Registered outlets can now sell alcoholic beverages during the previously banned period of 2pm to 5pm, with a one hour extension of time for customers in licensed premises at night to finish their drinks.
The new regulation took effect on Wednesday after it was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday.
The regulation extends the previously permitted hours for alcohol sales - 11am to 2pm and 5pm to midnight - removing the three-hour afternoon ban. The mIdnight close remains in effect, but customers on licensed premises are now allowed until 1am to finish their drinks.
The announcement allows for a trial period of 180 days.
Thailand has banned most retail outlets and supermarkets from selling alcohol between the hours of 2pm and 5pm since 1972.
The decision to end the ban was agreed to on Nov 13, aimed at stimulating tourism and economic activity during peak tourism periods.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Thailand has some of the highest alcohol consumption rates in Asia.
In 2021, Thailand was ranked 16th among nearly 200 countries for road traffic deaths per capita, according to WHO data.
From 2019 to 2023, nearly 33,000 people died in drunk driving incidents in Thailand, according to Public Health Ministry figures.
