Blackpink’s Lisa Lalisa Manobal has been named Amazing Thailand Ambassador by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Her first campaign, ‘Feel All The Feelings,’ features a series of images designed to promote tourism to Thailand. One image in particular, featuring Lisa on a boat in the Red Lotus Sea, is going viral. Here’s how you can recreate it.
Ahead of the campaign film launch on 28 January 2026, TAT released an image of K-pop star Lisa Lalisa Manobal at Ubon Thani’s famous Red Lotus Sea. The image shows Lisa sitting inside a wooden boat among a sea of red lotus flowers, and a dreamy pink sky behind her. It is captioned: “Feel the calm at the Red Lotus Sea, Udon Thani, as the first light of morning gently touches the water, where endless pink lotuses bloom across the lake.”
Why is Lisa’s Red Lotus Sea going viral?
Shortly after the image was posted, positive comments flooded the channel, praising both Lisa and Thailand’s natural beauty. However, it didn’t take long for critics to ask one question: “wait a minute… is this AI?”
The question sparked a massive online debate, and countless memes followed. Many commented on the colour and retouching of the image, and how Lisa appears to be floating, and the lotus flowers appear too beautiful to be true to life. Soon after, TAT issued a statement reaffirming that the image is a real image, and was created through filming. It was enhanced with graphics for visual appeal using CGI (computer-generated imagery), but not AI (artificial intelligence).
Most interestingly, the viral moment was not seen as a negative moment, but rather a positive one. TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool praised that the memes were creating interest in the region, and made more people want to visit the Red Lotus Sea. She noted that it encouraged engagement with Thailand’s tourism attractions, and was inspiring travel.
How to visit the Red Lotus Sea and take your own photo
While many netizens have taken to image editing apps and software to recreate Lisa’s Red Lotus Sea image, those with ample vacation leave can also visit the real Red Lotus Sea in Udon Thani.
There are direct flights, trains, and buses to Udon Thani from Bangkok, and the lake itself is located around 45km from Udon Thani City, at Nong Han Lake. It is best to visit the Red Lotus Sea between December and February, in the early morning hours between 6am and 11am, when the flowers are fully open, the temperatures are cooler, and the light is softer.
If you’re staying in Udon Thani, hotels often offer a transfer service to the Red Lotus Sea (know as Talay Bua Daeng in Thai). Car rides are priced around THB 1000-2000, though you could also take a bus to Kumphawapi for a budget-friendlier option.
Once at the attraction, most visitors take a long-tail boat trip across the lotus fields, and enjoy the view of thousands of lotus blooms, along with local wildlife. These boat rides take between 45 and 90 minutes, and there are various options for smaller or larger boats. There is a restaurant on-site for refreshments, too. Taking photos, as can be seen, is a must.
This story first appeared here.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
