This isn’t about the red-light district or nightlife. We understand concerns on giant nightlife venues like nightclubs from the government, but why punish every single sector over this? Why not make sensible separations allowing restaurants and hotels to sell as a start and move forward from there? The current ban is hurting EVERY sector in Pattaya, not just bars. “We are finding our way to push for this issue and we will keep pushing on this until we are allowed or given a sensible, logical, reason why Pattaya remains banned. We do not agree with the order that does not allow alcohol sale in restaurants and the government is not giving financial aid for this ban and closure at this time.” During recent festivals, many restaurants watched thousands of people purchasing alcohol from convenience stores and drinking in public areas because we could not sell to them legally at our licensed, safe venues with fully vaccinated staff and many health measures. “The current rules are not fair when restaurants are not allowed to serve alcohol while shops outside are allowed to sell alcohol. Pattaya’s mayor estimated the city at around 85% fully vaccinated against Covid-19 recently, there is no reason vaccination wise we are not ready to open.” PHOTO: 77kaodedChonburi
We have not been given a reason for Pattaya, highly reliant on nightlife and entertainment, for not being granted the same exception despite many please for a logical, sensible reason why the closure remains.
Bars and nightlife remain closed in Pattaya which is famous for its nighttime economy, driving many people to other cities and provinces that have had “exceptions” like Bangkok, Samui, Krabi, and Phuket. However, tourists are surprised to find alcohol sales are not legal here in any hotel, restaurant, or bar except for 7-11 and supermarkets. Sinchai Wattanasart, a hotel operator in Pattaya who has been part of several major meetings with dozens of upset major hotel, tourism, and restaurant operators in Pattaya, told the associated Thai press, “We need to be allowed alcohol sales in this tourism “high season” (December) as many foreign and domestic tourists are still visiting Pattaya. Pattaya isn’t alone, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai have also remained under legal bans on alcohol as well, despite being fellow tourist zones, and have faced similar protests from business owners. Pattaya, the third most visited tourism destination in Thailand (and in 2019 with nearly ten million visitors, the 19th in the world), world-famous for its nightlife, remains under a widely unpopular alcohol ban, hurting thousands of restaurant and hotel sales and keeping hundreds of bars and nightlife venues closed, keeping an estimated 40,000 people out of work according to local tourism associations. This is despite places like Bangkok and Phuket extending their drinking hours at “restaurants” (In reality, many bars are open with temporary licenses or Thai stop Covid passes) and more popular tourist destinations like Cha-am and Ayutthaya allowing drinking at restaurants. Pattaya – Pattaya entertainment and tourism operators have vowed to keep pushing to allow alcohol sales in restaurants, hotels, and allowing the legal reopening of venues, even after Chonburi’s communicable disease committee declined to ease the alcohol rules when they released their most recent orders around Covid-19 restrictions last night, December 1st.