For export promotion in 2020, the Thai government operated internationally from 58 locations in 43 countries and territories, and maintained commercial representatives in four other cities.

It also had 34 honorary business advisers in 23 countries.

The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), under the Ministry of Commerce, is the main government body charged with promoting exports of Thai goods and services worldwide and improving the competitiveness of Thai entrepreneurs, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The functions of the DITP include a wide range of activities, such as formulating and proposing export promotion strategies, providing trade guidance services, creating opportunities by establishing links and networks between Thai exporters and potential importers, boosting the value of products and Thai services and provide capacity building services to domestic SMEs.

DITP has established offices in major cities around the world to implement these policies and activities, making a special effort to promote business relationships between Thai exporters and potential importers.

Export promotion

Overseas offices also collect and analyze relevant information on markets and produce reports on new trends and latest developments.

Functions of the DITP:

• Formulate proposals for export promotion strategies and establish objectives and action plans for Thai exports.
• Organize activities in the domestic market and foreign markets to promote exports of goods and services from Thailand, for example by assisting and supporting Thai companies to participate in international trade fairs and by organizing trade missions within and outside the country.
• Extract trade data and provide business guidance services. Support Thai manufacturers, exporters, service providers and importers in the use of information technology related to exports.
• Conduct public relations activities in order to promote exports of Thai goods and services and the creation of brands for export products «of Thai quality» (eg Thailand Trust Mark [quality certification for Thai products]; Thai Select [Thai restaurants abroad]; the Prime Minister’s Export Award [outstanding exporters]; and the DEMARK Award [Thai design products]).
• Provide capacity building services to Thai SMEs by organizing seminars and workshops and providing online and face-to-face training with a view to increasing the competitiveness of Thai exporters.
• Support the development and creation of value of Thai products in terms of design and branding so that they can meet the international market demand.
• Promote the progress of commercial logistics systems by organizing promotional activities, such as trade logistics fairs and the Award for Excellence in Logistics Management.
• Create and manage Thailand’s official e-commerce platform (Thaitrade.com) to provide channels for quality products from Thai SMEs to reach global markets.

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p style=»text-align: center;»>Composition of merchandise trade by product 2015 and 2019