Thai halal cuisine is surging as a powerful soft power tool, leveraging sentiment analysis to tap into China’s massive halal demand driven by 25 million Muslims and Belt and Road ties. With global halal market hitting $2.3 trillion and growing 20% yearly, Thailand ranks 11th exporter, fueled by iconic dishes like Massaman curry topping CNN lists.
Halal Boom: A Global Goldmine
The halal industry spans food, pharma, tourism—projected to $2.43 trillion by 2027, attracting even non-Muslims for clean, ethical appeal. Processed foods lead revenue (2014-2024), followed by bakery; Muslim population swells from 1.6B (2010) to 2.76B (2050), Asia-Pacific dominating at 59% share.
China’s halal scene thrives via BRI, eyeing $1.38T by 2024—pandemic-proof resilience highlights potential. Thailand’s exports jumped 19% in five years, boosted by tourism and “Thai Kitchen to the World.”
Thailand’s Soft Power Edge
Soft power—culture over coercion—ranks Thailand 33rd globally, excelling in food, Muay Thai, festivals. Cuisine like Tom Yum, Pad Thai captivates worldwide; government pushes standardization for Muslim tourists.
Chinese platforms (Tmall, Taobao, WeChat) buzz with Thai halal love—sentiment analysis via BiLSTM, XGBoost, GBR reveals preferences.
Top Revenue Categories
| Category | Records | Unique Items | Amount Sold | Revenue (Yuan) | Avg Price (Yuan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processed Foods | 350K | 6,693 | 25.98M | 1.33B | 56.78 |
| Snack | 161K | 4,100 | 8.48M | 335M | 44.88 |
| Fresh Food | 140K | 2,500 | 6.91M | 954M | 155.39 |
| Seasoning | 65K | 1,300 | 2.67M | 109M | 49.14 |
Processed foods dominate, signaling huge Thai instant noodle opportunity.
Keyword Insights from Consumers
Keywords like “halal,” “snack,” “noodle” explode in English/Chinese reviews—Instant Noodles lead products/comments. Bubble charts link high price/sales/revenue to convenience: Processed/Fresh Foods shine.
Interviews confirm: Muslims seek certified, tasty Thai options; non-Muslims join for quality.
Predictive Power: Future Sales Surge
Models nail forecasts: BiLSTM (1.0% trait loss), XGBoost/GBR project 2024-2030 revenue climb, GBR best (RMSE 9,877). Instant Noodles, Soup top predictions—steady growth, seasonal spikes.
Model Performance Comparison
| Model | Epochs | Training Loss | Validation Loss | RMSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BiLSTM | 8 | 0.016 (1.6%) | 0.010 (1.0%) | N/A |
| XGBoost | 100 | 0.12 (12%) | 0.045 (4.5%) | 10,530 |
| GBR | 100 | 0.016 (1.6%) | 0.025 (2.5%) | 9,877 |
GBR excels for Thai strategy—aligns sentiment with sales.
Strategies for Thai Success
Prioritize instant Tom Yum halal noodles—match “convenience” demand. Halal certification boosts trust; e-commerce keywords optimize marketing. Faith (Muslim base), soft (cuisine allure), digital (NLP predictions) power trifecta.
Gov’t: Fund networks, Thai Select global push—echoes Muay Thai diplomacy.
China Focus: BRI Boost
China’s 25M Muslims + BRI infrastructure fuel halal imports; Thai edges via flavor fusion. Non-Muslim appeal grows—health, ethics.
Challenges: Competition, certification—solved by data-driven targeting.
Economic Wins and Global Ripple
Thailand GDP lift via exports; soft power cements ties. Projections: Stabilizing demand by 2030—invest now in noodles, snacks.
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