Raising the profile and value of Thai cuisine on the global stage, as well as developing and promoting Thailand as a top-tier culinary tourism destination.
The “Amazing Thailand Culinary City” project was started by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in order to further develop and market Thailand as a top-tier culinary tourism destination that offers cutting-edge innovations and high-touch experiences to promote development under a creative economy consistent with the Bio-Circular-Green or BCG Economy Model of the Thai government.The Amazing Thailand Culinary City initiative consists of both B2B and B2C components that are intended to bring together business owners in the culinary tourism industry, foster business networking possibilities, and raise knowledge of Thai cuisine throughout Thailand.
The Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2023, which is slated to take place from May 31 to June 2 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok, will be held in conjunction with the ‘Amazing Thailand Culinary City’ event as part of the project’s B2B strategy. 30 gastronomy tourism sellers will take part in the three-day B2B expo in the areas of City Dining Experience, Farm to Table, and Culinary Cooking Activity.
Visitors will be able to sample food from the many participating restaurants, as well as participate in B2B meetings to explore the culinary tourism opportunities offered by Thailand. They will also be able to have a traditional Thai massage and try their hand at preparing Thai desserts. Additionally, there will be an exhibition of lesser-known “hidden dishes” from all throughout Thailand as well as dishes from Thailand that have won international awards, such as Tom Yam Kung, Phat Thai, and Green Curry.
International food blogger Mark Wiens, who has over 10 million YouTube subscribers, and chef Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn, whose Bangkok restaurant Le Du was ranked No. 1 in the just-released list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023, will participate in a panel discussion to discuss the topic of using food to boost the tourism economy, preparing for the expansion of gastronomy tourism, and related trends.
Culinary events called “4 Locations: 4 Styles” are planned to take place in May and June in Thailand’s four regions as part of the project’s B2C strategy. These include the dates 19–21 May in Chiang Mai (Northern region), 9–11 June in Khon Kaen (Northeastern region), 16–18 June in Phuket (Southern region), and 23–25 June in Chanthaburi (Eastern region).
A variety of local businesses, other entrepreneurs, and food entrepreneurs from the relevant region will take part in each of the four events. Activities will include cooking demonstrations, exhibitions on the potential and uniqueness of Thai cuisine, seminars on making regionally specific snacks, and mouthwatering local cuisine to savor.
The Amazing Thailand Culinary City project also featured a panel discussion led by Mr. Vincent Thierry, chef at the Michelin-starred lebua at State Tower, and Ms. Wisa Wangsupachart, a well-known food blogger with more than 1.5 million followers on the TikTok platform bon_appetitbkk.
