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Mike White, the creator of the HBO series The White Lotus, was in Thailand searching for the perfect place to film the show’s third season. His journey had led him to the island of Koh Samui and into the open-air lobby of the Four Seasons Resort, overlooking lush mountains, glimmering ocean and US$9,000-a-night villas.
The hotel’s general manager, Jasjit Singh Assi, was ready with his pitch. But it did not take much to persuade White.
“He was quiet for a bit,” Assi says. “Then he says, ‘All right, this is it.’ It was as if he fell in love with it.”
Nearly two years later, the country is preparing to reap the benefits when the new season is released next year.

Set at a fictional resort called the White Lotus, the murder-mystery dramedy has garnered acclaim for its story of wealthy tourists and the working locals who cater to them. It is also known for sparking real-life travel booms as fans of the show seek out the set locations – a phenomenon that has been called the “White Lotus Effect”.
A starring role for Thailand is an advertisement for a country which has broader ambitions to make more money from Western film productions and tourists alike.
Last month, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra met Hollywood executives in Los Angeles and announced a plan to increase cash rebates for foreign filmmakers.
The plan, which awaits approval by lawmakers, would lift the maximum rebate from 20 per cent to 30 per cent, with no upper limit on the cash paid back.
“It’s amazing,” says Cod Satrusayang, head of development at Indochina Productions, a Bangkok-based production services company. “It puts us literally within the first tier in Asia, and very competitive with the rest of the world.”
Not everybody knows Koh Samui as a destination. The resort is now going to be on the global stage, and there’s an excitement to that
Jasjit Singh Assi, general manager of Four Seasons Resort, Koh Samui
Thailand’s rebate programme began in 2017. Udom Matsayawanigul, director of the Thailand Film Office, which is part of the Tourism Ministry, says that as competition to lure foreign productions has stiffened, Thailand has had to sweeten its offers to keep up.
The Thailand Film Office estimates that every dollar of foreign film investment generates US$2.80 in economic activity. The government hopes the attention will help it reach its goal of attracting a record 40 million tourists next year.
There are risks, however.

A 2023 Chinese action film about a kidnapping in Thailand is thought to have contributed to a decline in tourism from China. More recently, an Apple advertisement shot in Thailand drew criticism that it unfairly portrayed the country as run-down and outdated. Apple apologised and pulled the spot from social media.
And after the 2000 release of the film The Beach, as many as 8,000 tourists a day made the pilgrimage to the islands around Phuket and Koh Phi Phi, where it was filmed. They crowded Maya Bay with boats, driving away marine life and destroying coral reefs.
In 2018, the government closed the main beach in Maya Bay for restoration. It reopened in January 2022 with prohibitions on swimming and anchoring in coral areas – and periodic shutdowns for caretaking.
“The Beach was a lesson for Thailand ,” Udom says. “The National Parks Department has been mindful of this issue.”
The White Lotus is far from the only show to inspire visitors.

Misty Belles, vice-president of global PR at Virtuoso, a network of luxury travel agencies, says Emily in Paris increased tourism to France, Bridgerton visits to Britain and Squid Game tourism to South Korea.
But nothing quite measures up to the impact of Mike White’s creation. Bookings in Hawaii by Americans increased 25 per cent after the first season, which was shot in Maui, according to the luxury tour operator Black Tomato.
Bookings for Sicily tripled after The White Lotus season 2, which was set in the town of Taormina, as tourism came bouncing back from the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
“The location almost becomes a character in and of itself,” Belles says.
She says Thailand is already seeing an increase in bookings because of The White Lotus, which also includes scenes in Bangkok and Phuket.
On the island of Koh Samui, home to about 70,000 Thais, the Four Seasons is enjoying record-high occupancy rates amid a boom since the height of the pandemic, according to Assi, the general manager. He expects next year to be even bigger.

“Not everybody knows Koh Samui as a destination,” he says. “The resort is now going to be on the global stage, and there’s an excitement to that. We want people to come.”
While foreign visitors account for about two-thirds of tourism revenue in Thailand, excitement about Season 3 is also growing among domestic tourists, thanks to the casting of Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal, a Thai member of the K-pop group Blackpink.
Even outside the luxury resort’s private infinity pools, two-person bathtubs and 24-hour butler service, preparations for an expected tourism boom are under way.
Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, says Bangkok Airways will increase the number of daily flights to the island from 50 to 73.
With tourism accounting for more than 90 per cent of the island’s economy, local authorities are seeking government approval to expand the airport, ferry transport, waterworks, electricity network and roads.
“They want to bring in more people, so we need to improve our supply side,” he says. “I see a lot of places are starting renovations for the next year as well.”


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The White Lotus 3, set in Thailand, features Lisa (above) from K-pop group Blackpink as the resort manager. Photo: HBO

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Thailand is expecting a tourism bonanza from the third season of the popular HBO series, filmed at the Four Seasons Koh Samui resort


Thailand is expecting a tourism bonanza from the third season of the popular HBO series, filmed at the Four Seasons Koh Samui resort.


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