The government plans to host Formula E, a world-renowned electric-car racing championship series, next year.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin posted on his X account on Saturday that he had the opportunity to talk over tea with the executive of Formula E, which organises electric-vehicle racing competitions around the world. He said the company was interested in organising an EV racing competition in Thailand.
Formula E is officially known as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The competition was launched in Beijing in 2014 and later earned the FIA world championship status.
The premier said Thailand is making a shift towards using EV cars, with orders for EV cars reaching 40% of total car orders made since the end of last year.
"Therefore, I think it is good to bring the Formula E racing competition to Thailand to stimulate the economy and development of the country's infrastructure while reinforcing the policy of reducing the amount of carbon emissions," he said.
He said Formula E executives will come to explore the area in Chiang Mai next week to study the feasibility of holding a Formula E competition in Thailand for the first time. The event will help promote Thailand as a regional tourism hub, he said.
Also joining him in the discussions was Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party and deputy chair of the National Soft Power Strategy Committee.
Meanwhile, the prime minister also said that 12 French companies have expressed interest in investing and expanding their businesses in several industries including the hospitality, fashion and automobile industries in Thailand.
Mr Srettha made the remarks after talks with French business leaders in Paris. Among those he met were the executives of Accor, a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages, and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties, and operates here in Thailand.
He said Accor is keen to cooperate on tourism with the government and invest in Thai funds such as the pension fund to expand their business, as well as to build hotels in the three southern border provinces. Both sides also discussed ways to organise co-promotion activities to support sales and boost tourism, the prime minister said.
Mr Srettha also held talks with executives of Michelin, the French tyre manufacturer -- as the company uses rubber from Thailand.
Established in 1987, Michelin (Thailand) has five factories in the country and employs more than 8,000 workers, with an investment valued at more than 40 billion baht.
The company uses more than 700 billion tonnes of natural rubber per year to make tyres. The company also plans to increase its production capacity and investment in the next three years, Mr Srettha said.
The company will also shift to clean energy in the near future and the government is ready to support such a move, Mr Srettha said, adding the company also wants the government to ensure ease of doing business.
Michelin, which publishes the Michelin Guide that reviews and rates dining establishments worldwide, also sees Thailand's potential for the food industry and is ready to help Thailand promote the industry to attract tourists, Mr Srettha said.