(Bloomberg) — Now that the fictional guests of Season 3 of “The White Lotus” have officially checked out of their luxury Thai resort, the country is preparing for the arrival of real tourists.
The series recently finished filming at several resorts and locations in Thailand, and although the show likely won't air until next year, hotels and tour operators are getting ready for their own White Lotus bump.
The show's first two seasons were a satirical portrayal of the opulent lives of the wealthy guests and employees of the luxury hotel of the same name, filmed at Four Seasons properties in Maui, Hawaii, and Taormina, Sicily, before fans turned real-life resorts and cities into bucket list destinations, resulting in an influx of tourists.
Some tourists are even arriving before the next season airs. “You can't get into the Four Seasons in Taormina yet; it's completely booked,” says Misty Bells, a spokeswoman for Virtuoso, a consortium of some 20,000 luxury advisors. “Everyone knows they won't be able to get in as soon as White Lotus comes out, so they're waiting for Thailand to blow up, and people are starting to show up wanting to go before then.” Virtuoso's bookings for Thailand this year are up 38% over 2023, with most of that growth coming from U.S. travelers.
The phenomenon has already arrived at Black Tomato, a luxury travel agency that specializes in hit movie-themed “set jetting” trips. The company reported that sales to Thailand were up 44 percent in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year. Prices are also starting to rise, about 15 percent from last year, it said.
Guests are especially keen to book the Four Seasons Koh Samui (ocean-view villas cost about $1,700 a night) and the Anantara Mai Khao (pool villas cost about $400), properties that Bloomberg first reported would be featured in Season 3. Availability at both properties is starting to tighten, said Black Tomato co-founder Tom Merchant, noting that his clients tend to book more than a year in advance. The Four Seasons Koh Samui has seen a 39% increase in bookings from Virtuoso clients.
Leading Hotels of the World, a collection of independent luxury hotels, has also recorded increased interest: The brand said that customer searches for six hotels in Thailand increased 25% in the month after it was confirmed that the show would be filming there, though none of the hotels were connected to the show's production.
Chomp Marsachot, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's New York office, said feedback from partner hotels and increased media coverage have led to growing consumer interest, especially around Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok. “Appearing on White Lotus Season 3 allows us to reach a truly global audience,” she said.
White Lotus Location
All of this bodes well for a good year for Thailand, which is expected to see an increase of around 37% in foreign tourist arrivals to 15.5 million so far in 2024. And not all of it is down to the White Lotus effect.
Asia as a whole has seen a slow recovery since the pandemic, but demand for Thailand and similarly tourism-dependent neighbors has begun to accelerate this year as travellers turn their attention outside Europe. Thailand expects its total foreign tourist numbers to more than double to about 36 million this year from 2023, but the recovery will fall short of 2019's figure of about 40 million tourists.
HBO, the production company behind “The White Lotus,” has not revealed details about filming locations in Thailand, but the Tourism Authority of Thailand said filming took place in Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui. Both the Four Seasons and Anantara Hotels have declined to comment on their involvement.
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According to a Samui source familiar with the production, scenes on the island were also shot at the secluded Taling Ngam Beach. The white sand beach, on the edge of a tropical jungle surrounded by palm trees, is said to have the best sunsets on the island. Scenes were also shot at Fisherman's Village, a popular tourist spot known for its bustling night market, whose walkways are lined with wooden shophouses and rustic buildings. A trickle of social media posts featuring the show's actors have given some hints about the filming locations in Bangkok and Phuket. Sam Nivola's Instagram shows co-stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Iris Apatow on a yacht and posing on a beach with iconic karst cliffs. A Google image search confirms that it is Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi.
Similarly, a recent post by Schwarzenegger's fiancée Abby Champion showed the couple posing on what appears to be Phuket's Banana Beach, which is already acting as a form of soft marketing that will benefit Thailand's Tourism Board.
“Set Jetting” Gains Momentum
Merchant of Black Tomato said sales to Sicily for 2023 have tripled since The White Lotus season 2 aired. The company offers 10-day tours of Sicily starting at $10,000 per person. He said demand to visit Taormina, Noto and Palermo has increased since the three cities were featured in the show. The company is waiting for details on season 3 and the airing of its memorable scenes to consider a Thailand itinerary.
Merchant says there's also an intangible side to White Lotus' influence: “Film and television have a subliminal effect on destinations, and people may not even realise they're being influenced and drawn in,” he explains.
Thailand's Tourism Ministry understood that power last year when it announced it would increase cash backs on foreign film productions to 20% starting in early 2024. The incentive will help attract HBO production crews, who could potentially save up to $4.1 million (the maximum cash back amount) as a result of the policy.
Thailand prepares to welcome tourists
With tourism declining for four consecutive years, Thailand, and Koh Samui in particular, has some work to do before welcoming Jennifer Coolidge-worshipping tourists.
The island is facing a pile-up of 150,000 tonnes of waste because its incinerators aren't functioning properly, and water shortages have forced some hotels to buy water from private companies while residents struggle to get water.
During a visit in April, Prime Minister Suretha Thavisin pledged to help Samui address at least some of these issues as it prepares for a surge in tourists, according to Ratchapong Poolsawasdee, chairman of the Koh Samui Tourism Association.
Mr Rajapong said the tourism industry was ecstatic that Koh Samui's attractions would be shown on the screens of millions of homes, and urged leaders to prepare for a surge in visitors.
“We have to widen roads, improve water services and deal with waste,” explains Rachapong. “We want to give our guests a great Thai experience, so we have to be ready and waiting for them to arrive.”
–With assistance from Sarah Rappaport.
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