A troupe of 56 Thai khon performers will stage the Ramayana at the Sydney Opera House in Australia for the first time, next Monday night. The khon – a dance drama by performers in masks – was part of the cultural trip organized by the Culture, Foreign, and Tourism and Sports ministries to celebrate the 7th circle birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and 65 years of relations between Thailand and Australia.

Thailand has been listed among the “ones to watch” in the annual Soft Power 30 report published by Portland Communications on Tuesday. [...] The cuisine, culture and warm hospitality also played a role in attracting international attention, the report said.

After partnering with Tokyo International Music Market (TIMM) in Japan last year, BAMID collaborates with Big Mountain Music Festival in Thailand this year, under New Southbound Policy, to exchange performances and campaign resources. These efforts aim to establish Taiwan as a regional pop music performing and trading center. [...] Big Mountain Music Festival, a new GMA partner, is the largest outdoor music festival in Southeast Asia, attracting 100,000 visitors a year. The event highlights local country and folk music in Thailand.

The Thai Ambassador said: “The Royal Thai Embassy is very pleased to work with Serena Hotel to present authentic and Halal Thai food to Pakistani guests. Thailand is famous for excellence in food and for its wonderful cultural heritage as well as the amazing cultural performances. The Royal Thai Embassy in Islamabad hopes that everyone will enjoy authentic Thai cuisine and the very lively performances by the professional cultural troupe from Thailand.”

Thailand got known as a destination, for people with light wallets, raging hormones, or both. It got saddled with being the perpetual bachelor party destination in spite of having a lot to offer in terms of the natural beauty, adventure sports, food and local culture. And now Thailand wants to reboot that perception even as it reaches out to a newer, younger and richer set of travellers. 

In his speech, Hilmar said that this carnival was held as part of activities of the WCF 2016 and served as a place to express the cultural diversity of each country. He said that the world would need more such forums to express the culture and cultural ideas. "The key message is that diversity is part of human life, and culture is our strength to be united and making friendship in the world," he said.