Private sector seeks Thai soft power board

The private sector is urging the government to upgrade soft power to a national agenda item and establish a board to directly manage its development.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Thammasat Economics Association of Thammasat University, Vuthithorn Milintachinda, chief executive of Woody World Co, said Thailand has tremendous opportunities to enhance the value of its soft power in the world market.

He said to achieve this, Thailand needs to promote development through three facets: media, people and culture.

Mr Vuthithorn said media promotion should use the widespread influence of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook, while people promotion should focus on popularising more Thai influencers and foreign influencers who can speak Chinese or Russian, based on the sheer size of these audiences.

These influencers can direct audiences towards Thai goods, food and travel, he said.

Cultural promotion should focus on newer aspects, not only Muay Thai, Thai massage, food, dance and pop music, which are already known globally, said Mr Vuthithorn.

He said one interesting new genre includes good-luck charms, superstitious objects and occult rites, known as mutelu, which has drawn much attention from foreigners who visit Thailand.

This will have a positive impact on travel, accommodation, products and services, said Mr Vuthithorn.

“Soft power development is mostly driven and handled by the private sector, which organises events such the S2O Songkran Music Festival. A Thai strength is being fun-loving and we can further develop these types of events,” he said.

“I feel confident that over the next few years, Thailand can become a global ‘super soft power’ thanks to the changing international ecosystem. However, this depends on the government paying serious attention to national branding. An effective national plan is essential, while a national branding ministry should be set up to directly oversee it.

“Clear government policies are instrumental to expediting soft power development. More importantly, this issue should be placed on the national agenda. Without clear promotional plans, only a handful of private operators will benefit from the soft power.”