Thailand – Following the premiere of HBO’s hit series ‘The White Lotus’ third season, online travel agency Agoda has reported a 12% surge in accommodation searches for Koh Samui, the show’s primary filming location, with interest from the United States soaring by 65%.
Agoda reports that a surge in US searches has placed the country among Koh Samui’s top five inbound markets, replacing Malaysia. The island’s top international searchers now come exclusively from the West: Israel, Germany, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The third season of ‘The White Lotus’ was filmed in Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Pha-Ngan, and Phuket, featuring a cast that includes Patrick Schwarzenegger and BLACKPINK’s Lalisa Manobal.
Notably, the first two seasons of the said series boosted tourism in Hawaii and Sicily. Building on this trend, the Thai government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) successfully lobbied for the third season to be filmed in the country.
Pierre Honne, country director for Thailand at Agoda, said, “The third season premiere of ‘The White Lotus’ has been a highly anticipated event in Thailand as it has across the rest of the world. It’s thrilling to finally see beloved Thai destinations like Bangkok and Koh Samui as the settings for a global TV sensation. The potential positive effects on Koh Samui and Thailand’s tourism are undeniable.”
