Thailand’s Pride Month celebrations set to boost economy and tourism
Rainbow tourism is expected to boost Thailand’s economic growth in the second quarter of this year, particularly during Pride Month in June.
The Rainbow Economy is experiencing rapid and powerful expansion, especially in the tourism, entertainment and lifestyle sectors. This growth is largely driven by the LGBTQIAN+ community, which numbers between 400 and 800 million people worldwide, accounting for 5–10% of the global population.
In Thailand, there are more than six million members of the LGBTQIAN+ community, who are expected to generate over 150 billion baht annually, contributing to a 0.3% increase in GDP.
Marriage equality legislation is anticipated to have positive effects on tourism and investment, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimating revenue from LGBTQIAN+ tourists to reach US$2 billion (65.59 billion baht) per year.
Globally, the LGBTQ+ travel market is projected to be worth approximately US$357 billion (11.71 trillion baht) by 2025, with potential growth reaching US$604.34 billion (19.34 trillion baht) by 2032.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s soft power, such as the popular Thai Girls’ Love genre series, has gained worldwide recognition, amassing hundreds of millions of views and generating substantial revenue and cultural influence. With strong support, this genre is expected to generate up to 2 billion baht per year.
To capitalise on these economic insights, Central Pattana recently launched Thailand’s Pride Celebration 2025: “Pride For All,” which will see Central shopping centres across the country transformed into inclusive spaces that champion self-expression and equality.
Throughout June, the event will take place across 39 shopping centres nationwide, up from 24 last year. Activities have been designed to appeal to all generations, including colourful photo zones symbolising freedom, spectacular shows in 22 centres featuring popular artists, discussion forums to share knowledge and build strong networks, Pride markets, and mini-concerts.
Highlights include Pride parades held in 19 shopping centres across the regions, and dedicated equality spaces where couples can register their marriages at five Central branches: Central Chiang Mai, Chanthaburi, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani and Ayutthaya.
The “centralwOrld Love with Pride 2025” event began on May 31 with a parade celebrating freedom, led by drag queens from House of Heals and Metinee Kingpayome, a leading figure in Thailand’s LGBTQIA+ community. On June 1, the “Bangkok Pride Parade 2025” took place alongside the Single Market event, which ran from May 30 to June 1, catering to single attendees.
Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, Chief Marketing Officer of Central Pattana, said Thailand’s Pride Celebration 2025: “Pride For All” aims to attract high-quality LGBTQIAN+ tourists, who tend to have higher spending power compared to other visitor groups, to join in celebrating Pride Month and to travel within Thailand.
“Thailand is recognised as the world’s No 1 destination for gender-affirming surgery, with its medical tourism sector projected to reach 16 billion baht in value by 2025,” he said.
“At the same time, the country serves as an emotional safe space for the global LGBTQIAN+ community—particularly travellers from China, South Korea and the Middle East—who see Thailand as a hub of cultural celebration.”
He expects that throughout the month of June, around 1.3 million people will participate in events across all shopping centres nationwide, an increase from 1 million last year.
