The White Lotus sparks tourism boom in Thailand

The Thai government has stated that the latest season of The White Lotus , released on February 16 after being filmed in different locations in Thailand , including the island of Samui , has already generated a tourist boom in the paradisiacal enclave in the south of the country.

Thai government deputy spokeswoman Sasikarn Wattanachan on Sunday particularly thanked Lisa , a Thai star of the K-pop group Blackpink who made her acting debut in the series playing an employee of the fictional "White Lotus" hotel , for the surge in tourist interest, according to the government website.

According to official figures, searches for accommodation in Samui have increased by 12% this month, compared to January, while searches by American tourists , where HBO Max's production comes from, have increased by 65% month-on-month.

The Thai government also says hotel bookings in Samui have increased by 40% on popular travel search engines.

"The government is ready to promote the creative industry and the shooting of international films. To this end, measures such as removing the previous profit cap (for the film industry ) have been withdrawn in order to incentivise investors," Sasikarn said.

Thailand took over from Hawaii and Sicily , where the previous installments were filmed, in a season with familiar faces such as Natasha Rothwell, and new ones such as Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Aimee Lou Wood, among others, to tell the adventures of the wealthy clan during a vacation marked by the underlying crime to be solved in each edition.

In addition to Lisa , the series stars her compatriots , actor Tayme Thapthimthong and actress Patravadi Mejudhon, who plays the hotel 's co-owner, allowing for some of the dialogue to be in Thai.

Samui Island is a diamond in the Gulf of Thailand with around 50,000 inhabitants, which houses the Four Seasons where part of the series is filmed, located in one of the most remote parts of the enclave, with villas nestled in hills surrounded by jungle bathed by crystal-clear waters.

Further

The launch of Season 3 of “ The White Lotus ,” which was celebrated with an event in Bangkok two days before the world premiere, coincides with the government ’s plans to achieve more than 40 million visitors this year, surpassing the pre-pandemic record.
"I think there was a 20 percent increase in visitation to Hawaii and Sicily after Season 1 and Season 2," Chompu Marusachot, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand , recently told reporters. "I just hope that trend continues here as well," he added.

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The White Lotus sparks tourism boom in Thailand

The Thai government also says hotel bookings in Samui have increased by 40% on popular travel search engines.

Thailand took over from Hawaii and Sicily , where the previous installments were filmed, in a season with familiar faces such as Natasha Rothwell, and new ones such as Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey and Aimee Lou Wood, among others, to tell the adventures of the wealthy clan during a vacation marked by the underlying crime to be solved in each edition.

Further

The launch of Season 3 of “ The White Lotus ,” which was celebrated with an event in Bangkok two days before the world premiere, coincides with the government ’s plans to achieve more than 40 million visitors this year, surpassing the pre-pandemic record.
"I think there was a 20 percent increase in visitation to Hawaii and Sicily after Season 1 and Season 2," Chompu Marusachot, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand , recently told reporters. "I just hope that trend continues here as well," he added.