Book expo attracts record number of visitors

Book Expo Thailand 2024 attracted a record-breaking turnout, marking a resurgence in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat).
More than 1.4 million people visited the fair, held from Oct 10-20 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok, generating 438 million baht, Pubat president Suvich Rungwatthanapaiboon said on Tuesday.
He attributed the fair’s success to its engaging theme, “Read Until the Afterlife,” and a strong appeal to young readers, boosted by social media coverage.
The event, co-sponsored by the Department of Cultural Promotion and the Thailand Creative Culture Agency, saw its highest single-day attendance of 236,686 people on Oct 19, and 69% of attendees were aged between 12 and 35 years.
Visitors were 63% female, 26% male while the remainder classified themselves as being part of the LGBTQQIP2SA community, the Pubat president said.
Most books sold at the fair were cartoons (40%), followed by novels (30%) and psychology and emotional healing books (20%). The rest were textbooks, children’s books and books on investment and health.
Mr Suvich added that various promotional sales campaigns helped raise the turnout. Each buyer spent an average of 600 baht on books, and many visitors returned to make more purchases.
“The fair’s success ran contrary to the economy being in its recovery stage,” he said.
He noted that the event’s success was promising for the future of Thailand’s book industry, valued at 16 billion baht, and it was also seen as stimulating the habit of reading habit among Thais. Research shows Thais now spend 113 minutes a day reading on average.