Thailand and Italy cook up a delicious deal for gastronomy and tourism

A mutual agreement has been reached between Thailand and Italy to collaboratively promote the gastronomy and tourism sectors of both nations, according to Thai trade representative, Nalinee Taveesin.

The Thai-Italian collaboration announcement was made on Sunday, with Italy expressing an increased interest in investing in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

Such an understanding was gleaned from a recent meeting between Nalinee Taveesin and Paolo Dionisi, Italian Ambassador to Thailand. Both parties identified that their respective national cuisines, renowned for their unique identities and global popularity, present profitable opportunities for cross-promotion.

Nalinee stated that in Thailand, Italian restaurants outnumber the Italian population itself, indicating the popularity of Italian cuisine among Thai diners.”

The appeal is reciprocal, with Italian tourist destinations being frequented by Thai tourists. However, the ratio is skewed, with the number of Thai tourists visiting Italy being tenfold compared to Italian tourists visiting Thailand.

“This disparity presents an excellent opportunity for Thailand to promote its tourism in Italy and to attract more Italian visitors.”

From an investment standpoint, Italy perceives Thailand as a regional hub, especially appealing due to the EEC scheme, infrastructure, rail transport system and high-speed train technology.

The Italian state railways company is a business ally in a consortium led by the Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group. This consortium clinched a bid to construct the rail network connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports, a project worth 650 billion baht that has created over 16,000 new job opportunities, uplifting Thai-Italian collaboration.

Thailand has traditionally viewed Italy as a trade gateway into Europe. In return, Italy has pledged increased support for Thailand in the realms of logistics, export and food safety, reported Bangkok Post.

Thailand and Saudi Arabia are exploring opportunities for collaboration in tourism and investment within Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor. Read more HERE.

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