What are South Korean visitors to Thailand now taking home other than those souvenirs featuring elephants? The answer is Roti Saimai, a Thai dessert made of very thin roti and sugar floss.
Like all tourists, the South Koreans will have savored tom yam goong, somtam, pad Thai, masaman curyand pad kaprao while in Thailand. They will also have sampled sweetened sticky rice and mango. But Roti Saimai is the latest on a list of Thai delicacies that just keeps growing.
According to a variety of surveys, pad Thai, tom yam goong, masaman curry, green curry (kang khiew wan) and somtam take turns in the top five as far as foreigners are concerned. Coming close behind are pad kaprao, khao soi, and tom kha kai.
And so promoters of Thai foods are facing a problem, albeit a nice one. They don’t know which food to highlight! Adding to their headache, many clips posted by tourists on YouTube are saying that visitors don’t have to go to fancy Thai restaurants in their countries or even in Thailand.
The best way to enjoy these popular dishes, they say, is at any roadside stall or food court at a Thai shopping mall.
The popularity of Thai food is still rising, challenging the long-time champion – Italian pizza and Japanese sushi, which come in close second.
Thailand consistently ranks highly on global food surveys and was recently voted the No. 1 country for the world’s best food in 2025 by Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards. The country’s score of 98.33 out of 100 was considered very high.
But like a Thai saying, you have to keep striking while the iron is hot. A fresh global campaign is taking place to promote the country and its increasingly popular foods.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB, is joining forces with key partners, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), and Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI), to launch the “Spice Up Thai Fest” campaign, designed to inspire global travellers to immerse themselves in Thailand’s vibrant festival scene where food, of course, is well featured.
Help is also being enlisted from the Thai Restaurant Global Network, a key communication and promotional platform, to highlight 14 distinctive aspects of Thai culture and identity worldwide.
Social media influencers will equally play a role in the campaign. The campaign targets 14 pilot markets: Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mainland China, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
According to Dr. Supawan Teerarat, President of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, the “Spice Up Thai Fest” harnesses the strengths of Thai cuisine, culture, tourism and worldwide restaurant networks.
“In today’s rapidly evolving communication landscape, we hope to go beyond simply ‘organising festivals’ and create a long-lasting platform where Thai restaurants serve as central hubs for a global fan base of Thai foods, arts, culture and lifestyle,” Supawan told TPBS World
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), agreed, adding: “Thai cuisine and festivals serve as the first gateway to experiencing the true essence of Thailand’s rich culture.
The Spice Up Thai Fest campaign plays a vital role in showcasing the kingdom’s charm through authentic experiences at Thai restaurants the world over." The campaign runs from November 15, 2025 to January 18, 2026.
And it’s a great campaign. Everyone should keep in mind, though, what backpacking tourists are saying. In numerous clips on YouTube or TikTok, they say the best experiences of Thai culture, hospitality and foods can be found “out of the way”.
By that, they mean they don’t have to go to popular beaches, famous trekking paths or well-known Thai restaurants in order to love Thailand.
Many foreigners say in their clips that just having conversations with Thai strangers can cure a broken heart, eating on the streets can give them the best tastes ever, and simply walking near the rice fields can deliver previously unknown levels of peace of mind.
And many say that Roti Saimai is the best dessert they have ever had.
