CHIANG RAI, Thailand – Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Piyarat Tiyapairat has presided over the opening ceremony of the “4 Nations Food Festival, Northernmost Siam” event at the Mae Sai border checkpoint in Chiang Rai province. The food festival, which runs from July 15 to 19, 2026. aims to boost border trade and promote tourism in the province. The Deputy Minister was welcomed by Chiang Rai Deputy Governor Rujtisak Rungsee, public officials, and private sector representatives. The festival, organized with the Chiang Rai Restaurant Operators Promotion Association and partners, was hosted under the theme “Connecting Tastes, Connecting 4 Nations,” with more than 200 vendors offering traditional and modern cuisines from Thailand, the Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Yunnan Province, China.
Festival highlights include cooking demonstrations and competitions led by MasterChef Thailand chefs, cultural performances from the four nations, and exhibitions of One Tambon One Product (OTOP) and community goods. Authorities emphasized that the event is key to advancing the government’s Gastronomy Tourism policy. By positioning Chiang Rai as a gateway for trade, tourism, and culinary culture in the Greater Mekong Subregion, authorities expect the festival to attract both domestic and international tourists and generate significant income for local entrepreneurs and communities. (NNT)
