SI-015 :
Thai Soft Power 2.0 

Situation
Soft power has emerged as a critical dimension of national influence in the 21st century, shaping global perception, cultural relevance, and economic opportunities. Nations such as South Korea, Japan, and the United States have successfully transformed cultural assets into global industries, generating both economic value and strategic influence.

Thailand possesses rich cultural capital—cuisine, tourism, arts, wellness, entertainment, and lifestyle—but these assets remain fragmented, under-coordinated, and under-leveraged. Soft power initiatives are often treated as promotional activities rather than a systematic national strategy, resulting in inconsistent branding, limited scalability, and missed economic potential.

Moreover, Thailand’s global cultural presence lacks a unified narrative and institutional support system, making it difficult to compete with countries that have fully integrated soft power into their national development frameworks.

Shift
Thai soft power must transition from cultural promotion to a strategic, system-driven soft power ecosystem.

Soft power is redefined as the ability to convert cultural identity into scalable economic value and sustained global influence. This requires moving beyond ad hoc campaigns toward a structured approach that integrates culture, industry, media, education, and digital platforms.

The focus shifts from showcasing culture to industrializing culture, from passive attraction to active global positioning, and from isolated initiatives to a coordinated national system.

Soft power becomes not only a cultural expression, but a strategic engine of economic growth, national branding, and geopolitical influence.

Advantage
Thailand has a unique and globally appealing cultural identity, characterized by strong cuisine recognition, vibrant tourism appeal, distinctive aesthetics, and a reputation for hospitality and wellness.

Thai culture is inherently experiential, accessible, and adaptable, making it highly exportable across different markets. The country’s creative industries, culinary sector, and service culture provide a strong foundation for building globally competitive soft power industries.

Additionally, Thailand’s central location in Asia and its openness to global exchange enhance its potential to act as a cultural gateway and connector.

Additional Structural Advantage
Thailand can leverage its existing ecosystems—tourism, food industry, entertainment, digital platforms, and education—to build an integrated soft power system.

By aligning government policy, private sector innovation, and creative talent, Thailand can establish a multi-layered soft power architecture, including:

• content creation and global distribution platforms

• creative industry development and talent pipelines

• brand standardization and national storytelling

• integration of soft power into economic and diplomatic strategies

Furthermore, digital transformation enables Thai soft power to scale globally through streaming platforms, social media, e-commerce, and virtual experiences.

Implication
Without a structured soft power strategy, Thailand risks underutilizing its cultural assets, losing competitiveness in global cultural industries, and missing opportunities to enhance its international influence.

This results in fragmented branding, limited value capture, and dependence on traditional economic sectors.

Conversely, a fully developed soft power system enables Thailand to generate high-value economic growth, global cultural relevance, and strategic influence. It strengthens national identity, enhances global perception, and creates new industries and employment opportunities.

Soft power becomes a multiplier of national competitiveness, reinforcing both economic and geopolitical positioning.

Strategic Direction

• Establish a National Soft Power Operating System (SPOS) to coordinate policy, industry, and global positioning

• Develop scalable cultural industries (food, entertainment, wellness, tourism, design, digital content) as strategic economic sectors

• Create a unified national narrative and brand identity for global positioning

• Build global distribution channels and platforms for Thai content and cultural products

• Invest in creative talent development and education systems to sustain long-term growth

• Integrate soft power into economic strategy, diplomacy, and international engagement

• Leverage digital platforms and technology to scale reach and impact globally

Sub-Insight Layer