Govt fosters growth through the rainbow sector economy
Rewritten Article:
Get ready for the Bangkok Pride Festival 2025, happening from May 30 to June 30, under the banner "The Celebration: Right to Love." The highpoint of the event will be the Pride Parade on June 1.
A sneak peek of what's in store was unveiled at a May 6 press conference, attended by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Bangkok Pride, the private sector, and more.
Pimjai Leeissaranukul, FTI vice president and CISPI president, shared that the Marriage Equality Bill passage this year inspired CISPI and the Creative Economy Agency to create the "Paint the City with My Pride" campaign. This initiative seeks to spread awareness of gender inclusivity and stimulate the economy—though specific figures aren't available yet.
The collaboration also includes Thailand's top character designers, who'll create characters and objects inspired by both traditional and pop culture, blending Pride ideals into the designs. These illustrations will adorn various goods, showcasing diversity in society.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, TAT governor, emphasized Thailand as an excellent destination for LGBTQ+ tourism. The Pride event aligns with the "Amazing Thailand Love Wins Festival," expanding to five major tourist hotspots: Chiang Mai, Surat Thani's Koh Samui, Bangkok, Phuket, and Chon Buri's Pattaya. An additional ten provinces will host Pride events within their communities.
"We want Thailand to be the ultimate destination for LGBTQ+ vacationers, not just during Pride Month," said Kiatphaibool.
Surapong Suebwonglee, Deputy Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister and chair of the National Soft Power Development Committee, expressed the government's readiness to back diversity and equality across society through soft power policy and creativity encouragement.
"Diversity-based and equality-driven economies are critical for Thailand, particularly as we seek a new economic motor to drive growth," Suebwonglee said.
In essence, "Paint the City with My Pride" is a forward-thinking branding and identity project for the Bangkok Pride Festival 2025, spearheaded by CISPI under FTI and the Creative Economy Agency. Its key aim is to celebrate freedom of expression, foster open-mindedness, and enhance inclusivity through a fresh visual identity called "MY PRIDE" [1][3][4]. It also seeks to boost Thailand's creative industries and showcase LGBTQ+ tourism appeal on the global stage, merging social advocacy with economic strategy to build a nationwide Pride identity and generate substantial economic benefits via inclusive branding and commerce [1][4][5].
- The "Paint the City with My Pride" campaign, led by CISPI and the Creative Economy Agency, aims to promote Thailand as a destination for LGBTQ+ travelers, not just during Pride Month, by blending Pride ideals into fashion-and-beauty and lifestyle products, thereby boosting the creative industries and the economy as a whole.
- As part of the Bangkok Pride Festival 2025, personal-growth and education-and-self-development initiatives will be incorporated into the festival, aligning with the government's soft power policy and creativity encouragement, aiming to foster open-mindedness and diversity in society.
