Thailand rebounds from Taylor Swift miss, to host Summer Sonic music festival, Tomorrowland

Summer Sonic will come to Southeast Asia for the first time in its second venture outside Japan, with dates set for August 24 and 25 in Bangkok after shows in Tokyo and Osaka, according to Thai government spokesman Chai Wacharonke. Thailand will also be hosting the dance music festival Tomorrowland in 2026, which may be only the first of 10 consecutive editions, Chai said in a statement on Saturday.

Tycoon-turned-politician Srettha has called Singapore’s move “smart” and said Thailand should seek to emulate such strategies to bring in tourists and boost its economy.

Gross domestic product probably expanded 2.9 per cent in the three months ending March 31, the quickest pace in six quarters, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

Thailand’s vital tourism industry accounts for 12 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. This year, the country aims to welcome 35 to 40 million foreign tourists, edging near a pre-pandemic record of 40 million visitors.