Patong: 100m profits with 4am curfew for venues, Chiang Mai residents oppose it

The pressure has been mounting for the government to raise the curfew to help entertainment venues boost earnings as tourism returns to Thailand. But some residents disturbed by noise living near bars in Chiang Mai are calling for the opposite.

The Patong Entertainment Business Association estimates that extending closing hours from 2am to 4am for nightlife entertainment venues could raise profits by up to 100 million baht a month. Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn has been visiting tourist nightlife hotspots – such as Patong last week, and Full Moon Party in Koh Pha Ngan last month – throwing his support behind boosting tourism with a later curfew for nightlife venues.

An official proposal is likely to go before the CCSA in October. The association’s president explains that those last two hours of the night are a peak time when carefree…