3 Jun 2025
Thailand now gripped by “Opal Euphoria”
Bangkok — Beleaguered Thailand received a much-needed Soft Power steroid boost with the crowning of Suchata (Opal) Chuangsri as Miss World 2025. The 22-year-old, Phuket-born student of international relations clearly impressed with a powerful yet sensitive display of intellect, self-confidence and grace.
Thailand is now gripped by Opal Euphoria. Her victory generated a brand-building windfall in the pageant’s host country, India, which is already one of Thailand’s biggest visitor source-markets. The millions of dollars worth of free publicity will certainly help resuscitate arrivals in the second half of 2025.
Another windfall is coming up in November 2025 when Thailand hosts the Miss Universe 2025 pageant.
This is Thailand’s first Miss World victory. Two Thais have won Miss Universe crowns (Apasara Hongsakula, 1965, and Porntip “Pui” Narkhirunkanok, 1988). Both are on my list of “30 Women who put Thai Tourism on the Global Map”, an exclusive lecture which I am proud to have conceptualised to recognise their ripple-effect impact on Thai Soft Power.
With careers dating back to the 1950s and 1960s, these formidable 30 women, ranging from hoteliers to tour operators, airline executives, MICE executives and association CEOs, comprised arguably the largest line-up of female executives of their generation in Travel & Tourism, certainly in the Asia-Pacific.
As one of Thailand’s longest serving travel journalists (behind only my colleague Don Ross), and the country’s sole Travel & Tourism historian, I am proud to be the first to chronicle this little-known achievement. In its own way, it has contributed to making Thailand The Greatest Story Global Tourism HiSTORY.
Here is a recording of the webinar-lecture organised during my short-lived tenure on the executive committee of the PATA Thailand Chapter, in collaboration with the Thai Hotels Association. Watch it here:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=1096976871696521