Muay Thai as a “soft power” sport

      Muay Thai is a popular sport that foreigners are interested in because, in addition to being a sport, they see Muay Thai as a wonderful martial art that should be learned and mastered. Furthermore, the Thai government has pushed Muay Thai onto the global stage, expanding the appeal of this Thai sport and making it popular globally in order to add economic value to the country, so Muay Thai has become one of Thailand's five soft powers.

    Mr. Anucha Burapachaisri, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs and spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, stated that the government supports the development of a master plan to promote soft power for the tourism industry in order to create economic value by elevating Muay Thai as one of the important soft powers, planning to publicize it in order for it to be better known, and to promote it as a martial art sport at the international level by integrating the work of all sectors to make Thai sports widely popular, which will help spread Thai arts and culture and generate economic value. The five categories of soft power, or 5F, that the government promotes are Food, Film, Festival, Fashion, and Fighting, which can be greatly expanded into tourism products and services, particularly Muay Thai, which is a popular martial art that is beautiful in posture and movement, as well as being used in exercise for health, which anyone can practice.

    The government recognizes the allure and potential of Muay Thai, which is considered an important cultural heritage of Thailand, and has made it popular both domestically and internationally by using Muay Thai as a medium for disseminating Thai culture, and by expanding it into the tourism industry, which will help create added value both locally, nationally, and internationally. It is yet another method to generate income and create jobs for Thais.