NXPO Executive Board chaired by MHESI Minister Prof. Dr. Anek Laothamatas recently convened to discuss the development of cultural and creative innovation zone. Minister Anek opened the discussion by stating that each region of Thailand is blessed with rich cultural heritage that forms a strong foundation for a creative and cultural economy.

The Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce reported that the revenue generated of Thailand’s content creation industry was THB 322 billion revenue in 2021, a 51% increase from the previous year, whereas the market size of culture-based creative industry amounted to THB 815 billion. This data corresponds to the current consumers’ trend that longs for unique products and services which can be created from the blend of culture and innovation. The creative industry consisting of games, animation, film and digital arts is a promising sector with high growth. Its market size in 2021 was recorded at THB 42 billion, with 7% annual growth. The market size is expected to reach THB 62 billion in 2024, bringing in substantial revenue to the country. 

NXPO President Dr. Kitipong Promwong said that a joint study of NXPO and Silpakorn University revealed problems of Thailand’s creative industry. They include a poor art ecosystem with unclear direction, the lack of support in certain areas such as digital art which represents the future of art industry, a narrow focus of creative industry that limits only to tourism, unfocused and disjointed action plans of government agencies, and poor information management of research outputs and industry to support further analysis for utilization and improvement. 

Dr. Kitipong said that the major challenges of Thailand’s content creation industry is manpower and access to finance and domestic/international market. New education programs and training courses should be introduced to equip new graduates and current workers and entrepreneurs with skills required to thrive in this up-and-coming sector. A clear policy, conducive regulatory framework and investment incentives are needed to promote the creative industry. 

The proposal to establish a cultural and creative innovation zone includes the human resource development plan and incubation & accelerator programs, aiming to add THB 500 billion to the economy, develop 5,000 digital creators, and bring Thailand to the top 20 of the Global Soft Power Index ranking by 2027. 

Inputs obtained from this meeting will be incorporated into the proposal.