Consumer spending has dampened. Popular annual trade and sales events -- such as the Bangkok International Motor Show, which ended last week -- have uncharacteristically experienced lukewarm responses. Yet organisers of the National Book Fair, just ended, have reason to celebrate, as bookworms swarmed the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre over the past two weeks. It seems that despite the economic downturn and limitless entertainment options, people still buy books.
Charun Hormtienthong, president of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT) and organiser of the event, said that at first it was expected that sales revenues would be reduced and attendance rates would be low. He was glad his estimation proved incorrect.
The two-week event, which ended yesterday, had around 2 million attendants, a similar figure to last year's, with revenue of over 500 million baht, which also is not far away from last year's figure. What's the reason behind this? Presumably, Thais are reading more, especially among the younger generations. According to the latest study by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Thais spend an average of 66 minutes reading each day, a 29-minute increase from the last survey, in 2013.
The president of PUBAT said he considers it a success when the sales revenue doesn't fall from the previous year, and that people still buy books no matter how hard the economy. Parents increasingly buy books for their kids. The organiser witnessed both poor and rich at the event, with neither group hesitant to spend money.
But the most encouraging sight was all the youngsters who'd come to browse.
They have worked very hard to stay afloat without any help from the government. Despite his glowing happiness, Charun appeared upset when I asked about the government's policy towards financial support. Charun has always criticised the government for never paying attention to the book industry, despite lamenting the poor reading habits of Thais.
"Our government has been generous with other industries but never paid attention to us," Charun said. "Look at Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak. He's so generous with providing economic stimulus to many commercial sectors, but like any politician in power, he never comes up with policies to help the book industry."
Charun added that it causes heartache when you consider that these leaders have high educational backgrounds, with many of them recipients of doctoral degrees. But they don't advocate on behalf of the book industry, or help promote reading among Thais, despite knowing that reading is the foundation of a knowledge-based society.
Charun might be grumpy about the state's cold shoulder towards the book industry, but it's true that reading and literacy have not been top priorities for our leaders and politicians. Charun told me that the Japan, South Korean and Chinese governments have provided budgets for Thai publishers to translate their books into Thai. South Korea, which has become a model of the creative economy, has sponsored Thai publishers in seminars about how to develop the publishing industry in Asia. These countries, according to Charun, want Thailand to present the stories of their countries. The governments of these countries want Thailand to understand them using books as a medium.
So what needs to be done to help our book industry? Many writers and publishers whom I have talked with say they need to create an independent organisation to promote reading. The government should provide funds for publishers to create content locally and translate already-existing books to expose them to the world. There are many things the government can do right away, such as creating more local libraries at public areas like mass-transit stations and neglected public phone booths.
I've always believed that the best way to create future readers starts at home and needs to be done as soon as possible. Additionally, there is one campaign the Thai government can create right away -- they can do something similar to the UK's much-praised Bookstart campaign. Bookstart is a nationwide scheme providing every child aged five and under with two free packs containing books, fun activities and tips for parents. In countries like Switzerland, babies are provided with books. Providing books to newborn babies in Thailand would be a great service. All we need is to make sure the quality and content are screened, and that the campaign is not used for discarded books in donation boxes, or as a money-source for politicians who want to sell their products.
Anchalee Kongrut is a feature writer of the Life section of the Bangkok Post.