Soft power plans for city market

The National Committee on Soft Power Development has vowed to develop Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok as Thailand’s soft power hub within the next two years.
Surapong Suebwonglee, chairman of the national committee and deputy chairman of the Policy Advisory Board to the Prime Minister, said on Sunday that a recent meeting of the National Committee on Soft Power Development reported an increase in the soft power budget from 635 million baht in the 2024 fiscal year to 2.3 billion baht in the 2025 fiscal year, which runs from Oct 1 this year to Nov 30, 2025.
He said the meeting had considered preparations for the development of Chatuchak Market.
“Currently, during weekends, at least 80,000 tourists visit Chatuchak Market per day. During peak periods, there may be as many as 300,000 tourists per day, which shows very high tourism potential,” he said.
As a soft power hub, Chatuchak Market should have space for books, films, design, tourism, music, gaming, festivals, art and culture, fashion and craftsmanship and sports to showcase itself, he said.
“Currently, the market has many stalls that fit in Thailand’s soft power needs, such as books, fashion, and art, so it is an appropriate place for such development to be further expanded and to make Chatuchak Market the hub of Thailand’s soft power,” Dr Surapong said.
He said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will first conduct a study to determine the market’s potential.
The committee also agreed to set up a Chatuchak Market Development Subcommittee chaired by Dr Surapong with a Bangkok deputy governor as the vice chairman.
As Chatuchak Market is located on land owned by the State Railway of Thailand, the subcommittee will also consist of the governor of SRT, the director of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion and industry experts, Dr Surapong said.
“It is expected the potential of Chatuchak Market can be developed and the work completed in two years from now.
This process will be expedited so Chatuchak Market will become a destination that tourists from all over the world must visit when they travel to Bangkok,” he said.
Deputy Bangkok governor Sanon Wangsrangboon said Chatuchak Market has a total area of 68 rai and has about 15,000 stalls. The place has a high potential to be further developed to promote Thailand’s soft power, he said.
“We want to see Chatuchak Market have the space to exhibit our soft power in every aspect. We can start with what the market already has: fashion, art, handicrafts, food and music. This can be the first area that we develop,” said Mr Sanon.