Thailand’s Prime Minister Unveils Transformative Vision at Forbes Conference

Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, outlined her ambitious vision for the country’s transformation during the 22nd Forbes Global CEO Conference on November 21, 2024. Shinawatra, who is nearing her first 100 days in office, emphasized the government’s commitment to making Thailand a highly attractive destination for foreign investment, particularly in the technology sector.

Shinawatra highlighted the importance of shared goals and assured investors and entrepreneurs of the government’s unwavering support for foreign investment. She stressed that Thailand is now ready to welcome foreign investors and is focused on creating a stable and favorable business environment.

The Prime Minister also identified education as a critical area needing improvement, with a focus on multilingual proficiency beyond English. She touted Thailand’s rich culture, food, and traditions as significant selling points and emphasized the need to optimize the country’s geographical location and robust agricultural sector.

In terms of technological advancement, Shinawatra mentioned collaborations with tech giants like AWS, Microsoft, Google, and NVIDIA, as well as improving infrastructural capacity. She also highlighted measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises through soft loans and regulatory adjustments.

Additionally, Shinawatra announced a 3-year debt suspension initiative and a 10,000 baht cash giveaway scheme aimed at stimulating expenditure and cash flow. She expressed confidence that political stability would further boost tourism, projecting 36 million tourists this year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 2025.