From 27 September to 4 October 2025, the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University (IAS) joined the delegation led by the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand (MFA), on an official visit to the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The delegation held meetings with high-level representatives and leading academic institutions, including the Kyrgyz National University, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS), Nazarbayev University, Maqsut Narikbayev University, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Suleyman Demirel University. Discussions focused on promoting cooperation in research, education, and people-to-people exchanges, particularly in areas such as sustainability, economics, tourism, asia studies, and policy analysis.
During the visit, Asst. Prof. Jirayudh Sinthuphan, Ph.D., and Asst. Prof. Dr. Thitirat Panbamrungkij, Ph.D., delivered a special lecture on “Tourism, Soft Power, and Statecraft: Thailand in Global Politics” at Nazarbayev University (NU) and Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU). The lecture highlighted Thailand’s strategic use of tourism as a tool for national development and identity formation — positioning itself as the first nation to portray and promote its state identity through tourism.
Asst. Prof. Jirayudh emphasized that tourism not only generates income for local communities but also drives state-led initiatives to improve infrastructure, preserve authenticity, and protect cultural heritage. He noted that tourism fosters inclusivity by making local communities feel part of national campaigns, while also promoting peace through shifting perceptions of remote areas, such as Thailand’s northern and southern regions, where cultural diversity is pronounced.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Thitirat further elaborated through case studies focusing on co-creative processes in local tourism development. She introduced the conceptual evolution from creative tourism to sustainable, community-based, and finally co-creative tourism — where all stakeholders, including visitors, collaborate in designing and planning local development initiatives. She also demonstrated how GIS (Geographic Information Systems) tools are applied to study cultural and tourism landscapes, integrating spatial knowledge with cultural understanding to support local authorities in identifying and designing potential development areas.
These lectures were well received by the academic community, with the support of the MFA of Thailand and host universities. They underscored how Thailand’s tourism campaigns represent more than promotional initiatives — they are strategic instruments of statecraft that have shaped the nation’s developmental landscape since 1998.
Last but not least, as Thailand’s officially appointed representative to the CICA Think Tank Forum, IAS was honoured to take part in the presentation ceremony of a replica of the Royal Barge Suphannahong to the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) by H.E. Mrs. Piyapin Niyomrerks, Ambassador of Thailand to Kazakhstan, and received by Mr. Farid Damirli, Deputy Secretary-General of CICA.
This visit marked a significant step toward strengthening Thailand’s academic and policy linkages with Central Asia and fostering mutual understanding through education, research collaboration, and regional dialogue.