The midnight curfew, in effect since Wednesday (June 1), also does nothing to attract tourists wanting to enjoy Patong’s nightlife as part of their holiday, Weerawit Kruesombat, chairman of Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA), told The Phuket News this week.
“We all need the sincere support of the government to earnestly drive the economy of Phuket and Thailand sustainably forward,” Mr Weerawit said.
The midnight curfew is an improvement on the previous conditions, which saw the sale and serving of alcohol in tourism “blue zones”, such as Phuket, restricted to 11pm.
“But it still doesn’t really answer the problem of generating income from entertainment venues in Phuket to help improve the economy,” Mr Weerawit said.
From Wednesday, all pubs, bars and karaoke venues were allowed to legally re-open without changing the nature of the primary business.
“We [nightlife venues] have been closed for about two years. Previously, we were able to open because we changed the format of the business to be a restaurant. It was enough to keep some businesses alive, but it did not really help the industry as a whole,” Mr Weerawit explained.
“Even though from June 1, the CCSA [Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration] will allow the opening of pubs, bars and karaokes, they are still allowed to open only until midnight. I think this still doesn’t answer the question [of helping the industry].
“As I have always said, tourists come here to relax on the beach and travel during the day. By the time they return to their hotel, shower and head out to enjoy the nightlife, they don’t reach Bangla Rd until about 11pm. So if businesses are open only until midnight, I think it’s almost useless,” Mr Weerawit said.
Patong is not alone in calling for later trading hours. Nightlife operators in Pattaya and Samui have also all called for opening times to be extended.
“Some people say that we should open early. But even if we opened at midday, there would be no customers because they are still on the beach or enjoying a tour. They don’t come out until late at night,” he said.
MODERN TIMES
Mr Weerawit pointed out that nightlife operators have formally requested that the central government allow nightlife venues to remain open until 4am.
“We have been calling for 4am closing for a long time, even before the pandemic, but the government has never cared. This time, we have been told that the Tourism Commission has proposed to appoint a working group to consider whether extending trading hours until 4am will have any effect. This seems like good news, but we have to wait.” he said.
“We have been pushing for this issue for almost 20 years, ever since the country truly opened up to tourism. But we still use a law that is backward. It was a law introduced 30 to 40 years ago, which doesn’t provide what is needed in tourist destinations,” he added.
“When the law was made, Phuket was mainly agricultural, but now it is almost 100% a tourist city, so the law can’t be applied here the same it can be applied to any other province that does not rely on tourism,” Mr Weerawit said.
“I want people to see our industry generate income, create jobs, create careers and contribute to the recovery of not just Phuket, but the national economy. Therefore, I want the government to support it in full, not just with a wink,” he added.
Mr Weerawait said he did not expect the June 1 ‘easing” of restrictions to have any major impact on the financial recovery of entertainment businesses in Patong, as most of the bars have already been converted to restaurants, for which it was already legal to serve alcohol until midnight.
“That’s why we need trading hours extended until at least 2am. This will give business operators the opportunity to differentiate their businesses, and tourists more options of the type of venue they want to enjoy,” he said.
Extending the trading time would avoid disappointment among tourists who discover they have to go back to their hotel room after only one hour of enjoying the nightlife.
Later trading would also avoid other issues created by the midnight closing time, especially tourist safety, Mr Weerawit noted.
“The nightlife venues have to close at midnight, but tourists just go to the nearest 24-hour convenience store, which is still allowed to sell alcohol. The tourists then hang around on the streets enjoying their drink, or they go to drink on the beach, which raises security concerns,” he said.
“When they go to the beach is the problem. There are no officers to control or supervise them properly. This results in security issues, crime problems and various other problems that may arise. A serious incident might not happen today, but if we keep allowing this, it definitely will happen,” Mr Weerawit added.
“Another important thing is cleanliness. People leaving garbage strewn along the beach is another problem for local municipalities, who must clean the beach each morning before more tourists arrive to enjoy the day,” he said.
“We need this issue to be resolved in a timely manner. If possible, the trading time must be extended a little more. This will not affect the number of people infected with COVID. If we are talking about legal reasons, that the law does not allow different times for different areas, I think there should be a compromise. I believe Phuket can and has the potential to do better.” Mr Weerawit concluded.
Kurt | 06 June 2022 - 02:01:35