The Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) has pushed Chiang Rai and Suphan Buri to be listed as part of the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) this year, and the results are expected to be released in October.
Gp Capt Athikun Kongmee, Dasta's director, said the Thai UCCN Experts Committee has nominated Chiang Rai for the City of Design category and Suphan Buri for the City of Music category in the 2023 UCCN Call for Applications.
Both cities were nominated based on their unique identities and the proficiency of their inhabitants in creativity in each category as well as their potential to become global creative cities as defined by Unesco, he said.
Dasta had also planned to nominate Nan for the City of Crafts and Folk Art categories this year but the idea was shelved by the Thai UCCN Experts Committee, he added.
Regarding preparations for Suphan Buri and Chiang Rai in the next five years, Gp Capt Athikun said Dasta is planning to promote Suphan Buri as a "City of Musical Creativity" because the city has a strong music tradition embedded in the lives of its people.
Suphan Buri has produced artists such as Yuenyong Opakul, also known as Aed Carabao, a popular band, and Kwanjit Sriprachan, who specialises in pleng puen bahn (folk music).
Dasta will also promote Chiang Rai as a City of Design and highlight its unique Lanna-inspired arts that display intelligence and culture, Gp Capt Athikun said.
UCCN is part of the Unesco network, aiming to promote cooperation among creative cities for sustainable urban development.
Of the nearly 300 cities in the network, five are in Thailand: Bangkok (City of Design), Phuket, Phetchaburi (Cities of Gastronomy), Chiang Mai and Sukhothai (Cities of Craft and Folk Art).
Unesco will announce the results of Thailand's bid in October during the UCCN Annual Conferences in Istanbul, Gp Capt Athikun said.