The White Lotus is already driving a travel boom in Thailand
The White Lotus didn’t just put the spotlight on Hawaii and Sicily, they transformed the local Four Seasons outposts into pop culture icons and cemented the destinations more broadly as bastions of luxury travel. Now, it’s Thailand’s turn. Ahead of the HBO show’s Season 3 premiere on Feb. 16, Thai tourism authorities, hoteliers and travel agents are readying for a surge in visitors.
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“I believe there was more than a 20% increase in visitors in Hawaii and Sicily, based on Seasons 1 and 2,” says Chompu Marusachot, director of the Thailand Tourism Authority’s New York office. “I can only hope that the momentum will be the same from Thailand.”
Chompu may be more than pleasantly surprised. With some key details already leaked about the upcoming season—such as the fact that it was shot in multiple locations and hotels across the country rather than one main home base—some fans have already started to align their travel plans with the show’s expected backdrops. And the increase in visitors is likely to represent big spenders, too, with featured hotels such as the Four Seasons Koh Samui charging rates that can stretch north of $1,200, even during monsoon season.
Take travel agency Fora, which is already seeing a spike in demand to the land of smiles.
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