BANGKOK — The government includes “illegal hotels” in Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga in the legal system and expects 2,500 more legal hotel rooms. Hotels with no more than 49 rooms do not have to carry out an environmental impact assessment (IEE).
Manosith Jangjob, Chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand’s (TCT) Small Hotel Development Sub-Committee, announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Pol. Gen. Patcharawat Wongsuwan, has signed a ministerial regulation to designate certain areas and environmental protection measures.
This will allow hotels near the coast to operate legally without having to demolish or alter their buildings to comply with the new regulations, as these hotels were built before the ministerial order was announced.
“This ministerial amendment follows the proposal of the Tourism Committee and is expected to come into effect in September 2024. It will apply to Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, with other provinces such as Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan also being considered,” Manosith said.
The change will allow 2,500 hotel rooms to register for licenses. Of the 85,000 small hotels nationwide, 14,000 have already obtained a legal license under the old regulations, while 71,000 still do not have a license.
In addition, the Ministry of Natural Resources has exempted hotels with 1to 49 rooms from preparing an environmental impact assessment (IEE), which is an increase from the previous exemption for hotels with 1 to 29 rooms.
In the past, many small hotels were unable to obtain licenses due to strict environmental regulations imposed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. These regulations affected numerous small hotels near coastal tourist destinations, causing them to operate illegally.
After the tourism committee proposed an amendment to the law, Pol. General Patcharawat agreed to revise the laws so that these small hotels do not have to be demolished.
In addition, the Ministry of Home Affairs extended the deadline for the Ministerial Regulation on the Classification of Buildings Used for Hotel Operations (Amendment No. 4) 2023, from the original end date of August 18, 2024 to August 18, 2025.
This extension allows small hotel operators to apply for a Form A.4 license to change the use of their buildings so that renovations or changes to existing structures comply with the law. However, this does not give them the opportunity to obtain a legal hotel license.
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