The 29th National Book Fair has started today.

The 29th National Book Fair is a grand event with a huge collection of over 2 million books, breaking the mold and breaking the mold in the theme of "Read until the next world". Come to one event and get everything you need from October 10-20, 2024 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Ms. Suda-wan Wangsupakitchkosol, Minister of Culture, who presided over the opening ceremony of the 29th National Book Fair, said that the book industry is one of the 11 policies according to the government's national soft power strategy, which the Ministry of Culture has included in the important plan, especially in 2025, which aims to drive the entertainment and literature industries to be one of the elevators of the country's cultural economy. Therefore, reading books is considered the origin and inspiration of creativity that will expand into various forms of products, such as book production, song writing, and movies. At the same time, Thailand has quality writers, book producers, and literature producers in v arious fields. Therefore, they deserve support and encouragement so that this industry can grow, expand, and advance to the international stage more. This will help strengthen the industry's ecosystem and sustainably continue. It also stimulates the Thai economy very well. Therefore, the 29th National Book Fair or many other book fairs that will occur after this are considered important factors that will help promote reading culture to create a knowledge-based society to become strong again and push the government's plans to be in line with the goals. 'Expanding knowledge comes from reading. We have found that many countries believe that reading is the best human capital and seriously prioritize the development of this industry because the value of the book industry is greater than all other entertainment industries combined. The government will provide full support,' said Ms. Sudawan. Mr. Suwich Rungwattanapaiboon, President of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (PUBAT), revealed that t he 29th National Book Fair will be held from October 10-20, 2024 at Halls 5-7, LG Floor, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Under the theme 'Read until the Next World,' there will be a selection of more than 2 million books from 286 publishers, totaling 855 booths, on an area of ??over 20,000 square meters, along with more than 100 interesting activities. This is the first time that the association has broken away from the convention of organizing an event to make it more than just selling books. A wide variety of books are available, covering all styles from leading publishers, for interested people to choose and read to their hearts' content. There will also be activities to enhance knowledge and skills. A stage for showcasing talents and adding fun for attendees to join in various activities. The 29th National Book Fair is divided into 6 zones: 1. Fiction and Literature 2. Comic Books and Teens (Book Wonderland) 3. Children's and Educational Books 4. General Books 5. Ol d Books and 6. Non-Book and Board Games. For the '29th National Book Fair' this time, it is expected that there will be more than 1.6 million people interested in attending the event, an increase from the previous event with 1.3 million people attending. There will be approximately 460-480 million baht spent, an increase from the previous event with 400 million baht spent. Meanwhile, the overall book industry this year is expected to grow by 10% from last year, with a total value of more than 16 billion baht. Source: Thai News Agency