White Lotus season 3 boosts Koh Samui tourism by 88%
The third season of the HBO series The White Lotus has led to an 88% increase in Internet searches for Koh Samui and a 44% rise in hotel bookings on the island, according to tourism executives.
The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) predicts that Koh Samui may not experience a low season this year due to the popularity of the series, which satirically explores the lives of employees and affluent guests at an exclusive Thai resort.
Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, vice-president of the council, stated yesterday, February 21, that Season 3 of The White Lotus has significantly heightened interest in visiting Thailand, particularly Koh Samui.
Since the promotional activities for the latest season began, online searches for Koh Samui have surged by 88%. The first of the eight-episode series premiered on February 17 on the Max streaming service, with subsequent episodes released weekly.
The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui features prominently as the fictional White Lotus Resort & Spa in the series. Other scenes were filmed at the Anantara Bophut, Anantara Lawana, and Anantara Mai Khao Phuket resorts.
According to Opodo, a travel agency founded by European airlines, British travellers have shown the most interest in Thailand, with a 53% year-over-year increase in searches.
Koh Samui
In the show’s opening week, people from the United Kingdom ranked third globally for searching Thai destinations, with Thailand making up 9% of their travel queries. Koh Samui saw an 88% search increase, while Phuket and Bangkok experienced rises of 66% and 61%, respectively, among UK users.
Accommodation and travel bookings also saw a rise, with Koh Samui reservations up by 44% and Bangkok by 17%.
Ratchaporn noted that the TV show has generated significant excitement within the tourism sector. Agoda reported a 12% increase in hotel searches for Koh Samui even before the series aired.
Additionally, accommodation searches by US users for the island have increased by 65% since January. The top countries searching for Koh Samui on Agoda include Israel, Germany, France, the UK, and the US.
Ratchaporn mentioned the impact of the Lisa effect, referring to Thai K-pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal’s appearance in the series as a resort staff member. This has attracted not only British, European, and American tourists but also fans from ASEAN countries.
This trend provides opportunities for hotels and tourism businesses to gather data for their marketing strategies. Ratchaporn anticipates that the series will sustain tourism on the island throughout the year, potentially eliminating the low season.
The production of The White Lotus Season 3 was supported by the Department of Tourism, which aids international film productions with budgets over 50 million baht (US$1.5 million) in Thailand.
Other productions filmed last year in Thailand include Jurassic World 4 and the TV series Alien, with a combined value exceeding 7 billion baht (US$2.8 billion), Ratchaporn stated.
He added that this serves as a form of soft power, highlighting Thailand’s cultural allure, reported Bangkok Post.
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