The Commerce Ministry has pledged to move ahead with measures to drive the government's soft power development policy, with a focus on promoting Thai cultural products worldwide through a "5F" approach, referring to food, film, fashion, fighting and festivals.
According to Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, director-general of the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), the government recognises these areas as potential vehicles for soft power, with the Commerce, Culture and Tourism and Sports ministries collaborating to push the soft power policy forward.
DITP was tasked with encouraging entrepreneurs, through the use of promotion and development, to export products with a special focus on changing their mindset to incorporate more Thai culture and values. The goal is to ensure they are accepted internationally, particularly in the areas of food, film, fashion, lifestyle products and digital content.
The targeted products and services to be promoted and developed under the policy include digital content such as films, animation, characters, games and software.
There is no official organisation responsible for collecting and compiling statistics on the value and growth rate of soft power exports each year.
In 2021, data from the Culture Ministry revealed the film industry was worth 34.1 billion baht.
Digital Economy Promotion Agency data valued the software industry at 163 billion baht, games at 37.1 billion baht, animation at 3.39 billion baht and characters at 1.6 billion baht.
Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department.
In addition, the production of foreign films and content production via contracts have also recorded significant growth in recent years.
According to Mr Phusit, the department wants to prioritise key export markets including the US, Europe, India, China, Hong Kong, East Asia and Asean nations, focusing on building confidence and promoting a positive image of Thai products and services.
He said this goal would be achieved through initiatives such as the certification of Thai restaurants using the Thai Select seal provided by the Commerce Ministry worldwide, participation in international film festivals in the US, South Korea and France, and export promotion of health, wellness and spa products within Asean, the Middle East and Europe.
Thai Select is part of the Thai Kitchen World Cuisine programme introduced in 2006 to capitalise on the global popularity of the country's cuisine.
Mr Phusit said efforts would also be made to promote Thai identity in fashion and lifestyle products throughout Asian countries, Australia, Europe and the US via international trade fairs such as STYLE Bangkok.
The Commerce Ministry wants to emphasise the importance of geographical indication to enhance product value, develop local markets such as Tong Chom (must-see) markets, and promote local identity product development to support the grassroots economy, he said.
Mr Phusit said Thailand's strengths in the food industry and its reputation as the "Kitchen to the World" mean there is high potential for food security to be leveraged in export promotion.
Last year, Thailand's food export value tallied 946 billion baht, up 16% from the previous year.
This year, the ministry aims to achieve 5% growth, capitalising on the high potential of the food security sector, he said.
Mr Phusit said Thailand's strengths lies in the food industry and it will be leveraged for export promotion efforts.
The ministry is also targeting 14% growth in digital content exports, said Mr Phusit.
He said DITP recently increased its efforts in promoting 10 projects, such as the recent participation in the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market 2023 (during April 13-16), which is expected to generate 1.37 billion baht, surpassing the original target of 800 million.
Over the coming months, the department plans to take 10 business operators to join the Cannes Film Festival 2023 in May, with a revenue target of 800 million baht.
The next stop is the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2023 in June, where the department will pitch for the first time, as well as the Bangkok International Digital Content Festival 2023, said Mr Phusit.
"We expect the country's export sector to pick up in the second quarter, with growth anticipated in the second half of the year because of increased promotional activities in the second and third quarters," he said.
"The private sector is confident exports will return to growth in most sectors."