Thailand is considering to lift the 2-5pm alcohol ban to boost tourism

With ongoing economic challenges, the prime minister is considering the end to Thailand’s unique alcohol ban. We may be looking at the possibility to buy alcohol from 2-5pm in the future.

Thailand has a ban on alcohol sales from 2-5pm, and it has been that way since the policy’s introduction back in 1972, during Thanom Kittikachorn’s coup regime. It was introduced to stop Thai people from day-drinking.

As the law has been in effect for over five decades, many question if it is still applicable in contemporary society. One of these people is Sorathep Rojpotjanaruch, head of the Restaurant Business Club, who sent an open letter to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin about the matter.

[Hero and featured image credit: Elevate/Unsplash]

Thailand is considering to lift the 2-5pm alcohol ban to boost tourism

According to the letter, this restriction is outdated, as foreigners who come into F&B establishments would often question why alcoholic drinks cannot be ordered. Lifting this ban will help support these venues in terms of revenue, especially for areas that get a lot of tourism.

Sorathep also cited the decline in customer chasing power, in combination with the significant surge in ingredients and operating costs for restaurants. He also suggested reducing the tax on building and land.

“We have to look at the overall picture on this,” Srettha said in a statement. “Costs are rising, but the government is also promoting tourism, which will help boost restaurant operators’ income.”

After all, Thailand’s economy depends a lot on tourism, and the restaurant industry contributes to more than 7% of the country’s GDP. With the economic troubles and competition, small-scale vendors struggle to stay afloat.

If the ban were to be lifted, not only will supermarkets and convenience stores be able to sell alcohol by the bottle, but we would be seeing restaurants selling alcohol more, along with pubs and bars able to open and serve customers before 5pm.