In October, the government began studying the possibility of easing the afternoon alcohol sales ban and relaxing zoning rules for entertainment venues, reports the Bangkok Post.
The afternoon alcohol sales ban between 2pm and 5pm has now been temporarily lifted for a 180-day period as a trial, effective as of Dec 2.
Rawat Khongchat, a member of the Night Restaurant Business Trade Association, said that to revise the law to be fairer to restaurant operators, the government should consider two points: the zoning rules, and the process for operators who wish to obtain an entertainment venue licence.
He explained that the number of operators who are able to obtain an entertainment venue licence is very limited.
He said the registration process should be reviewed to make it easier for operators to apply, which could enable small players to properly enter the nighttime entertainment business.
For zoning rules, entertainment venues in five designated tourist locations ‒ Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Chon Buri and Koh Samui ‒ are allowed to operate until 4am.
In Bangkok, only pubs and bars located in four areas ‒ Ratchadaphisek, Silom and Phetchaburi roads ‒ are permitted to stay open late.
Many tourist hotspots are still not included, such as Khaosan Road, which means restaurants that do not hold an entertainment venue licence must close at midnight.
Sorathep Rojpotjanaruch, head of the Restaurant Business Club, said he disagrees with the current zoning rules, as they are outdated and do not meet the actual demand of tourists in some of their favourite destinations, such as Khaosan Road.
He said the ultimate solution is to completely scrap the zoning rules. However, he acknowledged that there is still opposition from other social groups, prompting the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee to consider potentially negative impacts.
Therefore, he suggested expanding and updating zoning areas to better reflect the current tourism situation.
Regarding last week’s notification by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee to temporarily lift the ban on alcohol sales in the afternoon, Mr Sorathep said this policy should be made permanent to better suit current circumstances.
For concerns about drink-driving and accidents, he believes that stricter enforcement of traffic and road safety regulations should help alleviate the impact.