Page 53 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE Vol 3
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‘If people like to travel, if they love eating durian and Thai food, they will love coming to Thailand’products and culture on Weibo went to a durian festival held at the ambassador’s residence.“I just wanted to turn a crisis into an opportunity,” HE Wiboon told Elite+ in an interview in Beijing. “Last year political divisions in Thailand got a lot of media attention and I was asked about politics. Instead of presenting one side of the story, I thought there were a lot of good sides of Thailand that do not get promoted enough, so I opened a Weibo page to promote Thai products and Thai culture.”Ambassador Wiboon, who was a Thai consul in Kunming 30 years ago, then a consul in Shanghai before being appointed to the Thai embassy inBeijing in 2012, said that the promotion of Thai culture and Thai products is a form of diplomatic “soft power” that can boost Thailand’s image and deepen the relationship in a sustainable way.“If people like to travel, if they love eating durian and Thai food, they will love and come to Thailand.“I always believe that soft power can stay above politics. Thai politics might change but soft power will not. Regardless of political parties and differences, every government in power must do the same in promoting Thai culture.”The embassy page on Weibo is an effective way to reach out to the young Chinese middle class. Tourists canpost about their experiences in Thailand, beautiful places, interesting food, and such word of mouth helps promote the Kingdom’s products, culture and tourism.HE Wiboon urges that Thai investors likewise make use of social media to promote their products. Chinese consumers frequently do research and read about products and consumer ratings online, and e-commerce can open doors for investors hoping to penetrate the Chinese market. “Thai investors may not have to travel to China to open shops or businesses if they can get consumers in China writing about products on social media sites,” he said.Elite+ 51