The third season of the HBO series 'The White Lotus' has led to a notable surge in online interest and hotel reservations for Koh Samui, Thailand's second-largest island.

Following the start of the new season, internet searches for Koh Samui increased by 88%, according to data from the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT).

Additionally, hotel bookings for the island rose by 44%, signaling a potential shift in tourism patterns for the region.

Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, vice president of the TCT, stated that the series has significantly heightened travel interest in Thailand, particularly in Koh Samui, where a social satire set at a luxurious resort unfolds over the course of a week.

The TCT anticipates that the island may not experience a typical low season for tourism this year.

Data from the online travel agency Opodo highlights that British travelers are showing the most interest in exploring Thailand, with a 53% year-on-year increase in searches.

During the opening week of the show's new season, from February 17 to 23, the United Kingdom ranked third globally for searches related to travel destinations in Thailand, accounting for 9% of all travel searches.

Alongside Koh Samui's 88% increase in searches, inquiries regarding Phuket and Bangkok saw rises of 66% and 61% respectively among UK users.

Accommodation inquiries among UK travelers for Koh Samui surged by 44%, and searches for hotels in Bangkok rose by 17%.

In the United States, accommodation searches for Koh Samui increased by 65% since January, further underlining the global appeal of the series.

The top five countries searching for Koh Samui on Agoda include Israel, Germany, France, the UK, and the US.

Ratchaporn pointed out that the phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the 'Lisa effect'—named after Thai K-pop star Lalisa 'Lisa' Manobal who appears in the show—has attracted a broad audience, not only from the UK and the US but also from ASEAN countries where her fan base is significant.

This trend offers opportunities for tourism businesses to refine their marketing strategies based on emerging data insights.

The TCT remains optimistic that the popularity of the series will sustain tourism in Koh Samui throughout the year.

The production of 'The White Lotus' Season 3 was backed by Thailand's Department of Tourism, which facilitates international film projects exceeding a budget of 50 million baht.

Other notable international productions filmed in Thailand recently include 'Jurassic World 4' and the TV series 'Alien', with the total economic contribution of these projects exceeding 7 billion baht.

The TCT describes these developments as manifestations of Thailand's soft power, highlighting the country's cultural allure and capacity to draw global interest.