ABTA predicts that Thailand could be the latest beneficiary, with the third season of The White Lotus now airing weekly until early April and filmed primarily in Bangkok, Phuket and Ko Samui. Asia in general is set for an influx of visitors from the UK this year, with ABTA’s Travel Trends for 2025 report showing that 11% of people are planning to go there by the end of this summer, up from 9% the year before.
This pique in interest was no doubt boosted by other hit programmes over the past year, such as series four of Race Across the World which saw contestants chart various routes through six Asian countries from Japan to Indonesia. Other recent examples of shows delivering a dose of holiday inspiration include Amanda Holden and Alan Carr’s renovation programmes in Italy and Spain, Alison Hammond’s Florida Unpacked and Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure.
ABTA’s Director of Communications, Graeme Buck, said: “Beautiful locations and incredible holiday experiences from shows like The White Lotus and Race Across the World deliver a weekly nudge that we could be doing something just as amazing on our next holiday too. “And although many are now talking about AI as a growing source of holiday inspiration, our research shows that TV and film are having much more impact.
“We’d encourage anyone inspired to travel by their favourite TV shows or films to book through a travel agent, as they can advise on the best time to visit, tailor-make your travel itinerary to suit your interests and budget, and arrange it all as a package for an extra layer of protection.” The White Lotus is currently celebrating the premiere of its third season on Max, the HBO streaming platform. The drama, which, after filming in Hawaii and Sicily in its first two instalments, now travels to an exclusive resort in Thailand and in March comes Mallorca.
The location will be the Four Seasons Formentor and one of the actors in the new episodes, the British actor Jason Isaacs, will be on the island according to Fotogramas. The Four Seasons Formentor is the chain’s second hotel in Spain and reopens its doors on 14 March with many new features. Among them is the White Lotus Cabana - inspired by the hit series.
And to mark the premiere of this new season, the hotel will open the White Lotus Cabana from 14 to 17 March. It is a space located by the pool where guests can enjoy a special menu of cocktails and food inspired by the destinations where the different seasons of The White Lotus have been filmed: Hawaii, Taormina and Koh Samui.
The White Lotus is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Mike White for HBO. It follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose interactions are affected by their various psychosocial dysfunctions. The press release notes that “each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself”.
Intended as a 6-part limited series, The White Lotus premiered on July 11, 2021, to critical acclaim and high ratings. The show’s success led to HBO renewing it as an anthology series; a second season premiered on October 30, 2022. A third season premiered on February 16, 2025. In January 2025, prior to the premiere of season 3, the show was renewed for a fourth season.
The series received critical acclaim. It was included on the American Film Institute’s list of the ten best programs of 2021 and 2022, and it received various accolades, including 15 Primetime Emmy Awards and 2 Golden Globes.
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