Thailand: Earlier closing
Remember the infamous nightlife of Thailand? It is soon becoming a distant part of the past. All nightspots in Phuket has been ordered to close no later than 1 am. Three years ago the Thai interior ministry ordered nightspots to close by 2 am. Now it is down to midnight, and for some 1 am.
Visited Phuket Town on 23-Sep, and at 12:50 the lights went on and we were ordered out. Outside on the streets the men in brown were waiting to check driver licenses, passports, seat belts and asking where we were staying. Not pleasant.
Patong Beach has been divided into different sectors and one "entertainment zone", which includes Soi Bangla, Beach Road and Rat Uthit 200 Pi Road. As a general rule most of the entertainment places within this zone must close by 1 am.
We quote from Phuket Gazette:
Leading businessman Chairat Sukabal, who owns the Safari Pub, told the Gazette that 99% of his customers were not Thai teenagers, but tourists, and they were struggling to come to terms with the new policy. It could also discourage investment in Patong, he said.
Having to close at 2 am was bad enough. Now our businesses are going to be even worse off.
We have 24 hours in a day, but if we get revenue for only an hour or two a day, who will come to invest in this area?
Patong is where the money comes in. How can people earn a living if the closing times are 1 am and midnight? I stand firm against this. This will not support tourism but will make tourists leave.
The streets may be quieter once the bars had closed, K. Chairat said, but after closing hours he had seen tourists walking along the beach or sitting on the pavement, because there was nowhere for them to go, and nothing for them to do.
Source: Phuket Gazette (23-Sep-04).
Visited Phuket Town on 23-Sep, and at 12:50 the lights went on and we were ordered out. Outside on the streets the men in brown were waiting to check driver licenses, passports, seat belts and asking where we were staying. Not pleasant.
Patong Beach has been divided into different sectors and one "entertainment zone", which includes Soi Bangla, Beach Road and Rat Uthit 200 Pi Road. As a general rule most of the entertainment places within this zone must close by 1 am.
We quote from Phuket Gazette:
Leading businessman Chairat Sukabal, who owns the Safari Pub, told the Gazette that 99% of his customers were not Thai teenagers, but tourists, and they were struggling to come to terms with the new policy. It could also discourage investment in Patong, he said.
Having to close at 2 am was bad enough. Now our businesses are going to be even worse off.
We have 24 hours in a day, but if we get revenue for only an hour or two a day, who will come to invest in this area?
Patong is where the money comes in. How can people earn a living if the closing times are 1 am and midnight? I stand firm against this. This will not support tourism but will make tourists leave.
The streets may be quieter once the bars had closed, K. Chairat said, but after closing hours he had seen tourists walking along the beach or sitting on the pavement, because there was nowhere for them to go, and nothing for them to do.
Source: Phuket Gazette (23-Sep-04).
posted by asiabynight.com Editor at Thursday, September 23, 2004
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