Thailand isn’t one to sit around twiddling its thumbs after Taylor Swift skipped out on them, choosing only to play in Singapore. Nope, they’ve come out swinging with the announcement of not one, but two massive music festivals.
As reported by Bangkok Post on Monday (25/3/2024), Thailand has locked in deals to host the Summer Sonic and Tomorrowland music festivals.
According to a chatty government spokesperson, this is the first time these festivals are venturing into Southeast Asia for gigs outside Japan. Mark your calendars because the festivals are scheduled to rock the stage on August 24-25 at Impact Muang Thong Thani, right after they’ve wrapped up in Tokyo and Osaka.
And guess what? Tomorrowland will be making its way to Thailand in 2026!
This move comes hot on the heels of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin feeling a bit miffed that Thailand missed out on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. He pointed out that Singapore scored big with Swift because they offered her tour promoter some sweet incentives.
Srettha’s all about taking a page out of Singapore’s playbook to bring in tourists and give the economy a boost.
Tourism is big business for Thailand, chipping in a cool 12% to the country’s GDP. And this year, they’re aiming to pull in 35 to 40 million foreign tourists, inching closer to their pre-pandemic record of 40 million visitors.