BANGKOK (dpa): Thailand's pubs, bars and nightclubs are getting their opening hours extended as part of government measures aimed at rekindling tourism with a thriving nightlife scene.
Plans approved in late November will allow bars and clubs to stay open until 4 am instead of 2 am, albeit only in the tourist hotspots of Bangkok, Chiang May, Chon Buri, Pattaya and the islands of Koh Samui and Phuket, according to the Bangkok Post.
The ministry had previously stated that the new rules would come into force on December 15. It was not initially clear if the timing would change.
The aim is to further boost tourism, said Traisuree Taisaranakul, spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry. The industry has still not recovered as much as the authorities had hoped since the end of the pandemic.
Thailand is expecting 28 million foreign guests for the full year 2023. In comparison: before the pandemic, the country received 39.8 million international holidaymakers per year. In order to boost the important Chinese market, the government allowed Chinese citizens to enter the country visa-free for 30 days back in September.
The government previously tried to boost the pandemic-weakened economy with licensed cultivation of cannabis, effectively turning Thailand into a cannabis Mecca since 2022.
In a country where draconian penalties once existed, fancy cannabis shops are now springing up like mushrooms. Smoking weed in public is not permitted, although some shop owners have set up private areas for getting stoned. To help weed lovers find their way through the haze of regulations, there are cannabis tours for tourists.
Earlier in November Thailand also announced it was reopening the most famous chamber of the Tham Luang Cave complex, five years after a teenage football team made headlines around the world when being trapped in the caves for 17 days.
Guided tours of what is known as "Chamber 3" in the northern Thai cave system are set to be offered from December 15 onwards. The chamber, which is located around two kilometres from the entrance, served as the base of operations for the complex rescue operation by a team of special divers in 2018.
Visitors are to explore not only one of the world's best-known cave complexes, but also understand the extremely complicated rescue work required in 2018. - dpa
