking for 24 hour alcohol sales.

Solution: Open later, but no alcohol after 2am. Give the guests a chance to wind down. Also, tax these guys heavily, as more police are going to be required to keep things safe. At the same time, ensure these bars don't pass on their taxes to the customer, by capping prices.

Why should it be up to people like you when I want to wind down or party a bit later?

It is a holiday destination for <deleted> sake

Let the bars open 24 hours a day, and let the customers like me decide when I want to party or wind down

[elgordo38]

That wont happen.. the police will not be able to extort money then from clubs staying open later and loose a nice source of income.

Looking at the above picture I see Thailand is really attracting quality tourists. Looks like the one guy has a road map tatooed on his body. Can you imagine all these drunks hitting the streets at 4.00 a.m. Again quality tourism well for the bars anyway.

[slipperylobster]

Does that just sound insane? Four in the morning....stumbling back to the hotel full of liquor, and an easy target for thugs....after twelve hours of drinking. If this actually happens, expect crime, deaths on scooters, and more domestic violence. These businesses will be sitting back, counting their cash. It seems they are looking for 24 hour alcohol sales.

Solution: Open later, but no alcohol after 2am. Give the guests a chance to wind down. Also, tax these guys heavily, as more police are going to be required to keep things safe. At the same time, ensure these bars don't pass on their taxes to the customer, by capping prices.

Why should it be up to people like you when I want to wind down or party a bit later?

It is a holiday destination for <deleted> sake

Let the bars open 24 hours a day, and let the customers like me decide when I want to party or wind down

I am not your mom.....do as you please. Again,forums are for discussion only. Nobody here is writing a law/or is trying to influence what others do. Your reaction comes from fear that I will cause legislation to rule against a four am closing time. Your fear is unfounded. It is not up to me..or anyone else..on this forum, to legislate rules.

Edited September 13, 2015 by slipperylobster

[Jimmpy]

It won't make any difference closing at 4 a.m. - there's nobody around at 2 a.m. these days ! Whatever figures ToT produce about airport arrivals and so on aren't being translated into customer 'spend' anyway. Most bars and nightclubs are in pretty desperate trouble and just asking for later hours ain't gonna cure it.

I think it will.

I've been a "night" person all my life and don't go out to a club before midnight and party to at least 4am..

[Jimmpy]

I am a night person and go out frequently; don't leave home before 11pm.

4am sounds good to me.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Wow. Just looooooove the photo in the OP showing the two quality male tourists.

[Jiggo]

Most of my mates can't last to the 02.00 live football matches....let alone 04.00...night night....

[AlQaholic]

Why not just start partying earlier and collapse around 1 - 2 am?

[tajtom]

A couple of quality tourists right there

Yes police want to extend as well more business as its quite at the moment

[Shiver]

As someone who has their daily behaviour dictated by other timezones (eg. communicating with friends/family in UK), I don't want to go out early, and even if I were only going out for 2 drinks I'd like to go out at 12 o'clock if that suits my pattern. It strikes me as strange that the clock on the wall determines what is legal and what is not. I believe the business should be free to choose it's own operating hours.

If I said "it should be illegal for the police to operate in certain hours" you'd think I was crazy. Although that's not a perfect example match to other businesses, it does highlight the point.

[elgenon]

Have chosen not to return to Phuket and expose myself to the many bad factions. But when I ask girls in Pattaya if their bars have customers at 3:30 they say "No". But they have to be there anyway. The girls get tired working so many hours and having so little time off. Causes them to be tired and then the farangs complain and the bars lose even more business. Not smart thinking. You need to manage your "resources" wisely.

[Kru Baa]

Well, Phuket is a party town. Who want's to go on vacation and be told when to go home and go to bed? They keep doing this same stupid shit in Pattaya too. Trying to make everybody close early. Stupid.