Siam Piwat Group, a leading real estate and retail developer, is reinforcing its support for diversity, equality and inclusion with its "The Celebration: Right to Love" campaign that celebrates the same-sex marriage bill coming into force by year-end, preparing Thailand to be a potential host for "World Pride" in 2030.
The organiser of Bangkok's Pride parade wants the events to demonstrate Thailand's potential to host the World Pride event in 2030, said Chumaporn "Waddao" Taengkliang, an LGBTQ activist and co-founder of Bangkok Pride parade.
"This year's Pride events will be showing that Thailand has truly supported diversity, equality and inclusion," said Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leader of the Pheu Thai Party.
This year's Pride month activities plan to celebrate Thailand's milestone of enacting an equal marriage bill, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
Ms Paetongtarn said Bangkok's Pride Month will also stimulate Thailand's economy and travel industry as the government aims to turn Thai festivals into a key driver of economic growth, also referred to as the 'festivals economy'.
"The success of the event will also contribute towards pushing Bangkok to be a potential host for World Pride in 2030, affirming the city as one of the world's top LGBTQ+ destinations," she said.
Ms Chumaporn said this year's event would mark the first time the country's political leader has joined a Pride parade.
This year's events also include forums to discuss LGBTIQN+ community-related topics such as education and human rights. The organiser wants it to be the biggest LGBTIQN+-related forum in Asia.
She said the organiser has partners around the country and hopes to expand the pride activities nationwide, aiming to achieve 100 events across the country this year.
"Moreover, we want to promote Thai drag shows, aiming to showcase Thailand's 'rainbow soft power'," said Ms Chumaporn.
Saruntorn Asaves, head of the shopping center division at Siam Piwat Group, said Bangkok Pride demonstrates Thailand's potential for hosting the World Pride 2030 event, aiming to promote Thailand as a world-class events hub, offering world-class experiences.
Siam Piwat Group is co-hosting Bangkok Pride under the campaign theme "The Celebration: Right to Love", featuring a series of events and activities starting from May 31 until June 2024, including the Bangkok Pride Parade, the Bangkok Pride Forum, and the Drag Bangkok Festival.
Over 200,000 people are expected to participate in Bangkok Pride this year, comprising both Thais and visitors from around the world.
This will contribute significantly to attracting tourists, aligning with the Tourism Authority of Thailand's expectation of over 35 million tourist arrivals this year.