In her inaugural policy address to Parliament on Thursday, Thailand’s new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra focused on financial stability and how to increase government revenue, including the development of mega-projects such as entertainment complexes.
Author and gaming expert Daniel Cheng indicates in a self-published article that the official’s one-hour speech focused on 10 key policies: ‘comprehensive debt restructuring, reductions in energy prices, equitable tax reforms, enhanced social welfare, improved healthcare, education reform, mega-project development, environmental protection, support for SMEs, and strengthened public safety measures’.
The expert notes that the government’s policy statement, published to the Royal Thai Government Gazette, ‘extensively covers the plan to create entertainment complexes’.
These are to serve as ‘man-made destinations offering a variety of attractions that appeal to both domestic and international tourists,’ including ‘hotels, resorts, shopping malls, casinos, theaters, and other entertainment facilities’.
The expectation is that these complexes will both create jobs and attract a large number of tourists, boosting the local economy and national growth.
The entertainment complexes fall under the ‘mega-projects’ classification, with the dedicated regions to receive heavy investments in infrastructure and urban planning.
They also aim to promote ‘Thailand’s creative culture as a major component of the tourist experience,’ indicates Cheng.
‘By leveraging Thailand’s soft power, the government intends to differentiate these entertainment complexes from others around the world by infusing them with local cultural heritage, thereby creating a unique selling point,’ indicates the author.
Thailand already benefits from extensive tourism due to its natural beauty and unique culture, with some 28.15 million tourists flooding in in 2023.
The focus will be on both ‘high-end luxury travelers’ and ‘mass-market visitors’, indicates Cheng, ‘providing a significant boost to GDP, and establishing Thailand as a premier destination for entertainment’.
In her overall address, the new Prime Minister called for cooperation with lawmakers, noting “we should come together and pursue creative politics […] we have to put the needs of the nation first,” cites Reuters.
