![PM: Chiang Mai could be digital hub](https://static.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20240608/c1_2807425_240608203846.jpg)
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said during his attend to the northwestern province on Saturday that Chiang Mai has the ability to become a modern business hub in Southeast Asia and that the government will help the state in that endeavor.
Mr. Srettha described Chiang Mai area as a well-established digital nomad sanctuary and one of the best creative cities in the world.
” Late last month, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc, told me that Thailand was home to more than 300, 000 software developers from all over the earth, which made it the second largest in Southeast Asia”, said Mr Srettha.
Chiang Mai state is also among the nation’s top 10 sites for online nomads, with 5, 000 of these specialists in the country doing business it, he said.
Mr. Srettha said the state is committed to enhancing the modern skills and knowledge of the country’s labor, but he would like to see an Apple designer club established in Chiang Mai.
The PM stated that the government is committed to enhancing the ecosystem in order to promote the development of modern startups, granting funding for both new and existing startups, changing laws to facilitate their development, and organizing events like hackathons.
However, Mr. Srettha instructed the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to hold discussions regarding how to resurrect the Baan Tawai craft arts center and make it one of the province’s best-known tourist attractions once more.
The Covid- 19 crisis caused pain to the center, but it has not yet recovered.
The center has requested funding from the PM to find new potential customers for their artwork and to raise money to make the environment better.
Mr. Srettha promised to hold events for hospitality promotion in Chiang Mai in the third quarter of this year to draw in more foreign and Vietnamese tourists.
In other news, Mr Srettha kicked off the government’s new commerce advertising strategy for 55 more cities in the country touted as “ideal sites”.
Earlier places were Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya.
Tourists can prolong their stay if they want to visit Lamphun, Lampang, and Phrae while they are in Thailand, he said.
The longer they sit here, the more they will spend, he said.