Thailand plans to build Southeast Asia's first Disneyland theme park

The initiative aligns with the government's broader strategy to upgrade tourism facilities and enhance regional and international connectivity.

On Feb. 3, Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, who oversees the Eastern Economic Corridor, said Thailand is positioning itself as a "key option" to host the first Disneyland in Southeast Asia, Nation Thailand reported.

This shows the "Disneyland Thailand" concept has moved beyond marketing talk and is being elevated to the level of economic diplomacy, he added.

The concept envisions a major "Entertainment & Lifestyle Hub" that would integrate a theme park with a concert hall and an international-standard stadium seating more than 80,000 spectators, enabling Thailand to host large-scale global events year-round.

Ratchakitprakarn said the project could generate more than 100,000 jobs, attract roughly 10 million additional visitors annually, produce over 150 billion baht (US$4.76 billion) in revenue, and potentially raise Thailand's GDP growth by about one percentage point each year.

Thailand saw a 7.2% decline in foreign visitors to 32.9 million in 2025, the first annual decline outside the Covid period in a decade, Bloomberg reported.

Disneyland, the globally renowned theme park brand owned by The Walt Disney Company, already has several locations worldwide, including four in Asia: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea in Japan, Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong, and Shanghai Disneyland in China.