The project was revised down to 15,000 Thai restaurants operating abroad at the end of this year, instead of 20,000. However, the target will go back up to 20,000 restaurants next year. There are currently 9,100 worldwide.

Export Promotion Department director-general Rachane Potjanasuntorn yesterday said the new action plan would concentrate more on supporting investors looking to open quality Thai restaurants abroad and extending the availability of Thai cuisine in foreign locations.

The government is encouraging Thai-restaurant enterprises by offering a "Thai Select" certification to guarantee quality Thai food to customers. This certification notifies foreign customers that a Thai restaurant is serving authentic Thai food of high quality.

So far, about 600 Thai restaurants worldwide have received the "Thai Select" certificate. The figure is projected to reach 1,000 Thai restaurants by the end of the year.

Rachane said the restaurant business could generate income of Bt10 billion a year for the Kingdom.

The figure will continue to increase with more Thai restaurants and rising demand for Thai food, he said.

To support the plan, the department will cooperate with local educational institutes to train more Thai chefs, the better to serve the demand in world markets.

Moreover, 58 Thai commercial offices worldwide will organise a Thai food festival in different countries, to promote the fame of Thai food abroad.

Initially, events will held in Japan, the UK, Germany, Australia and the US. Thai franchise restaurants will be promoted in new potential markets like China, India, Russia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation