Thailand Bets on Film Tourism to Turn Movie Locations Into Travel Destinations

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched “Amazing Locations: From Scene to Scenic,” a campaign built to convert the country’s rising profile as a filming destination into lasting tourism, as productions ranging from “The White Lotus” to “The Challenge” Season 42 continue to draw international attention to Thai locations.

TAT deputy governor Nithee Seeprae says the campaign grew out of watching how quickly the “set-jetting” trend has taken hold among travelers who plan trips around what they have seen on screen.

TAT frames the push as part of a broader strategy to make Thailand a top-of-mind choice for global productions, pointing to the strength of its local crews, production infrastructure, studio facilities and incentive programs as the pillars of that pitch. The campaign’s specific job, as Seeprae describes it, is to bridge filmmaking and travel: encouraging filmmakers to turn Thailand’s varied landscapes into cinematic backdrops while steering travelers toward the real places they recognize from the screen.

“We have seen firsthand how tangibly it benefits destinations and local communities when a film or series puts a place on screen,” Seeprae says. “It genuinely inspires people to travel, and we have seen that pull firsthand, audiences putting Thailand at the top of their must-visit list simply because they fell in love with it on screen first.”

The numbers back up the strategy. Seeprae says the country’s cash rebate program has drawn in upward of 100 foreign productions to date, funneling more than THB20 billion ($608 million) toward Thai crews and local economies. The rebate program itself is administered by Thailand’s Dept. of Tourism rather than TAT, though the agency promotes it as part of the country’s broader pitch to filmmakers. He points to Koh Samui as a case study: after the island appeared in the third season of “The White Lotus,” online interest in the destination jumped 88% and hotel reservations there grew 44%, figures he says have been echoed by titles including “The Hangover Part II” and “Jurassic World: Rebirth.” Recent Thailand shoots also include the Bollywood blockbuster “Dhurandhar,” Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” the survival sequel “Fall 2: Deadpoint” and “John Rambo.”

Seeprae says this year’s push doubles down on undiscovered locations rather than simply revisiting places already familiar to international audiences. He points to Isan provinces such as Nong Khai, Bueng Kan and Ubon Ratchathani, along with Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south, as places with striking scenery and a distinct sense of place that international productions have yet to explore. He cites director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s body of work as proof that cinema can give an entire region “a place in the world’s imagination.” As part of the campaign, TAT is running trips that bring filmmakers, producers, influencers and cultural figures into these locations along both a B2B track focused on production logistics and a B2C track aimed at travelers.

The push comes as Thailand’s production sector matures well beyond service work. Nicholas Simon, founder and producer at Indochina Prods., has watched the local crew base grow from working transportation on shoots to running productions worth well over $100 million. “Crew who were working 15 years ago as transport coordinators are now line producing $100 million projects,” Simon says, pointing to Thai nominees at the Creative Emmys for “The White Lotus” and “Alien: Earth,” and a Thai costume designer from “The Creator” who is now a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Simon credits “The White Lotus” and “Alien: Earth” with changing how Hollywood sees the country itself, rather than as a stand-in for somewhere else. Those productions, he says, also introduced the industry to Thailand’s art department talent, and “the film incentive has driven a new wave of productions scripted Thailand for Thailand.” Simon adds that under-filmed regions such as Songkla, Ranong and the natural rock formations of the north and northeast still hold plenty of unexplored ground, noting that “The Creator” alone shot across 17 of Thailand’s 76 provinces.

That maturity has pushed Indochina into original content through its new venture, TSixtySix. Producer Cod Satrusayang, head of studio at TSixtySix, says, “We think given the right support and the right stories, Thailand can become the next Asian wave following in the footsteps of South Korea,“ adding that clients who once came to Thailand purely for service work are increasingly asking about local stories too. Satrusayang says the biggest remaining gap is screenwriting talent able to work within structure, and that streamers willing to back genres beyond horror and romance are reshaping what gets developed. TSixtySix has a heist film releasing early next year and a coming-of-age drama shooting in late January, with Satrusayang predicting demand for Thai content will keep rising.

The country’s reputation as a source of acclaimed auteurs reinforces its appeal as a location, according to Raymond Phathanavirangoon, producer and founder of the SEAFIC Script Lab. Wong Kar Wai shot much of “In the Mood for Love” in Thailand because, Phathanavirangoon says, “there are locations in Thailand that seem untouched by time since the 1950s-1960s.” He notes that European filmmakers have told him Bangkok’s futuristic skyline could support a science-fiction film in the vein of “Alphaville,” and points to the local production “A Useful Ghost” as an example of a film built around unusual local settings. Phathanavirangoon says specificity, not international polish, is what makes Thai stories travel, citing “9 Temples to Heaven” and the Burmese Busan winner “Ma — Cry of Silence” as films that succeeded by staying rooted in local culture rather than chasing a global audience.

Phathanavirangoon says independent filmmakers are often the ones expanding what audiences associate with Thailand beyond its best-known landmarks. He points to Udon Thani, near the Phu Phra Bat Historical Park, and a growing contemporary arts scene anchored by museums such as Dib and MAIIAM, as the kind of settings independent directors are now drawing on. Director Chantana Tiprachart’s upcoming “Esarn Seven,” shot north of Udon Thani, is one example he cites of a film built around a region rarely seen on screen.

Producer Cattleya Paosrijarern, whose work centers on independent and auteur cinema, says international shoots and homegrown storytelling can coexist without one undermining the other. “Even with line production, we always push to be creative partners, not just vendors,” Paosrijarern says.

She says international funding is welcome but “the money must serve the artist’s vision,” and argues that hyper-local Thai stories only resonate abroad “when it’s backed by quality,” pointing to knowledge, vision and sustained policy support as the real drivers of that continuity. Her upcoming slate includes “Tremble Like a Flower,” the debut feature from visual artist Pathompon Tesprateep, and “Esarn Seven.”

Thailand’s location appeal extends into unscripted television. “The Challenge” Season 42 shot across Bangkok, Pattaya and the Chonburi region, and executive producer Justin Booth says the decision came down to more than scenery. “Thailand has some of the most professional and polished art department personnel anywhere in the world, and you’re able to access that level of talent at a better price,” Booth says. He adds that the range of environments within a compact area gave producers flexibility to design challenges they could not have built elsewhere, comparing the local infrastructure favorably with other countries that have hosted the franchise.

Season 42 also splits its 24 competitors into three teams competing for a share of $500,000, reviving the “Cutthroat” format the show first used in 2009. Booth says the cast made the timing right for the format’s return, and that viewers should watch how team dynamics evolve after a run of seasons built around pairs and individual competition. Asked whether he’s conscious that viewers might want to visit places the show has featured, Booth says that outcome isn’t the production’s primary goal but is one it keeps in mind. “The whole point of turning ‘The Challenge’ into an international competition show was to showcase these locations while also reaching a new or different audience,” he says.

Host T.J. Lavin says Thailand delivered some of the most memorable moments he has filmed for the show, from a season-opening challenge staged in downtown Bangkok to the daily rhythms of life in the country. “It was one of the most incredible and fun places that I’ve ever been,” Lavin says. “Not to mention, foot massages on the daily were amazing.” He says the humidity added real physical difficulty to the competition, thickening the air enough that “even some of the easiest tasks become difficult.”

Thailand’s locations are also central to “Inherit,” the horror feature set to premiere as a gala presentation at the Toronto Film Festival. Director Banjong Pisanthanakun says finding the right physical spaces shapes his films as much as the scripts do. For “Inherit,” he says the main family house “actually combined three real locations plus a sound stage to create a single location that matched the exact mood we wanted.” Pisanthanakun says Thailand’s horror tradition, which he calls part of the culture’s “modern cultural heritage,” continues to travel internationally alongside newer genres such as the family drama “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” and the thriller “Bad Genius.”

Star Davika Hoorne, who plays a centuries-old demon matriarch in the film, says she hopes international audiences take away more than scares. “For audiences around the world, ‘Inherit’ is more than just a horror film, it’s also a glimpse into Thai culture,” Hoorne says. “I hope people feel both the thrill and the heart, and walk away pleasantly surprised.”

Several of these voices are set to share a stage in Toronto. TIFF is hosting a summit panel titled “From Scenic to Scene: How Thailand Shapes Global Cinema,” billed as an exploration of how landscape, local culture and incentives turn the country into what organizers describe as “a global story engine.” Pisanthanakun and Satrusayang are the featured guests, with Phathanavirangoon moderating and Seeprae delivering opening remarks.

For TAT, the ambition extends well past any single title. Seeprae says success five years from now would mean Thailand being recognized as “a prototype destination for filmmaking,” with productions returning to explore regions beyond the familiar and the resulting tourism sustained rather than a brief moment of interest.