The government will ease the necessary procedures and provide more incentives to attract foreign investors in the film, food and pharmaceutical industries.
Tongthong Chandransu, chairperson of the Regulatory Reform Committee for Ease of Doing Business, said on Friday that progress has been made in amending the laws and regulations that restrict the operations of various businesses.
The goal is to push forward the government's policies that will facilitate more business, boosting firms' confidence and competitiveness on the global stage, he said.
One of the key focuses is easing the legal restrictions on music festivals and foreign film productions, he said.
These now generate around 7 billion baht in annual revenue, but the relaxed measures are expected to push that amount up to 12 billion baht.
The supportive measures included visa exemptions for Chinese nationals who enter the country as members of a foreign film crew, said Mr Tongthong.
He said that last year, China's film productions invested 471.98 million baht in Thailand, ranking the country third after the United States and Hong Kong.
Efforts are now under way to amend the Labour Ministry's regulations on work permits and notifications for foreign workers so that film coordinators in Thailand can receive work permits on behalf of their teams, Mr Tongthong said, noting the move should be finalised by August.
The amendment also aims to help facilitate urgent permits for music festival crews and concert artists.
The establishment of a one-stop service centre for border trade in Nong Khai is also underway, he said. The goal is to streamline and bolster import-export inspections using an electronic system. The centre is expected to launch on Oct 1.
The Department of Business Development is also preparing to propose work permit exemptions for foreign workers in 10 industries, including telecommunications and petroleum drilling.
Dr Narong Apikulwanich, secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said the FDA has come up with initiatives to reduce duplication in the authorisation of pharmaceutical drugs that have been inspected according to foreign standards.
The initiative could speed up the approval process from 300 to 90 days, he said.
An e-service system has also been developed to shorten the approval process in areas such as food, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, business and product registrations, he noted.
Through this, permission can be granted within 24 hours, he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin posted on his X account that one of the government's agendas is to boost foreign direct investment, especially by improving the ease of doing business in the country.
"Not only are we committed to easing procedures and providing incentives for the film industry but also reducing the processing time for registration for the food and pharmaceutical industries," the premier wrote.