Investment in Thailand has been on the increase and Thailand remains attractive to foreign investors.
The Cabinet, during its meeting on 3 September 2013, acknowledged a report on Thailand’s investment situation from January to June 2013, submitted by the Ministry of Industry.
The Ministry told the Cabinet that the Board of Investment has continued to promote investment with various measures. A total of 1,055 investment applications, worth 632.7 billion baht, were accepted in the first half of 2013. These projects represent an increase of 6 percent in terms of volume and 47 percent in terms of value, when compared with the same period of 2012.
The industries with the highest number of investment applications were involved with service and public utilities, followed by metal products, machinery, and transport equipment, agriculture and agricultural products, and electronic and electrical appliances.
During the six-month period, Thailand’s foreign direct investment amounted to 278.6 billion baht. Japan remained the largest group of foreign investors in Thailand. Malaysia came second, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Netherlands.
Out of the 1,055 investment applications, 442 projects worth 252.1 billion baht sought to invest in Zone 2, which consists of 12 provinces. A total of 273 projects worth 154 billion baht sought to invest in Zone 3, which comprises 59 provinces, while 292 projects worth 62.6 billion baht sought to invest in Zone 1, which comprises Bangkok and five surrounding provinces.
Statistics, compiled by the Board of Investment, showed that Thailand’s investment value in 2012 reached 1.4 trillion baht, an increase from 700 billion baht in the previous year.
The World Investment Report 2013, released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in June 2013 indicated that Thailand came fourth in terms of foreign direct investment in ASEAN in 2012, with 8.6 billion US dollars. Singapore came first, with 56.7 billion dollars, followed by Indonesia, with 19.9 billion dollars, and Malaysia, with 10 billion dollars.
The World Investment Prospects Survey by UNCTAD of multinational CEOs places Thailand as the eighth most attractive country for investment in the world and the fourth in Asia, after China, India, and Indonesia. The survey was conducted in early 2013.
Based on the A.T. Kearney FDI Confidence Index, Thailand has moved up a rank to become the 17th top destination for foreign direct investment. It ranks sixth in Asia, after China, India, Singapore, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Every year, the World Bank conducts a study of Ease of Doing Business in countries around the world. The Doing Business report, which looks at domestic and medium-sized enterprises and quantitatively measures regulations affecting them, covers nine indicators for 185 economies. Ease of Doing Business 2013 ranks Thailand the 18th in the world, placing in fourth in East Asia Pacific.
Source: http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_news.php?id=6919&a=2