25-02-2025
Thailand braces for surge in tourists after season 3 of 'White Lotus'
Excitement ran high in Thailand when the country was selected as the filming location for the third season of HBO's award-winning series "The White Lotus."
After taking us to elite resorts in Hawaii and Sicily, this season's sharp satire on the lives of the wealthy unfolds against the backdrop of Thailand's stunning landscapes, with the island of Koh Samui taking centre stage.
A luxurious Four Seasons Resort — where a night in a double room starts at around €2,000 — serves as the primary setting, with additional filming locations in Phuket and Bangkok.
Tourism officials, hoteliers and tour operators have eagerly anticipated an influx of "SetJetters" - travellers who are drawn to destinations featured in their favourite films and TV shows and who use the trending mobile app of the same name.
Expectations are high that Thailand will soon see a surge in visitors eager to experience White Lotus luxury first-hand following the latest season's premiere.
Online enquiries skyrocket
The tourism impact of the show is clear. After the first two seasons, visitor numbers to Maui and Sicily jumped by 20%, with the Four Seasons Resort Maui seeing a staggering 400% increase in booking enquiries.
Chompu Marusachot, director of the New York office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), hopes for a similar boost in Thailand.
Fittingly, the authority has already set up its own website for SetJetters.
That surge may already be underway. According to Forbes, searches for Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok on platforms like Expedia and spiked immediately after Thailand was announced as the latest White Lotus destination. The Insider Travel Report notes particularly high interest from German travellers
While Thailand's tourism industry welcomes the boom, many locals on Koh Samui are worried about mass tourism's consequences.
The island, already struggling with infrastructure issues, faces persistent water shortages during the dry season, exacerbated by a surge in visitors since the pandemic.
With the mainland supply proving insufficient, illegal groundwater drilling has left the island resembling "Swiss cheese," according to residents.
Waste management is another challenge. Without an incineration plant, all rubbish must be transported to the mainland, yet illegal dumps continue to appear alarmingly close to luxury resorts.
Traffic congestion is also worsening as more tourists rent scooters, cars and minibuses.
"If you want to get to work on time, you have to leave early in the morning now," laments a German resident who has lived on the island for three years.
As Thailand embraces the White Lotus effect, balancing tourism growth with sustainability will be an ongoing challenge.
From hidden gem to overcrowded hotspot
Koh Samui's hotel capacities are already stretched to the limit, driving up prices even for smaller accommodations. As one social media user put it, Thailand is being "loved to death" - and that was before the White Lotus effect.
Many residents worry about where this surge in tourism will lead, describing the island as already 'overcrowded.'
Once an off-the-beaten-path paradise, the 25-by-21-kilometre island in the Gulf of Thailand remained a hidden gem until the 1980s.
With its pristine beaches, coconut palms and untouched rainforests, it first attracted backpackers. But after the island's airport opened in 1989, visitor numbers soared.
In 2023 alone, 2.7 million tourists descended on Koh Samui - a staggering figure for an island with just 50,000 residents.
Now, major companies are capitalizing on the White Lotus buzz.
From March 12–15, American Express is offering The White Lotus Thailand Experience, featuring a stay at the Four Seasons Koh Samui, luxury spa treatments and themed dinners inspired by the series.
Meanwhile, the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok has introduced a White Lotus-themed afternoon tea, ensuring that fans can indulge in the show's opulence long after the credits roll.
Fans flock to film locations cross the globe
SetJetting, the trend of visiting iconic film and TV locations, has become a global phenomenon.
From New Zealand's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," to Dubrovnik, Croatia - featured in "Game of Thrones" - and the UK's "Bridgerton" and "Downton Abbey" locations, countless destinations have seen an influx of visitors drawn by their on-screen fame.
Thailand has experienced this first-hand.
Twenty-five years ago, Danny Boyle's "The Beach," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, turned the serene Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi into a must-see destination.
Initially untouched, the bay soon became overrun with tourists, causing irreparable damage to the coral reefs, loss of marine life like blacktip sharks and a build-up of waste.
Now, the potential impact of "The White Lotus" on Koh Samui is sparking widespread concern. The issue is being discussed extensively on social media and among locals.
One user, who has lived in Thailand since 1989, shared their heartbreak over the increasing destruction of the country's resources and infrastructure due to tourism.
Another criticized the country's growing focus on profit, while a third succinctly summed up the situation: "Koh Samui, good luck with the White Lotus effect."
