Soft power is often a way of increasing support and income internationally by appeal or attraction. Although many countries are cancelling unpopular entry rules to boost tourist numbers, Thailand is leading the field by permitting citizens of its main recruiting grounds – especially China, Russia and India – access to holiday tourism without prior or on-arrival visas. But that’s only the start. Dr Yupa, permanent secretary of the culture ministry, wants soft power to be a key export item. Thus a 90 days special visa for foreigners who want to train in Thai boxing is promised, although the market potential is unclear as these guys already enrol on tourist visas which, with extensions at local immigration, can last for three months anyway.
There is also a special visa for media professionals to film in Thailand which avoids the lengthy bureaucracy of traditional work permits or the common practice of filming without authorization and hoping for the best. Reports suggest that, during 2024, there could be other special visas directly aimed at gays wanting to get married here or those tourists wanting to improve their Thai cooking skills. Meanwhile there are several visas aimed at longterm retirees or world travellers and several others which avoid much of the bureaucracy when requiring a work permit. These include the Flexible Plus Elite, the four year Smart visa and 10 year Long Term Residence. No country can match Thailand in visa diversity.
Of course, soft power is not limited to visa policy. For example Thailand has earned billions of baht promoting Boys Love, a genre of fictional media which features homoerotic relationships between young men and is particularly popular with women according to rising international sales figures. Soft power has a long history of attempting to influence the support of foreigners, even though the term was unknown. Adolf Hitler, for example, encouraged the creation of a European Writers Union to win support for the Third Reich during world war two. Fidel Castro sent thousands of medical staff to African countries to find favor abroad. But it’s doubtful Thailand will go that far.
