Thailand will offer Bangkok and Phuket as venues for an international LGBTQ+ summit and other activities in 2028, to show the world the country's support for gender inclusivity.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the cabinet had endorsed financing from the central budget for the move to bring what he called the "world cup" of LGBTQ+ and related activities to Thailand in the next four years.
"Thailand stands ready to compete for hosting the event to demonstrate the stance of the government on gender inclusivity. We are also ready to upgrade Thailand to be a destination for Pride people," he said in a posted message on X on Sunday.
The cabinet's synopsis released on Sunday did not give any information on the size of the budget for the campaign to hold the summit here.
WorldPride is one of the most important events for LTBGQ+. It is hosted by InterPride, which is a global network of Pride movements of more than 70 countries.
The Move Forward Party and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have jointly mobilised a push for the capital to host the global conference in 2028. Gender equality is one of the flagship policies of Move Forward.
If successful, Thailand would be the first country in Asia to host the summit. Taiwan cancelled the event scheduled there on 2025 after the organisers insisted the word "Taiwan" be removed, according to Reuters.
Washington will replace Taiwan as the venue for WorldPride 2025. InterPride does not say on its website who will host the event this year.