Viral endorsement from Blackpink star Lisa sees tourism spike at Thailand’s ‘Red Lotus Sea’

Blackpink’s Lisa has helped drive a surge in visitors to Thailand’s Red Lotus Sea, with tourism officials forecasting up to 120,000 arrivals during this year’s bloom season.

The Red Lotus Sea, a wetland lake in Kumphawapi district in Udon Thani province, is known for its seasonal display of pink lotus flowers, which typically peaks between January and February and draws tourists every year.

However, this year officials and local operators have said that interest massively rose after the latest promotional campaign from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which featured the singer and was aimed at promoting lesser-known sites to both Thai and foreign travellers, according to The Nation.

Lisa, born Lalisa Manobal in Thailand, is a one of the members of the globally successful K-pop group Blackpink. She made her acting debut in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, which was filmed across Thailand and released in February 2025. Even before the season was halfway through, Thailand saw a rise in both searches for specific destinations, and in bookings at the resorts which the season was filmed in.

The same year in October, she was appointed as a global tourism ambassador for Thailand in October 2025, likely to capitalise on her popularity and the interest already generated by the series.

Natthriya Thaweevong, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, attributed the interest and the rise in tourists to the “Lisa effect”.

The image itself too started a minor controversy, which helped generate more interest. After the campaign release, some social media users began to speculate whether the images were AI-generated. TAT officials denied the claim, telling Bangkok Post that the image is “a real photograph resulting from a filming and photography process”.

However, memes had already begun to spread online by this point, which itself helped attract additional curiosity about the Red Lotus Sea.

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said many visitors decided to travel to the lake after the campaign photos were released online.

She added that some tourists told officials they had not previously known about the attraction but flew to Udon Thani specifically to recreate the promotional photos of the singer, according to Khaosod English.

“Normally, the Red Lotus Sea attracts mainly Thai visitors, but this season the proportion of foreign visitors is almost on a par with Thai visitors. This shows a clear expansion of overseas interest driven by the phenomenon we are seeing,” Ms Thapanee said.

Community enterprises running boat services from Ban Diam Pier reported more than 50,000 visitors between December and late January, with foreign tourists accounting for 48.27 per cent of the total. Visitors from countries including China, Laos, Japan, and Germany totalled 24,287, while domestic tourists numbered 26,019.

Local operators also reported higher demand than in previous seasons, with boat services now running around 400 trips a day, compared to the previous 100, a report in Pattaya Mail said. Tourism officials said the increase had boosted income for boat drivers and small businesses around the lake but needed closer monitoring of safety and service standards.

Officials also said that they noticed queues began forming well before dawn, with groups of Japanese tourists among the earliest arrivals, lining up from about 5am to secure boat tickets.

At Ban Diam pier, crowds of both Thai and foreign visitors have been gathering from around 4am to watch the sunrise over the lotus fields.

Praisit Sukrom, chairman of the Red Lotus Lake Tourism Enterprise, said the influx had exceeded even the New Year holiday rush.

“The ‘Lisa Fever’ has given the local economy a major lift,” he said, adding that operators had expanded services fourfold to cope with demand. A fleet of 95 boats is now in daily operation on the lake.

The ministry of tourism and sports has ordered agencies to strengthen coordination at the site. Officials have instructed inspectors to check boat operators, monitor safety equipment, manage queues, and prevent overcharging.

Officials said the main 25,000-rai (40sqkm) section of the lake will remain in full bloom until mid-February, while a second 5,000-rai (8sqkm) area at Koh Don Luang will bloom from mid-February to mid-March.