Night-time economy needs a boost
published : 25 Oct 2021 at 09:25
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Pitsinee Jitpleecheep and Narumon Kasemsuk
Entertainment operators have said the government's reopening plan must include the night-time economy.
Night-time economies are an important part of Thailand's tourism business.
The term night-time economy is used to describe a range of economic activities between 6pm and 6am. It includes food service, bars and arts.
The nightclub and bar sector in Thailand alone is estimated to contribute around US$5.5 billion to the economy which is slightly over 1% of GDP.
Nonetheless, the nightlife areas, which are often packed, are linked to the spread of the coronavirus.
The government's recent reopening plan sees no quarantine for fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries, starting Nov 1.
But many night-time businesses remain shut and bars are mostly still silent amid the ban on alcohol sales to curb the spread of coronavirus, prompting people in the industry to question the effectiveness of the reopening plan.
Thailand wil lose tourists to neighbouring countries like Singapore and Vietnam, which promote the ability to consume alcoholic drinks, if the country reopens with a ban on alcohol sales at restaurants still in place, said the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association.
The president of the Khao San Business Association said that the government should lift the ban on selling alcoholic drinks at restaurants because 80% of the income of people in the Khao San area comes from tourists.
"If restaurant operators are not allowed to sell alcoholic drinks after the country's reopening, we believe that few food vendors and restaurant operators will resume their businesses and Khao San will be like a cemetery," he said.
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Vocabulary
- ban: an official statement ordering people not to do, sell or use something - การห้าม
- boost: something that helps or encourages somebody/something - สิ่งกระตุ้น
- cemetery: the area of ground where dead people are buried or their bodies or ashes are kept - สุสาน
- consume: to eat, drink or use something - บริโภค
- curb: to control or limit something - จำกัดขอบเขต, ควบคุม
- economy: the relationship between production, trade and the supply of money in a particular country or region - เศรษฐกิจ
- effectiveness: the ability to produce the result that is intended - ประสิทธิผล
- GDP: gross domestic product, the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a year, except for income received from money invested in other countries ผลิตภัณฑ์มวลรวมภายในประเทศ -
- income: money that someone gets from working or from investing money - รายได้
- lift: to end a warning, a restriction, etc. - ยกเลิก
- packed: crowded; full of people or things - แน่น
- vendors: people who sell things, e.g., food or newspapers, usually outside on the street - พ่อค้าแม่่ค้าหาบแร่แผงลอย
