On November 19, 2022, the Labour Minister, Mr. Suchart Chomklin, assigned the Permanent Secretary of Labour, Mr. Boonchob Suttamanaswong, to pay a visit to the Thai wellness massage and spa activities at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference or APEC 2022, organized by the Ministry of Labour’s Department of Skill Development. The Department of Skill Development’s Director-General, Mr. Prateep Songlamyong, and the committee gave a welcome at the Ministry of Labour’s booth in the press center area, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Mr. Boonchob said that today, he was assigned by the Labour Minister, Mr. Suchart Chomklin, to visit the Thai wellness massage and spa activities at the APEC meeting. The Ministry of Labour’s Department of Skill Development organized the activities from November 14 to 19, 2022. The activities aim to promote participation in presenting standardized Thai labour skills to foreigners in this event. It is considered a soft power of Thai people that spreads awareness of Thai art, culture, and identity to foreigners. The services were provided to over 2,000 Thai and foreign press covering news at the APEC meeting in the media center, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Mr. Boonchob continued that from today’s visit, which is the last day of the services, he found that over the past five days, 1,739 people have received the wellness massage services in the APEC event, comprising 1,338 Thai people and 260 foreigners, and another 141 staff. From meeting and talking with the foreign press covering the APEC meetings, who had a massage, for example, a Saudi journalist, they admired and were impressed by the Thai massages and called this activity ‘The Best.’ Another person was a French journalist who said that in Paris in France, Thai massages are also available, but the skills cannot compete with the original massage in Thailand. The feedback and outcome of organizing the Thai wellness massage and spa activities at the APEC meeting will result in employment, especially in the business and service sectors. It also raises the standard of Thai massage skills to the global level. This will help Thai people have jobs, careers, and more income, and it will help increase the country’s competitiveness.
The Ministry of Labour’s Thai wellness massage and spa activities at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center will be available for the last day today. The activities include neck and shoulder massage, Tok Sen massage, hot stone spa massage, making herbal products for Thai wellness massage and spa, such as compress making, and making healthy herbal drinks. Each day there were 50 masseuses from five agencies, including the Bangkok Institute of Skill Development 13, the Nonthaburi Skill Development Office, the Nakhon Nayok Skill Development Office, the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Skill Development Institute 15, and the Human Resource Development Institute for Health Service Industry, Chiang Mai Province. Each masseuse providing services has passed skills training in service standards, hospitality, and English skills in communicating with foreign clients and has taken the National Skills Assessment. The services are free and available 10 hours a day. The first group would offer services from 09.00 to 14.00 hours, and the second group from 14.00 to 19.00 hours.
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Division of Public Relations
19 November 2022
