The Thai government is moving to spice up the country’s culinary scene by 2020 with a plan to blend world-renowned Thai street food with its tourism promotion policy to attract visitors and boost the economy.

The government is collaborating with the private sector to organise a series of street food festivals in major tourist destinations, starting in February in central Bangkok. The festival comprises six street food festivals, with vendors laying out the first feast on Silom Road in Bangkok on Feb 1-2.

The banquet will then move on to Ayutthaya on Feb 29-March 1, before rolling into Chon Buri’s Pattaya on April 3-6, Chiang Mai on April 25-26, Khon Kaen on May 1-3, and Phuket on May 30-31.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday presided over the launch of the “Thailand Street Food Festival 2020” publicity campaign.

 Gen Prayut said “Thailand’s street food is world-famous. CNN has declared Bangkok to be the world capital of street food. Street food is scrumptious and varied and tourists can find it any time, any place and at cheap prices,”.

CNN named Bangkok as the city with the best street food in the world in 2016 and 2017. Foreigners list the attraction of street food as a major reason for visiting Thailand are mainly from China, Russia, the UK, Malaysia and the US, adding that promotion of “gastronomy tourism” will be a boon to the economy.