If Thailand wants its creative industry to grow domestically and internationally, all stakeholders must unite and reform the industry from the ground up, according to the soft power development subcommittee. The creative industry was highlighted for increased development by the government given its potential to enhance the country's economic value and international recognition, allowing Thailand to better leverage its soft power. In recent years, the government has promoted Thai soft power through a 5F approach consisting of Thai food, films and videos, Thai fabric and fashion design, Thai martial arts, and traditional festivals.
The goal was to feature cultural exports to strengthen the economy and create several creative industry jobs. This target is proving harder to achieve than some bureaucrats expected. Sluggish economy Chalermchatri Yukol, chairman of the national soft power development subcommittee for TV and film, said the slumping Asian and Thai economies have greatly affected Thai media content production and export markets.
The weak economy pressured Thai TV companies, with the market downturn forcing some of them to scale down their size, while others shuttered operations, said Mr Chalermchatri. In May, Voice TV Co Ltd stopped broadcasting and laid off more than 100 employees. However, the Thai film industry is still in a good mood, both in terms of revenue and quality, in part because of Thailand's expanding presence in the global film industry before the worldw.
