The “Andaman Craft Festival” was recently held in Thailand’s renowned resort province of Phuket, showcasing the country’s “Soft Power” and generating income for the locals.
The event was collaboration between the Ministry of Commerce and the Sustainable Arts and Crafts Institute of Thailand (SACIT) and was inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit. He stated that the festival, held on Sunday, would foster a positive tourism atmosphere for both domestic and international travelers, thereby significantly contributing to the local economy.
The minister commented that the government’s policy to promote the 5Fs of soft power, namely, food, films, fashion, fighting – or Muay Thai- and festivals, could generate 1.45 trillion baht.
Event highlights included silk Muay Thai boxing pants featuring Thai kickboxing superstar Buakaw Banchamek and a Thai fabric fashion show of Miss Universe Thailand 2022 Anna Sueangam-iam.
This year, Phuket expects to welcome 12 million tourists, 8 million of which are foreigners, and 4 million Thai tourists. Visitors to the event, both domestic and foreign, are expected to purchase handicraft products as gifts and souvenirs, with an average spending of 600 baht each, resulting in a cash circulation of approximately 7 billion baht. (NNT)
