The "Lisa" fever has sparked a trend at the Red Lotus Sea, causing a surge in tourists who flock to admire its beauty, follow Lisa's poses, and take check-in photos, leading to a shortage of small boats for service. The director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Udon Thani office hopes for new records in tourism revenue.
A reporter from Udon Thani Province reported that since the morning of 24 Jan 2026 GMT+7, the atmosphere at Ban Diam Pier, Chiang Wa Subdistrict, Kumphawapi District, Udon Thani, has seen many tourists gradually arriving to admire the beauty of the Red Lotus Sea after the Tourism Authority of Thailand released images of Lisa Lalisa Manobal, the globally renowned Thai artist, promoting tourism with the Red Lotus Sea as the backdrop.
The visitors include both Thai and foreign tourists, mostly traveling in groups by private cars and rental vehicles. They said they wanted to see the beauty with their own eyes and travel following the trend sparked by Lisa's promotional images. Tourists started lining up for bookings early in the morning, mostly requesting small long-tail boats identical to those in Lisa’s promotional photos.
However, there are only 15 such long-tail boats available. Tourists wanting to take photos like Lisa had to queue in order. Many who couldn't wait opted to take flat-bottomed boats to tour normally, as waiting too long might mean missing the peak bloom of the red lotus flowers on the water’s surface. By late morning, the heat causes the flowers to close, diminishing their beauty. Tourists enjoying boat rides took photos with the stunning Red Lotus Sea scenery with great enthusiasm.
Mr. Earth, 30, from Khon Kaen Province, and Miss Xiwen, 28, a Chinese national and his girlfriend who traveled from Khon Kaen, said they live in Khon Kaen city and had seen news about the Red Lotus Sea’s beauty. They wanted to experience it firsthand. Since his girlfriend is a Lisa fan and saw the news featuring Lisa with the Red Lotus Sea, they decided to visit today. They planned to ride a long-tail boat like Lisa to take similar photos and witness the amazing scene themselves.
Miss Meow, 28, said she lives in Ubolrat District, Khon Kaen Province. She had seen the Red Lotus Sea on social media and in news reports before but never had the chance to see it personally. After seeing images of Lisa with the Red Lotus Sea and being a fan of Lisa herself, she felt even more eager to visit. She arranged to come with her family by private car. From the shore, the view already looked beautiful, and she planned to get closer to enjoy the beauty and try to pose as attractively as Lisa did.
Mr. Pharesit Sukrom, chairman of the Red Lotus Sea community tourism enterprise, revealed that in the past 2-3 days, due to Lisa's rising popularity, many tourists have come, mostly following Lisa’s footsteps to see exactly where she took her photos. Some visitors also come following the filming locations of the drama "Pha Daeng - Nang Ai," wanting to see its final scenes. Lisa's influence is considered huge, with 100% of tourists asking for the small boats like the ones Lisa rode. There are only 15 such boats, insufficient to meet demand. Tomorrow, they will bring non-motorized small boats to various points, allowing tourists to disembark from larger boats to take photos, addressing the demand for boats without engines for photography.
He also added that Lisa's popularity has increased tourist numbers far beyond the New Year period, with most visitors being foreigners from Japan, China, South Korea, and a fair number from Europe. Upon arrival, they ask for small boats to take photos and pose like their favorite celebrity.
This tourist season has seen about 50,000 visitors so far, which is below expectations since last year saw 120,000 visitors. However, there is still over a month left for tourism. The red lotus flowers are expected to fade by late February. This year's Red Lotus Sea is exceptionally beautiful, likely more so than in previous years, with large fields of red lotus visible even from the shore.
Ms. Kanokwan Dungsrikaew, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Udon Thani office, said in a phone interview that Lisa's fever is very welcome. Normally, tourists increase during holidays, but currently, many come daily. The trend is expected to continue for some time, raising hopes for new records. In 2025, Udon Thani had over 5 million tourists and earned the highest revenue in Northeastern Thailand from international tourists, totaling 3.355 billion baht.
Thanks to aerial photos provided by Mr. Jeerasak Saesiao, an independent photographer from Udon Thani.