Canada issues important travel advisory update for Thailand
Canada has updated its travel advisory for Thailand with important information that tourists should be aware of.
On Thursday, Dec. 4, Canada shared additional details on the laws and culture in Thailand. Canadians are being urged to be extra careful when it comes to alcohol while visiting the popular tourist destination.
According to the advisory, tourists “must abide by local laws.” That includes laws concerning alcohol, where the legal drinking age is 20.
“It is illegal to promote the consumption of alcohol. You could be fined or taken to court for posting on social media any pictures that include alcoholic beverages or people consuming alcohol,” the Government of Canada warns.
It adds that selling, buying, and/or consuming alcohol in Thailand is restricted to certain times of the day and that tourists are expected to follow the instructions of local authorities.
“If you don’t comply, you could face heavy fines,” reads the statement.
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Conde Nast Traveller reported that in 2023, a Bangkok-based man faced a suspended six-month prison term and a fine of 150,000 baht (around C$6,537.94) for sharing a review of a craft beer on social media. A Thai court had ruled that it looked like advertising for alcohol, which is illegal in the country.
The BBC reports that liquor stores, restaurants, and accredited establishments were banned from selling alcoholic drinks from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. However, that ban has been lifted, the afternoon ban as part of a six-month trial, as the country looks set to welcome more tourists during the holiday season. Previously, customers faced a fine of up to 10,000 baht (approximately C$435.92) if they violated that law.
Canadians abroad should also be careful when consuming alcohol.
Ashley King, a resident of Calgary, Alta., was travelling through Bali, Indonesia, in 2011 when she unknowingly drank a methanol-tainted cocktail in a nightclub in Kuta. The incident left her in the hospital and ultimately blind.
With files from Kendall Collins