The success of “Nene Royal,” or Praew-Rattikan Amloy, a 16-year-old youth artist from Phuket, in winning the title on America’s Got Talent (AGT) Season 21
marks a historic milestone as the first Thai to win the most influential talent reality competition in the United States.
Nene’s journey began at age seven, learning guitar from YouTube and gaining experience performing on the streets and youth contests nationwide before reaching the international stage. She earned the highest viewer votes performing the classic song “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes, winning a prize of 1,000,000 U.S. dollars, approximately 33 million baht.
However, looking back, Nene is not the only Thai woman to rise on the global stage, making Thailand known for its talent, not just as a tourist destination.
Previously, Lisa Manoban proved that a single Thai artist can create waves across industries—from music, fashion, advertising, to tourism. Every place, food, or product she showcases has the potential to turn global fan interest into search traffic, sales, and revenue flowing back to Thailand.
Economically clear is the music video ROCKSTAR, which transformed Yaowarat into a global fan destination, then expanded to SaWaDiKa, reaching over 70.8 million views within 24 hours.
Her appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon didn’t just promote her music but also introduced Thai papaya salad, Thai beer, and Thai dining culture to American viewers.
This is the “Lisa Effect,” turning popularity into search queries, travel, spending, and business revenue, reflecting that in today’s economy, one artist can serve as a marketing gateway for the entire nation.
Meanwhile, Opal Suchata Chongsri became the first Thai woman to win Miss World 2025, a historic victory for Thailand on the world’s oldest international beauty pageant stage, ending a 72-year wait. She transformed the pageant platform into a space to communicate the image of modern Thai women—showcasing talent, education, and social roles—while opening opportunities to expand Thailand’s beauty, fashion, wellness, and tourism industries.
Although her reign as Miss World 2025 has ended, Opal continues to promote Thai textiles globally, such as recently wearing a pale yellow traditional Thai Reuan Ton dress paired with a silk skirt featuring a “Sailor Moon” pattern on a runway in Japan, reflecting the potential of Thai textiles to connect traditional heritage with contemporary culture and transition craftsmanship into fashion products accessible to new generations worldwide.
In sports, the Thai women’s national volleyball team recently achieved a long-awaited goal of more than twenty years by qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA 2028) for the first time in Thai sports history, continuing the dream and effort from the pioneering “7 Wizards” era to today’s players.
Economically, qualifying for the Olympics has dramatically increased the market value of Thai athletes, with top professional clubs abroad, especially in Japan’s SV.League and European leagues, offering lucrative contracts to recruit Thai players.
Similarly, “Pro Gino” Athaya Thitikul, a world-class female golfer, has demonstrated that Thai athletes can compete, earn income, and attract international brand endorsements on par with athletes from any country.
Pro Gino recently won the LPGA Tour’s The Standard Portland Classic, marking her 10th career LPGA title and setting new standards for Thailand and Asia’s professional sports by ascending to a top-ranking female golfer in numerous events.
Her financial highlight was winning the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, which awarded a first prize of 4 million U.S. dollars (approximately 130 to 138 million baht), the highest single-tournament prize in women’s golf history.
Gino’s talent has had a significant positive impact on sports tourism, attracting golf fans, broadcast audiences, and international sponsors to Thailand, elevating golf academies and courses in the country to become leading regional training centers in Asia.
The successes of Nene Royal, Lisa Manoban, Opal Suchata, the Thai women’s national volleyball team, and Gino Athaya on the world stage prove that Thai women’s talents rival those of any nation.
Their achievements are not only a source of pride for Thais but also create fame, business opportunities, and bring Thai identity to global attention. When Thai women succeed globally, Thailand’s prospects advance alongside them.
The crucial question remains: Are we supporting Thai women enough today? How many talents remain undiscovered because of a lack of opportunity and sufficient support?
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