The government is seeking to promote Thailand's soft power globally with the aim of generating 4 trillion baht in revenue, according to Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai.
He made the remarks at the opening on Friday of a seminar on empowering business operators through soft power.
Also present was Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party and chairwoman of the national committee on soft power development.
Mr Phumtham, who is also the commerce minister, said the global economy has been changing rapidly as a result of the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as ongoing conflicts among global powers.
Thailand needs to adjust the way it steers its domestic economy accordingly, he said, while noting that intellectual property is an important tool to boost trade, which would help Thailand escape the middle-income trap and achieve high-income growth.
The government has come up with the One Family One Soft Power (Ofos) policy to ensure the country's rich culture gains more global recognition and to improve the economic value of its soft power.
The policy is aimed at creating some 20 million jobs and generating 4 trillion baht per year through 11 industries including tourism, festivals, sports, Thai cuisine, Thai films, music, arts, books, gaming, design and fashion.
“Brand innovation and brand design will be used to promote important products, such as Thai food, digital content, Thai boxing, tourism, books and gaming in the global market,” Mr Phumtham said.
The Department of Foreign Trade led Thai business delegation to participate in Anuga 2023, the world’s largest trade food and beverages trade fair, in Germany in October. Deals reached between the participating Thai businesses and their foreign counterparts worth more than 5.3 billion baht, the minister said.
Ms Paetongtarn said the government's policy to capitalise on the country's soft power is the key to revitalising the economy and helping Thai people earn more income.
“Soft power shows the country’s ability to influence others without having to force them. Many are trying to define the meaning of soft power,” she said.
“I think the definition is not really that important, as the government is trying to achieve bigger goals by promoting industries to promote soft power and boost the economy.”
Ms Paetongtarn previously said the government would soon draw up a bill on soft power promotion and set up the Thailand Creative Content Agency (Thacca) to lead the campaign.
Thacca will have 12 sub-committees focusing on topics including fashion, books, movies, TV series, festivals, food, design, tourism, games, music, arts and sports. Each will have representatives from their respective sectors.
The bill is expected to be enacted next year, she said.