UPDATE: Phuket approves 275 backlogged hotel licence applications
Authorities have approved 275 of 392 backlogged Phuket hotel licence applications, leaving 117 for review while investigations into suspected foreign nominee structures expand to 391 businesses.
Thai authorities have approved 275 of 392 pending hotel licence applications in Phuket over the past two months, leaving 117 for review and clearance by September 2026, according to Nation Thailand.
The approvals represent roughly 70% of a backlog dating to 2018. The accelerated processing followed direct orders from Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the report said.
Authorities are collecting data on legal and regulatory obstacles to propose legislative amendments while prioritising safety, bringing operators into the formal system and addressing extortion and bribery. Deputy government spokesperson Ploytalay Laksameesaengjan said the government wanted to help operators comply with the law while maintaining safety standards.
The licensing effort is running alongside investigations into 391 businesses suspected of using foreign nominee structures. The probe concerns allegations including unlicensed operations, missing construction permits and foreign investors using Thai frontmen to circumvent ownership laws.
Separately, Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit visited Phuket last week, meeting tourism operators and pledging to regulate the hotel sector and crack down on businesses using nominees.
The Interior Ministry’s consultation and problem-solving clinic for hotel and entertainment venues was created to give unregistered businesses guidance on complying with the law. Its registration period ended on 10 July.
Sarayuth Mallam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said that although a number of unlicensed operators wanted to register their businesses, some were reluctant to enrol in the clinic because they feared arrest and being forced to close. Mr Sarayuth said the government should assure operators that they would not face immediate prosecution, but instead offer consultations and a timeframe for businesses to adjust their properties to comply with the law.
However, he said safety standards should not be compromised. Fire extinguishers and fire exits must be sufficient, while modified structures must comply with legal limits and engineering standards. Mr Sarayuth estimated that roughly 70% of hotels in Phuket remained illegal and warned that past fires linked to inadequate safety facilities had damaged the province’s tourism image.
Some operators had already upgraded their properties but still faced difficulties obtaining building certification under the Building Control Act, which is required to secure a hotel licence, Mr Sarayuth said. Small and medium-sized operators had also reported being asked for bribes to obtain certification, and the government should address such corruption, he added.
Mr Sarayuth called for strict prosecution of operators who deliberately refuse to register, particularly businesses run through nominees or properties offering daily rentals in condominiums or housing projects. He alleged that some foreigners had bought multiple units or houses in the same project and converted them into daily accommodation, competing with licensed hotels.
Chinnawat Udomniyom, president of the Phuket Boutique Accommodation Consortium, said the government should also extend an Interior Ministry regulation that expired in August. The measure temporarily allowed buildings that did not meet the Hotel Act’s definition of a hotel, but had opened before 19 August 2016, to register for hotel licences.
Mr Chinnawat said extending the regulation could address short-term obstacles while operators wait for a new law governing Thailand’s hotel businesses, which is under parliamentary consideration.
