After missing out on Taylor Swift’s world tour, Thailand has sealed deals to host two music festivals — Summer Sonic and Tomorrowland — as it pushes event-driven tourism to propel the economy.
Summer Sonic will come to Southeast Asia for the first time in its second venture outside of Japan, with dates set for Aug 24 and 25 at Impact Muang Thong Thani after shows in Tokyo and Osaka, according to government spokesman Chai Wacharonke.
The dance music festival Tomorrowland will also be staged in Thailand in 2026, which may be the first of 10 consecutive editions, Mr Chai said in a statement on Saturday.
The push came after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin identified measures such as visa waivers for tourists as “quick wins” to stimulate the economy, which he has repeatedly said is in a “crisis”.
The country has recorded average annual economic growth short of 2% in the past decade in a region where a pace upwards of 4% is the norm. The government has been pushing promotional campaigns to extend holidaymakers’ stays and year-round festivals to boost the number of foreign arrivals.
Mr Srettha previously bemoaned the fact that Thailand had missed out on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour, which made Singapore its only stop in Southeast Asia due to an exclusive arrangement with the neighbouring country.
He called Singapore’s move to offer a grant to the promoters of Swift's tour “smart” and said Thailand should seek to emulate such strategies to bring in tourists and boost the economy.
The tourism industry accounts for 12% of the country’s gross domestic product. This year, the country aims to welcome 35 million to 40 million foreign tourists, edging near a pre-pandemic record of 40 million visitors.
- Editorial: Eras Tour a wake-up call
