Like many countries worldwide, Thailand's economy has not fully recovered from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The easing of prevention measures and the reopening of the country to overseas visitors have played an important role in stimulating the tourism industry and boosting Thailand's economy and income.
Outside of the tourism industry, however, there are other sectors and organisations that are driving the development of both the Thai and international economies. The Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) is one such organisation.
The PAIH is a government organisation based in Warsaw, Poland's historic capital city. With over sixty offices worldwide, PAIH has three core objectives:
Trade
PAIH supports entrepreneurs in exporting goods from Poland to other countries. It helps connect exporters to partner companies in Thailand through business matching, negotiation support, marketing research, and providing information. The functions are like those of the Department of International Trade Promotion of Thailand.
Investment
PAIH also supports Thai individual and organisational investors who want to invest in Poland. It provides coordination, information, consultation, and communication support with our partners in Poland. For example, it can provide information on suitable investments in each city.
Long term trade partnership
With strong relationships with many organisations, including governmental offices and trade associations, PAIH can help improve the speed and convenience of Thai-Polish trade partnerships.
Operating in Thailand for over four years, PAIH focuses on bilateral trades and investments between Thailand and Poland, as well as raising awareness of the value Polish products have to offer.
"When most Thai people think about Poland, they might picture beautiful tourist attractions or world class footballers," says Norbert Bak, Head of Foreign Trade Office at Bangkok PAIH, "but many people don't realise that Poland is a leader in innovation and technology. Its advancements in this area have the capability to support industrial development in Thailand as well as cooperation with many domestic enterprises."
In fact, Poland has the highest economic growth among the members of the European Union (EU). It also has its own currency, making it more resilient to impacts on the European economy. As such, goods from Poland are highly competitive due to lower costs and labour fees compared to other EU members.
Mr. Bak continued, "Aside from high quality products, Poland is also outstanding in the fields of tech and innovation and is home to many talented coders and developers of new technology. I believe Polish IT can support and drive the development of many Thai businesses. For example, Comarch has designed systems for many banks in Thailand, has worked for a leading Thai mobile carrier, and has even installed a membership system for dealers of one of the country's electrical appliance giants.
"Another great example is restaurant system designer No Spoilers. The restaurant and food service industry contributes significantly to Thailand's GDP, but recovery has been slow since the pandemic. No Spoilers develop food systems for restaurants and bars that help reduce costs by loss calculation for perishable ingredients, providing more accurate information for business planning."
Techsauce Global Summit 2022
The Techsauce Global Summit is Asia's leading technology conference and must-go destination for the tech savvy. It enables participants to understand how they can benefit from rapidly changing trends in the sector through in-depth content from world class experts. The 2022 Summit, hosted at ICONSIAM, presented a key opportunity for both businesses and the public in Thailand to meet and get to know tech and innovation companies from Poland.
"Because Thailand is reopening after Covid-19 restrictions, it allowed people to join the event in person, which was particularly exciting after so many online events during the pandemic," said Bak.
"PAIH hosted Poland's Pavilion at the Summit, and we were joined by five companies representing a diverse cross section of the Polish IT sector: CSHARK, SEEDia, No Spoilers, Droplo and FrostyWhale. The event included business matching sessions, so it was a great chance to talk to attendees one-on-one and demonstrate how Polish IT can help drive business in Thailand. That's exactly why we attended the Summit, reflected in our slogans' PAIH Business Forward' and 'Poland Business Forward."
