The Thai government has approved a law to extend the opening hours of nightclubs and entertainment venues to boost tourism.
Entertainment venues, clubs, bars and karaoke in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Samui, Thailand’s main tourist destinations, will be allowed to stay open until 4 am, government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul said on Tuesday, November 28.
These venues were previously used to close at 2 am. The new measure will be applied starting December, 15, according to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
The tourism industry, a key driver of the country’s economy, has grown more slowly than its neighboring countries in recent years. This measure is part of a wider government strategy to boost the sector. In September, the Prime Minister lifted visa requirements for Chinese citizens, a key source of tourists for the country.
Thailand has welcomed 24.5 million foreign tourists since January and is forecasting 28 million arrivals for 2023.
Before the pandemic, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy recorded a record 39.8 million arrivals, including 11 million from China, according to data from Statista. This year, the government expects only 3.5 million arrivals from China.
These figures are the result of a post-COVID-19 shortage of low-cost flights and the slowdown in the Chinese economy, according to a BBC article published last November.
A branding issue
In addition, a shooting at one of Bangkok’s most famous shopping centers on October, 3, in which a Chinese mother of two was killed, has raised fears among Chinese tourists.
Last August, the movie No More Bets, which was a huge success at the Chinese box office, had already tarnished the reputation of Southeast Asian countries. It followed the adventures of a Chinese model and computer programmer lured by a promise of work in an unnamed Southeast Asian country and forced to work in slave-like conditions for an online scam.
A few days after the film’s release, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report highlighting the alarming rise of criminal organizations forcing hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia into online scams.
Han Zhiqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Thailand, told the National News Bureau of Thailand shortly afterward that the country remained a popular destination for Chinese tourists and expressed his confidence that the recent incidents would not affect their confidence. He also mentioned the upcoming Chinese New Year festival as an opportunity to strengthen tourism relations between the two countries.
