Speaking at the launch of the ‘THE LAST CALL: Last Chance’ consultation and complaint clinic at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Tuesday (June 30), Phuket Vice Governor Romdon Hayiawae stressed that the initiative is intended to help operators enter the legal system, not to target them for prosecution.
The event, held on behalf of new Phuket Governor Chotinrin Kerdsum, brought together officials from the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), the Phuket Boutique Accommodation Association and other relevant agencies to provide legal advice and receive feedback from operators struggling to obtain hotel business licences.
The clinic is designed to assist more than 1,000 operators of small hotels, hostels and converted buildings in Phuket who wish to legalise their businesses but remain unable to comply with existing regulations because of structural limitations and overlapping legal requirements.
Officials said five key areas of legislation continue to create barriers, including urban planning, building control and environmental laws.
Information gathered through the programme will be used to support proposals for changes to ministerial regulations, help advance the proposed ‘Phuket Place-Stay Sandbox’ initiative and develop standard operating procedures and transitional support measures for small accommodation businesses.
Vice Governor Romdon said about 260 operators had already registered their interest in the programme, out of an estimated 3,000-4,000 small accommodation businesses across the island.
He encouraged more operators to come forward, stressing that registration would not be used for enforcement purposes.
“This is not a measure aimed at arrest or prosecution,” he said. “It is a collaboration between the government, the Ministry of Interior and the private sector to jointly resolve legal obstacles.”
He added that five committees had spent the past two weeks gathering opinions and preparing proposals for legal amendments to better accommodate modern accommodation businesses.
Officials also sought to reassure operators over concerns about retrospective fees.
They confirmed that businesses would only be required to pay fees prescribed by law and urged operators to reject and report any demands for payments beyond legal requirements so the province could investigate.
The consultation and complaint clinic remains open until Thursday (July 2), operating daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Operators are encouraged to bring building plans or photographs, land ownership documents and any previous licence application records to help officials assess individual cases.
The initiative comes amid an intensified nationwide crackdown on unlicensed accommodation, while the government simultaneously seeks to help operators overcome legal barriers preventing them from obtaining hotel licences.
The issue has become increasingly contentious in Phuket, where industry representatives estimate that thousands of small hotels remain unable to obtain or renew licences following the expiry of temporary regulatory measures, despite repeated efforts to comply with the law.
Industry groups hope information collected through the latest consultation programme will help accelerate legal reforms and finally provide a long-term solution for Phuket’s small accommodation sector.