13 Aug 2025
Royal Project Market in Bangkok attracts thousands
Bangkok — From organic fruits and vegetables to dairy products, fashion items and household wares, a huge diversity of community-based products were on sale at the Thailand Royal Project Market at the CentralWorld shopping complex in Bangkok. Designed to commemorate the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Mother, the event ran until over the long weekend of Aug 9-12, attracting thousands of Thais, Thailand residents and tourists keen to support one of the most Successful Alternative Development models in the Asia-Pacific.
The Royal Projects were initiated in 1969 by Her Royal Highness the late Princess Mother (of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great) as opium-to-coffee crop substitution farms. They have since expanded to cover a broad range of agricultural and consumer products, generating an estimated Social, Economic, and Environmental value of 1.18 trillion baht. Just the Royal Project coffee plantations alone total 2,521 farming households, yielding approximately 2,000 tons annually and generating an income of approximately 200-250 million baht per year.
Thanks to extensive help from the Thai government and the private sector, the range, diversity, quality, packaging and presentation of the products have vastly improved over the years. Every purchase directly benefits thousands of farmers, artisans, designers and producers nationwide, contributing to poverty-alleviation and job creation. In today’s tense geopolitical atmopshere, the Royal Projects are also a source of national safety, security and sovereignty.
My family and I visited the Royal Project Market on Aug 9, the first day of the long weekend to mark the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Mother. Spread across two levels, the entire area was thronged by local customers and foreign visitors, especially from the Arab Gulf countries. Here are some images, along with some suggestions on how the Travel & Tourism industry can support the cause.
Here are some images of the variety of products
Bilingual posters provided a snapshot history of the Royal Projects.
Conclusions
[] Distribution: The Royal Project products are not widely available as they could be at the major retail outlets. At the mega retail chains like 7-11, Central TOPS supermarket, etc, most of the shelves are still stocked with products of the multinational corporations. Some of them do have special areas demarcated for Royal Project products, but not as prominently as it could/should be.
[] Sustainability: A lot of the fruits and vegetables were wrapped in plastic, even though many were labelled as “organic”. Yes, plastic is supposedly recyclable and consumers are supposed to deposit it in the correct bins. But that does not usually happen. In any case, people could have been encouraged to bring their own bags along.
[] Promotion: I did not see the Market being promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand or any of the travel industry associations. Perhaps they and other mass-market government agencies such as the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) should publicise these events, especially through the hundreds of PTT gas stations.
[] Frequency: The Market commemorated a Royal Birthday. They are usually held around such occasions. Stepping up the frequency would go a long way towards boosting sales.
[] Tips for the Tourism Industry: Hotels, convention centres, museums could do a lot more to promote the Royal Project products through their restaurants, cafes and retail shops. This QR code enables access to a publication with much more detailed information to make that possible.
I am proud to have supported the Royal Projects over the years. Here are just two links:
Thai Royal Projects Chief: Global Rich-Poor Income Gap Could Trigger Next World War