The initiative encourages Thai restaurants to secure the Thai SELECT symbol, to reinforce the authenticity of Thai cuisine.
The strategy of boosting Thailand’s soft power in global markets is a key policy of the Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s government. Food stands out as a significant “soft power” tool for Thailand as Thai cuisine remains highly popular worldwide.
The CNN Travel website ranked Thai food as the 8th best globally. Additionally, the Taste Atlas Awards 2023-24 recognised five Thai dishes — “pad krapow”, “khao soi”, “gaeng phanaeng”, “tom kha gai”, and “massaman curry” — among the top 100 dishes out of a total of 10,927 worldwide.
According to Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, director-general of the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office, the pivotal factor contributing to the exponential growth of Thai food’s popularity abroad is the government’s…
