Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has unveiled his vision for turning Thailand into a sustainable hub for tourism, wellness and medical services, agriculture, food, aviation, logistics, future mobility, financial services and the digital economy.

Addressing senior government officials at Government House today, the prime minister said that Thailand’s potential has been eclipsed by the political polarisation of the past several years but, after six months in the office, peace and reconciliation have been achieved, signalling a good start and that “a light has been ignited in Thailand.”

He said that his government aims to make Thailand leader in the region, taking advantage of its rich natural resources, tourist attractions, pleasant weather and the potential of the Thai people.

To become the regional tourism hub does not only mean investing in tourism promotion, said the prime minister, adding that such promotion must also encompass secondary tourism provinces and the promotion of Muay Thai, festivals, visa-free entry and Thai food, which Thailand wants to see become elements of its “soft power”.

Since Thailand is well-known for its medical services, qualified medical personnel, reasonable medical expenses and its plan to increase the number of medical professionals, the prime minister claimed that Thailand is also fully-equipped to become a hub for wellness and medical services.

Thailand has a massive agricultural sector and food industry and, given the popularity of Thai food, the government’s intention is to upgrade agricultural product processing, he said, claiming that Thailand can become the agriculture and food hub for the region.

Located in a strategically beneficial geographic position, surrounded by about 280 million people in its neighbouring countries, he said Thailand also has the potential to become the regional aviation and logistics hub as well, thanks to the available communications and the government’s plan to expand the transport infrastructure, such as rail and road expansion and the proposed land bridge project.

The prime minister said the government plans to invite world-class financial institutions to establish bases in Thailand and to invest, to develop infrastructure to accommodate blockchain technology. Restrictions on digital assets will be eased, to prepare Thailand to become the financial hub in the region, he said.

The prime minister concluded, however, that these visions cannot be realised without the cooperation and support of the Thai people.