Paetongtarn visits two venues in London to promote Thai soft power

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited a Muay Thai gym and a retail store in London to expand opportunities for Thai products and promote Thai soft power across Europe.

At 10am on Wednesday (London time), the Prime Minister and her team visited Fight City Gym in Moorgate, one of 4,000 martial arts centres across the UK.

“There are more than 50 Muay Thai gyms in London alone,” the Prime Minister posted on X, emphasising that Muay Thai is a distinctly Thai sport with a strong brand identity and a global following.

Following discussions with gym owners, promoters and trainers, the government has devised several key measures, including developing a Muay Thai curriculum that meets international standards, facilitating visa and work permit processes for Muay Thai instructors, supporting the establishment of Muay Thai gyms overseas, and setting gym standards through certification by the Board of Boxing Sport.

Later in the afternoon, Paetongtarn attended an event at Wing Yip Superstore in Cricklewood, one of the UK’s largest Asian retail chains, which stocks over 4,500 Asian products, including more than 1,000 from Thailand.

The superstore imports Thai goods worth approximately 500 million baht annually, covering a wide range of products from canned foods and seasonings to frozen items and jasmine rice.



“Our goal is to ensure Thai ingredients are available in supermarkets around the world,” the Prime Minister stated, highlighting the high potential of Thai processed fruits, particularly dried fruits, which are popular among foreigners.

She also pointed out the potential of Chanthaburi province to add value by processing surplus fruit, thereby generating year-round income for Thai farmers.

This visit forms part of a broader strategy to promote Thai soft power globally, leveraging Muay Thai and Thai cuisine as cultural diplomacy tools to create economic opportunities and national pride.



The government will assign the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) and the Muay Thai soft power subcommittee to accelerate the development of a more efficient management system, alongside supporting sustainable growth through budget allocations.

(2025/05/22-00:00)