Thailand’s food tourism push kicks off at TTM+2023

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched its first ever special marketing event of Thai food, Amazing Thailand Culinary City, at TTM+2023 in Bangkok.

The special trade show showcased a range of 36 eclectic sellers and a headline opening chat with two special guests: Mark Weins, an international YouTuber and fervent Thai food lover with 9.8m subscribers, along with celebrity Chef Ton Thitid, not only a judge on Top Chef Thailand, but the first Thai chef to be awarded Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023.

With a focus on sustainability, farm-to-table and city dining, trade stalls featured a wide variety of Thai food experiences on offer. Not just food, but food experiences.

“Many Thai restaurants around the world serve the same 10 dishes – but people want to explore it on a deeper level through regional specialties,” Thitid, said.

“We need to get tourists to travel further around Thailand,”

The Araksa Tea Garden, located on a verdant hill in the Mae Tang district of Chiang Mai, is one of the oldest tea gardens in Thailand. Certified by US and EU authorities as an organic tea plantation, Araksa cares for both the environment and the social wellbeing of the local community, including growers, pickers and producers. Visitors are educated about their sustainable and organic practices and can pick and process their own tea when they visit.

Travellers to Thailand can also attend Thai cooking classes. Experience more of the culture of food with a tour of a nearby food market to understand local ingredients before learning how to cook them at Sompong Thai Cooking School in Bangkok. Jimmy’s Kitchen in Samut Prakan, the province just 19km north of Bangkok at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, includes a class in fruit and vegetable carving along with cooking its class.

In the northern province of Chiang Rai, Ozone Farm provides a true farm-to-table experience by serving meals using its chemical-free variety of vegetables and melons in its on-farm restaurant, Green-Sweet Zone.

Another tasty way to absorb some Thai culture is to eat wonderful food while sightseeing. In Bangkok, a 2-hour evening river cruise with Alangka Cruise provides an international buffet (including seafood) in its 3-course candle-lit dinner, accompanied by a traditional show of Thai classical dancing while the amazing sights of Bangkok’s famous temples and the Grand Palace at night line the river. No traffic snarls – guaranteed!

“Food is why you should travel,” Weins, said.

“You can never ever get sick of Thai food because if you do, you just have to change provinces.”

Or see over 20 of Bangkok’s attractions from a luxury double-decker bus while eating a Michelin Bib-Gourmand awarded Thai lunch, afternoon tea or dinner with Thai Bus Food Tour.

Both special guests spoke passionately about the provincial differences in Thai food across the country. The chefs from Phensiri Thai Restaurant in Koh Samui specialise in Southern Thai cooking and support local people by buying their produce. Most importantly, they ‘provide them with income and contribute to the economy of their households, giving them the motivation to continue striving.’

And Taraburee, a Thai riverside restaurant in Kanchanaburi, 123 km west of Bangkok on the River Kwai, serves authentic local specialties such as spicy red curry with redtail catfish. The restaurant also provides four catered, private river cruise options for 10-60 pax that allows groups to unwind while enjoying the tranquil river and mountain views, soaking in the beauty of the landscape.

Food is an important part of the Thai culture, but the passion, skill and excellence on display at this special marketing event will doubtless ensure Thai gastronomy tourism has a permanent place in future Thai travel trade events for many years to come.

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