Travellers in Thailand will now need ‘arrival card' as HBO's White Lotus boosts tourism
It has now become mandatory for all non-Thai nationals entering the country by air, land, or sea to fill the Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online from 1 May, the Tourism Authority of Thailand said.
The TDAC is a digital replacement for the paper-based TM6, a document that foreign travellers needed to fill out for entering or leaving Thailand, after it was suspended for air arrivals in 2022 and in 2024 for land and sea entries.
The process will now be digitised with TDAC replacing the TM6 form to keep an official record of a visitor's entry into and exit from the country.
The form will require travellers to fill in their personal information as well as details about the period of stay and accommodation arrangements.
This comes as the newest and third season of The White Lotus drove a wave of new tourism to the country as fans gear up to live out their own versions of the dark comedy.
After season one and two, locations Hawaii and Sicily saw a 300 per cent year-on-year surge in tourism, thanks to the 'White Lotus Effect', the island's tourism industry braced for a tide reminiscent of the show's previous filming locations.
The third instalment of the Emmy-winning HBO show takes viewers to the stunning landscapes of Koh Samui, where most of the episodes are shot, as well as to popular destinations like Bangkok and Phuket.
The Koh Samui island saw a 44 per cent rise in hotel reservations and 88 per cent increase in searches, according to the Bangkok Post.
The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui saw a 40 per cent spike in booking interest, according to Hotels.com.
Searches for linked to Thailand travel significantly increased in the US, UK, Germany, France and Israel with searches for Koh Samui accommodations up 65 per cent since January 2025.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand reported that the country welcomed over 35 million international travellers in 2024, generating more than 1.8tn baht ($53.5bn) in tourism revenue.
This year, it aims to attract 39 to 40 million international visitors and generate 3tn baht in revenue — a target that would mark a return to pre-pandemic arrival levels.
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