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Hit TV series The White Lotus driving travel boom in Thailand
The Straits Times
|January 31, 2025
The first two seasons of The White Lotus (2021 to present) did not just put the spotlight on Hawaii and Sicily.
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They also transformed the local Four Seasons outposts into pop culture icons and cemented the destinations more broadly as bastions of luxury travel.
Now, it is 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.
"I believe there was more than a 20 per cent increase in visitors in Hawaii and Sicily, based on Seasons 1 and 2," says Ms Chompu Marusachot, director of the Thailand Tourism Authority's New York office. "I can only hope that the momentum will be the same for Thailand."
This story is from the January 31, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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