Tokyo: Thailand's animation industry is set to thrive through a partnership between Thai and Japanese animation and computer graphic developers to develop digital content and human resources.
Nitipat Somsaman, president of the Thai Animation and Computer Graphics Association (TACGA), said the Thai animation industry was now expected to grow by 10% a year.
TACGA yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Fukuoka Creative Association (FCCA) to develop digital content and human resources.
The FCCA represents animation studios located in Fukuoka, specialising in 2D and 3D animation content development, such as art direction, storyboarding and character design as well as full production of films, TV series and commercials aimed at families and children.
The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of a four-day visit of the Thai delegation of economic ministers and entrepreneurs led by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, which started on Wednesday.
The first project under the partnership will call for each party to produce a mascot to promote tourism in their respective countries. After that the two parties will cooperate to produce digital content and exchange technology, innovation and new creative products.
Japan, which is widely recognised worldwide for content development, has now shifted to outsourcing foreign countries to produce digital content.
Thailand is one of the potential targets to serve as a digital content developer and production base for animation and graphic design.
The Thai private sector is also very enthusiastic about developing the local digital content industry, Mr Nitipat said.
He also attributed the promising prospects partially to the government's policy, especially through the Commerce Ministry and the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa), to support the industry and promote business matching between Thai developers and overseas firms.
According to the Sipa, digital content was valued 11.3 billion baht in 2014, 3.5 billion baht of which came from animation and 7.84 billion baht from gaming.
The Sipa expects the animation industry to grow a healthy 20.7% this year, with gaming set to grow 15%.
Thailand's overall digital content exports last year fetched 1.68 billion baht, 627 million of which came from animation, mostly in the form of contracted manufacturing and visual effects.
Gaming exports amounted to 1.06 billion baht last year.
Hirata Takeshi, president of the FCAA, said the development of Thailand's digital content and computer graphics had now reached world-class level, with some sectors even more developed than those of Japan.
In a related development, Salinee Wangtal, director-general of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank, said the business-matching event held yesterday, involving mostly small and medium-sized Thai enterprises and Japanese counterparts, was expected to generate sales valued at 150 million baht.