More people abroad will be able to savor Thai cuisine this year, with some 3,000 Thai restaurants expected to open in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of Asia.

This will increase the number of Thai restaurants abroad from 9,183 last year to about 12,000 by the end of this year, said Phimol Srivikorn, secretary to the Commerce Ministry and chairman of Thailand’s “Kitchen of the World” project, which seeks to promote the country’s culinary heritage abroad. This year, the project will focus on expanding the network of Thai restaurants through overseas franchising, Phimol said.