One of the most successful shows in recent years, the razor-sharp dark comedy-drama The White Lotus, has been on everyone's minds since season one came out in 2021.
Fans have impatiently been waiting for the latest season of the caustic series that takes great pleasure in poking fun at wealthy and entitled Western travellers – and while season three is not going to run until 2025 (delayed from 2024 due to the actors' and screenwriters' strikes), new information on the filming locations will whet fans' appetites for the dysfunctional drama that is sure to follow.
Season one of the Emmy-winning series examined wealth and colonialism in Hawaii, while season two in Sicily positioned money and sex as its primary themes. Rumours have long been circulating that White Lotus three will be filmed in Asia, with director Mike White hinting at the end of season two that the next one will focus on "death and Eastern religion and spirituality".
The show was originally interested in filming in Japan, but in March 2023, it was reported that Thailand had been chosen. This was in part due to millions of dollars in filming incentives, Japanese producer Georgina Pope said at the 2023 Tokyo Film Festival – meaning a rebate of $4.4m on a $35m project.
The decision was recently confirmed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), who have revealed that new episodes of the dark comedy are slated to begin filming in Bangkok, Phuket and Ko Samui starting this month. "We are honored to have amazing Thailand featured as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of 'The White Lotus'," the TAT's Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said in a press release.
The impact of the show on each destination has been phenomenal. Season one, which was filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea in Hawaii, caused a 425% year-over-year increase in web traffic for the property. Season two turbocharged interest in Sicily, with the Italian island and its ancient resort town of Taormina seeing a surge in inquiries and bookings. The Four Seasons' cliffside San Domenico Palace – where much of the season's tangled storyline played out – was booked solid for months.
Dubbed "The White Lotus effect", this phenomenon of travellers flocking to the locations of their favourite TV shows and movies will surely apply to season three and define Thailand's travel and tourism trends in the coming months and years.
While Thailand has now been officially confirmed as the filming location, the exact location of The White Lotus – the series' fictitious chain of exclusive resorts that serve as a perfect backdrop to the whims of its privileged guests – has remained speculation.
The first two seasons were both shot exclusively in Four Seasons
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