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The newest season of The White Lotus isn’t even halfway through, but Thailand is already experiencing its ripple effect as fans gear up to live out their own versions of the dark comedy.
The third season of the hit HBO show moves the action to Thailand, where viewers watch the lives of the wealthy on vacation and the workers who serve them at a fictional chain of high-end resorts. After season one and two locations Hawaii and Sicily saw a 300 per cent year-on-year surge in tourism, thanks to the “White Lotus Effect”, the island’s tourism industry braced for a tide reminiscent of the show’s previous filming locations.
“We are confident in The White Lotus team’s creative vision to showcase all that the Kingdom offers,” Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool told The Wrap. “We believe the series will ultimately present Thailand in a positive light, attracting viewers worldwide to experience our country’s unique charm and hospitality.”
In fact, the country saw 5.5 million foreign tourists between 1 January and 16 February, before the season even began streaming. Bookings at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, standing in for the fictional resort this season, jumped 40 per cent earlier this month, according to a New York Times report.
“We saw a 10x increase in the properties in Maui and Taormina,” said executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Marc Speichert, about the resorts in Hawaii and Sicily featured in the first two seasons.
Online travel company Expedia also reported a rise in the searches for the series’ filming destinations in early 2024 when the filming location for season three was announced; Chiang Mai saw a 65 per cent rise, Phuket saw 45 per cent, and Koh Samui saw 30 per cent.
Virtuoso, a global network for luxury advisers, also reported seeing bookings to Thailand increasing by 38 per cent in 2024 from 2023.
Additionally, once the first teaser was released, searches for Koh Samui jumped by 40 per cent on Hotels.com.
Deputy government spokesperson, Sasikarn Watthanachan, said in a statement that Koh Samui had seen an overall 65 per cent of interest among US tourists since the third season began airing on 16 February. She added that online travel agency Agoda saw a 12 per cent surge in searches for accommodations on Koh Samui, and Koh Samui had also seen a 40 per cent rise in luxury hotel bookings.
Along with the Four Seasons in Koh Samui, the series also filmed in the Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort’s The Singing Bird Lounge, Anantara Mai Khao Phuket, Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, Bangkok’s Acts Studio, Ko Lawa Yai and Ya Nui Beach in Phuket, as well as the Buddhist monastery Wat Pu Khao Thong and the Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park.
The new season is also the acting debut of a major Thai name – Lalisa Manobal, known popularly by her stage name Lisa. Playing a hotel employee called Mook, Lisa has already begun generating praise for her portrayal of a character who is very different from her more glamorous idol persona.
“Filming The White Lotus in Thailand not only showcases the country’s natural beauty and world-famous destinations but also highlights our first-class service standards. While the show itself attracts English-speaking tourists from Europe and America, Lisa’s participation is drawing ASEAN fans eager to follow in her footsteps,” said Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, TAT’s deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, reported Thai daily Khaosod English.
In 2023, the Thai tourism ministry announced that it would increase the tax rebate for foreign film productions by 20 per cent from 2024, shaving off almost $4.4 m for the White Lotus production, a move that helped lure them away from Japan.
A major section of the interest in Thailand is coming from European travellers, as reports show that the UK and Germany have shown a 53 per cent and 50 per cent increase in searches respectively, with notable searches from France, Italy, and Denmark as well.
Finnair announced more flights coinciding with the release of the third season, likely hoping to connect European travellers with Thailand. Tourism Association of Koh Samui president Ratchaporn Poolsawadee also said that Bangkok Airways would increase the number of daily flights to Thailand from the existing 50 to 73.
The Thai government’s aim is to get to pre-pandemic numbers with 39-40 million foreign tourists in 2025, from the 35 million they had in 2024. Turns out, nothing sells a destination quite like murder, betrayal, and scandal wrapped in luxury.
