Thailand Expects a Tourism Boom From Season 3 of 'The White Lotus'

Hawaii and Sicily both saw a significant increase in international arrivals following the debut of "The White Lotus" seasons set there, and Thailand may get the same boost. 

Season 3 is set to kick off on February 16, with filming locations in Bangkok, Phuket, and Koh Samui.

Thailand has benefited from foreign films set in the country for years. There was 1974’s "The Man with the Golden Gun," "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio in 2000, and "The Hangover II" in 2011. 

In 2024, the country had 32 million foreign tourists. The top five source markets were China, Malaysia, India, South Korea, and Russia.

Its goal for 2025 is for at least 36 million visitors, with much of the growth from the North American market, where most of "The White Lotus" viewership is based.

“I think the upcoming season of 'The White Lotus' will help refine Thailand’s image around the world,” said Anoma Vongyai, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s office in Chicago. “Old perceptions” of Southeast Asia as “synonymous with low budget travel” sometimes persist, Vongyai said, but she hoped the show “will finally put them to rest.” 

Hotels Get Ready

The last two seasons of "The White Lotus" were set at Four Seasons properties.

Web searches for towns in Italy rose over 50% in December 2022 after Sicily became the filming location for season 2. In 2023, tourists filled rooms in Four Seasons’ San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily, the location for the fictional "White Lotus" resort chain.

The shoot locations for this season are Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui and Anantara Mai Khao Villas Phuket, operated by Minor Hotels.

Minor Hotels has already observed an increase in inquiries, but “the real surge in booking volumes will commence after the first episodes air,” Ian Di Tullio, Chief Commercial Officer, told Skift.

Di Tullio said the property is “well positioned” to accommodate an increased demand and has “strategically planned” for it. 

Travelers Seeking to 'Live' the White Lotus Experience

Abercrombie and Kent, a luxury travel company, said a “unique trend” of travelers asking to ‘live’ the White Lotus experience emerged following the first two seasons of the show.

For example, travelers asked the company to arrange restaurant reservations with seats at the same tables as the TV scenes showed, a spokeswoman for Abercrombie and Kent said.

The company has seen a 5% increase in interest to travel to Thailand so far, but expected this to grow once the season was released. 

Demand for movie and TV-themed tours more than doubled in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic years, according to a spokesperson Viator, an online travel agency for travel experiences.

Viator was also “already noticing early signs that the trend will continue in Thailand.” Tour bookings in Koh Samui were up by over 30% compared to this same time last year, they said.

It's expected that similar "immersive" tours already on offer in other "White Lotus" locations will emerge in Thailand. One existing day tour, in Sicily, for example, takes visitors from the main Four Seasons location, through a route that Tania and Greg (characters in the show) travelled on their Vespa, and to an area where another character played sports every morning, before stopping for lunch.

Vongyai from the Tourism Authority of Thailand said the agency was “already working with partners to prepare packages, especially from the United States and Canada, that will allow visitors to live the 'White Lotus' experience, visit locations seen in the new season, and to eat and drink like the characters.”

In terms of flights, several airlines Skift contacted were unable to comment on whether the show has created more demand for flights, but Etihad said that, separate from the show, it has recently “ramped up its flights to Phuket” and will offer four weekly services to Chiang Mai from November 2025. 

While the show is associated with luxury travel, the Tourism Authority of Thailand said it also expects “middle and budget friendly travel to benefit from the popularity of the series.”

Coping With Increased Travel Interest

Vongyai expects the country to cope well with increased interest in visits with new visa regulations making it easier to enter Thailand and stay longer. 

In 2024, Thailand implemented visa exemptions for citizens of 93 countries including the United States, allowing stays of up to 60 days. 

The country has also launched the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), a 5-year visa designed with digital nomads and remote workers in mind.