Lisa's Red Lotus Sea Campaign inspires photo craze

The much-criticised promotional campaign by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), depicting pop icon Lisa of BLACKPINK against the backdrop of the Red Lotus Sea, has sparked a new trend in which people share photos of themselves visiting the site or use photo-editing tools to replace Lisa with their own images.

Among them was TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool, who edited her photo to appear on the same boat featured in the campaign.

In her caption, she thanked everyone who visited the site in Udon Thani province and said she was happy to be able to “join” Lisa’s boat ride.

The governor also shared photos of others on her Facebook page, including an image posted by the Government Savings Bank, which placed its mascot on the boat.

Many netizens have likewise shared photos and video clips from their visits to the Red Lotus Sea. Some wrote captions such as, “I am following the trail of Lisa.”

The campaign is part of TAT’s “Feel All the Feelings” tourism promotion, featuring Lisa, a Thai-born artist with global recognition, in her role as Amazing Thailand Ambassador.

However, the campaign has drawn mixed reactions online. Critics argue that while TAT secured a “precious gem” in Lisa, her value was undermined by poor presentation.

Questions were also raised over the decision to use artificial intelligence to depict Lisa, rather than filming or photographing her at the actual location.

In response, many Thai citizens replaced the AI-generated image of Lisa with real photos of her at the site, underscoring criticism of TAT’s reliance on artificial intelligence.