The Thai government has clarified that the recently given authority for entertainment venues to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the U-Tapao International Airport & Eastern Airport City Project does not apply to surrounding districts like as Pattaya and Rayong.
On Sunday, August 27th, Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul addressed this, underlining that the Interior Ministry’s recent Royal Gazette notification extended only to the specific places within the U-Tapao airport complex.
Ms. Traisuree stressed that the extended operating hours solely applied to the U-Tapao airport and the Eastern Airport City location. She went on to say that restaurants outside of these zones, such as those in Pattaya and Rayong, would continue to operate according to normal working hours, with closing times set at either midnight or 2 a.m.
Within the U-Tapao airport area, the Eastern Airport City Project spans 6,500 rai of land. The decision to enable round-the-clock operations was made to accommodate continuous aviation activity, mostly for passengers in between flights to have a drink at airport lounges and bars. A similar rule applies to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The project is part of an effort to upgrade U-Tapao airport, making it the country’s third major international commercial airport, after Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi.
Thailand hopes to serve up to 200 million air passengers per year with plans for a high-speed train connecting the three airports. This ambitious project is expected to strengthen the Eastern Economic Corridor’s position as a hub for targeted sectors and businesses.
Passenger terminals, a commerce and land transport center, an aircraft repair and overhaul center, a free trade zone, a cargo complex, and an aviation training center are all part of the U-Tapao International Airport & Eastern Airport City Project. The project’s broad scale matches with Thailand’s objective for improving its aviation infrastructure and regional economic prospects.
Meanwhile, this latest development has sparked debate in Pattaya about whether or not the city’s entertainment businesses should be permitted to run through the clock to boost tourism.
Those who disagree argue that reducing operating hours will merely exacerbate existing issues such as traffic accidents, violence, and noise pollution.
Those in favor of the plan, on the other hand, say that it will considerably benefit the local economy. They also believe that the city is already used to late-night celebration and that the opposition’s concerns are manageable. They also claim that international tourists, in particular, are not accustomed to leaving at midnight, and that repeated early closures and raids harm the image of a dynamic tourism destination.
Poramese Ngampiches, the mayor of Pattaya, has previously remarked that the city would need to carefully weigh the advantages and cons of officially permitting venues to operate at any hour, and that if it did happen, careful zoning regulations and thinking would be required.
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