SONGKRAN ROW
Booze ban 'will harm tourism'
- Published: 19/03/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Plans to ban the sale of alcohol during the Songkran festival have sparked a bitter row between the Tourism and Sports and the Public Health ministries.
Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa yesterday opposed the Public Health Ministry's plan to ban the sales, saying it would harm the already crippled tourism industry.
Anti-alcohol protesters demand a Songkran booze ban. APICHIT JINAKUL
But Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbode insisted a survey conducted by his ministry had found that most tourists do not consider drinking to be the main purpose of their visit. They prefer to enjoy the culture and visit tourist destinations.
The Public Health Ministry has proposed two options on the ban.
One calls for a halt to alcohol sales altogether from midnight April 11 to midnight April 14. The other softer option is to allow licensed restaurants and entertainment venues to serve alcohol from 6pm to midnight during the three-day period.
The National Committee on Alcohol Policy will choose which, if any, of the two options to adopt.
Mr Chumpol said the government should delay the ban on alcohol sales during Songkran until at least next year.
He said the government needed additional tourism revenues to substitute the sharp drop in earnings from exports and investment.
The minister said the tourism industry had the capacity to recover from the economic crisis much faster than other sectors and could serve as the driving force to support the overall economy.
His stand mirrored that of Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasart.
Maj-Gen Sanan, who is the chairman of the National Committee on Alcohol Policy, said the ban would not address the root cause of drink driving and the high incidence of road accidents during the Songkran holiday.
He said most accidents over Songkran happened on small provincial roads, not on main roads. The authorities need to strictly enforce the law on those accident-prone areas.
Maj-Gen Sanan said the ban was expected to affect international tourists' travel plans and could hurt the country's tourism earnings. A study on the impact of a ban on alcohol sales should be carried out before it is imposed.
A ban might encourage consumers to stock up on drink before the holidays, which would do nothing to help reduce the road accident rate.
Maj-Gen Sanan said his statements reflected his personal view, not that of his committee.
