July 9, 2025
BANGKOK – She made this statement during her speech on the topic “Thailand Rising: Tourism, Education, and the New Soft Power Frontier” at the opening ceremony of the SPLASH-Soft Power Forum 2025, held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Paetongtarn, who also serves as Culture Minister, noted that we are currently living in a world that is evolving rapidly and growing more complex than ever before. She stated that we are facing a fragile, worrying, and difficult-to-understand world, one that is increasingly unpredictable.
She stressed the importance of understanding the context of change as the starting point for progress.
“We must understand that everything is subject to change, and we must be flexible enough to adapt to different circumstances. What we once relied on, such as becoming Asia’s Detroit automotive hub, or the world’s kitchen, now requires us to adapt,” she said.
Paetongtarn continued, stating that today, Thailand stands at a crossroads where new investments, industries, and technologies will shape the future. She affirmed that the government has already begun laying the groundwork to ensure Thailand’s preparedness for the future.
She also highlighted the growing importance of soft power, explaining that the world is no longer just purchasing goods or services, but is increasingly buying experiences and expressions of a country’s unique identity, especially in the case of Thailand, with its rich culture.
This includes Thailand’s cuisine, way of life, and the Thai people, who are globally recognised for their charm, helpfulness, and warm smiles. Paetongtarn emphasised that Thailand should focus on consolidating local cultural goals, categorising them to increase their marketability.
She added that the soft power policy is progressing in a structured manner, with collaboration between the state and private sectors to work towards a common goal, reducing overlap and enhancing global connections.
The focus starts with Thai food, a global favourite. “We are not just selling the taste, but the experience of Thailand,” she said. “We aim to elevate Thai cuisine to a global brand and create destinations for travellers.”
This will include Thai Cuisina restaurants, which will encompass every stage of the Thai food supply chain, from regional Thai restaurants to supermarkets selling ready-to-eat Thai food products.
Additionally, the plan includes expanding the distribution of Thai food products internationally through wholesale centres abroad. The goal is to establish these restaurants in major cities around the world.
The tourism sector will also be enhanced to cater to food lovers, offering genuine Thai culinary tourism experiences, including cooking classes and local ingredient tours, while raising the standard of Thai Select certification to match global awards like Michelin Stars, guaranteeing authentic Thai flavours and ingredients.
Paetongtarn outlined plans for Muay Thai to evolve from a sport to a global lifestyle, with Muay Thai bootcamps becoming a new trend promoting fitness, health, detoxification, and mindfulness.
Additionally, she aims to strengthen the professional Muay Thai league and elevate its standards across all dimensions.
The Thai wellness sector is also set to expand, offering a holistic experience combining Thai massage, herbal treatments, healthy food, and meditation, all within a Thai retreat chain.
This will create a comprehensive wellness experience from physical therapy to mental relaxation, setting the standard for Thai spas and therapists.
She added that Thai herbs and massages will undergo medical research to ensure they can be marketed as export products, while promoting professional Thai health massage worldwide.
Paetongtarn also addressed the film industry, saying, “We will support Thai filmmakers to dream and create through experimental spaces like writer’s rooms and creative labs, while investing in technology to produce films that capture Thailand’s unique entertainment style.”
The government will also offer cash rebates to support Thai films and attract foreign investment, while promoting the Bangkok International Film Festival as a major global event to foster international film markets.
Lastly, she spoke about the gem industry, one of Thailand’s top export sectors, which is driven by the creative skills of Thai artisans.
“Twenty years ago, gemstone exports were worth approximately 50 billion baht, but last year we exported over 500 billion baht—an increase of 10 times. Just in the first five months of this year, exports have already reached 380 billion baht, and the industry employs over 1 million people,” she said.
Paetongtarn concluded by outlining plans to train a large number of designers, diamond cutters, goldsmiths, and silversmiths, transforming them from craftsmen into high-value artists.
She intends to use various measures to promote this industry and aims to increase gemstone export value to 1 trillion baht within the next five years.