BANGKOK: Thailand will host the iconic Tomorrowland music festival from next year, aiming to lure high-spending travelers and bolster its tourism-reliant economy.
The cabinet approved a budget of 2 billion baht (US$62 million) to organise the festival for five years through 2031, Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong told reporters on Tuesday (Aug 26).
The festival will be held at Wisdom Valley near the tourist hot spot Pattaya.
Tomorrowland is one of the world’s biggest electronic dance music festivals, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans from over 200 countries to its elaborate stages in Boom in Belgium each year.
The event has become a symbol of electronic music’s commercial success, boosting tourism and expanding its brand through international editions.
Thailand’s push to host Tomorrowland is part of efforts to boost spending by foreign tourists amid a decline in Chinese visitors, traditionally its biggest market.
The country secured the Summer Sonic music festival last year after missing out on Taylor Swift’s world tour, and is in talks to stage a Formula One street race in Bangkok from 2028.
Tomorrowland is expected to generate about 12 billion baht in economic value over five years, with ticket sales projected at 5.2 billion baht, government officials said. The festival is forecast to draw about 922,500 participants, including some 50,000 in its first year, according to Sorawong.
Tourism makes up about 12% of Thailand’s economy, but the nation’s planning agency recently cut its forecast for foreign arrivals this year to 33 million from 37 million, citing a slowdown in Chinese visitors.
Overseas arrivals have fallen 7% to 21.4 million so far this year, according to official data. - Bloomberg
