TAT pushes Thailand as world-class film location to drive sustainable tourism
Thailand is increasingly chosen as a filming site for international blockbusters, and TAT aims to harness this momentum to promote film location tourism across the country.
According to the Thailand Film Office under the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand hosted 322 foreign film productions between January and July 2025, generating more than 3.33 billion baht in revenue.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been actively supporting the film industry with three key strategies:
1. Coordination and facilitation (Ease of Filming)
TAT assists foreign film crews at both local and national levels, ensuring smooth and efficient operations.
Over the years, Thailand has welcomed productions of music videos, series, and blockbuster films, including Fast & Furious 9 (filmed in Krabi, Phang Nga, and Surat Thani in 2019), The White Lotus: Season 3 (filmed in February 2024), and Jurassic World: Rebirth (filmed in June–July 2024 across Krabi, Phang Nga, and Trang).
TAT has also partnered with Netflix to showcase Thai culture and tourism through productions such as Midnight Asia: Eat. Dance. Dream. and Hidden Gem. It has promoted Thai films and series abroad, with the Seoul office hosting screenings in South Korea, including Thong Ek: The Herbal Master, Khaosan Tango, Friend Zone, The Medium, and Bad Genius.
2. Financial incentives (Cash Rebate)
In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, TAT has enhanced cash rebate schemes for foreign film productions, offering rebates of 15–30% with no cap on rebate limits, effective from January 1, 2025.
This policy is designed to attract more world-class film projects to shoot in Thailand.
3. “Location Thailand” campaign
This programme promotes filming locations as tourist attractions, inspiring film-induced tourism and positioning Thailand as a creative tourism destination.
The campaign aims to spread visitor flows from major cities to secondary destinations and lesser-known filming sites, ensuring broader distribution of income to local communities.
The TAT has partnered with Universal Pictures to promote Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi as tourism destinations linked to the filming of Jurassic World Rebirth.
The initiative focuses on attracting more Film Industry Engagement through collaboration with the Thailand Film Office.
Planned activities include FAM trips for directors, producers, and leading studios to visit new and secondary filming locations; showcasing Thailand’s professional studios, equipment, special effects capabilities, and skilled crews; and hosting market briefings, table-top sales, and networking sessions to connect Thai businesses with global filmmakers, cash rebate schemes and tax exemptions for foreign actors.
Technology will also play a role, with GeoFencing systems providing real-time notifications about attractions and filming backstories, along with AR filters that allow visitors to virtually “pose with iconic scenes.”
To drive sustainable benefits, TAT is collaborating with OTAs, hotels, government agencies, and local communities to create film-inspired travel packages, upgrade infrastructure in filming areas, and enhance workforce skills across related industries.
In addition, events such as the Amazing Film Festival Experience are being launched to reinforce Thailand’s position as a global “Film Destination.” The strategy underlines the role of film-induced tourism in dispersing income to local communities, creating jobs, and strengthening the international Amazing Thailand brand through entertainment media.
Harnessing film power to drive sustainable tourism
The Governor of TAT Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the agency has been using the film industry as a tool to promote the creative economy and advance sustainable tourism. Each region of Thailand offers unique charms that have been showcased in international blockbusters, creating opportunities to further promote the country’s destinations.
For instance, Chiang Mai was the backdrop of the Chinese hit Lost in Thailand (2012), Phitsanulok appeared in the sci-fi epic The Creator (2023), and Phuket featured in Meg 2: The Trench (2023).
Follow in the footsteps of The White Lotus and Jurassic World
Last year, TAT supported the filming of HBO’s The White Lotus: Season 3, providing logistical assistance (Ease of Filming) and launching the official website The White Lotus Thailand.
The Bangkok premiere of The White Lotus: Season 3 was also hosted as a promotional platform, linking the series to Thai destinations where filming took place, Bangkok, Phuket, and Koh Samui. The aim was to inspire US travellers to visit Thailand and follow in the footsteps of the acclaimed series.
Thailand became the first country to feature three separate filming locations for the show, highlighting the diversity and capability of its tourism and film infrastructure. After the series aired, destinations such as Koh Samui saw a surge in popularity, with hotel bookings rising 44% year-on-year.
TAT capitalised on this momentum by creating follow-the-series travel packages for markets in Europe, the US, the Middle East, and China, positioning the series as a soft power driver.
In the US, TAT’s Los Angeles office targeted premium segments—Gen Y/Z, LGBTQIA+, Asian Americans, luxury travellers, and sports enthusiasts—while leveraging the “White Lotus Effect” to promote direct Thailand-US flights. Partnerships with operators such as Classic Vacations and EF Ultimate Break highlighted luxury travel and series-inspired itineraries in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, and Phuket.
Meanwhile, TAT’s New York office promoted wellness tourism for the Canadian market, teaming up with fashion label 3.1 Phillip Lim to design a limited-edition sportswear line inspired by The White Lotus: Season 3.
TAT played a key role in facilitating the filming of Jurassic World: Rebirth at iconic tourist destinations and is now building on this momentum with film-inspired tourism campaigns. These include “follow-the-film” tours to promote the locations featured in the blockbuster and the creation of engaging content distributed via TAT’s channels and media partners to further strengthen Thailand’s tourism promotion.
Filming locations featured in Jurassic World: Rebirth
- Krabi: Railay Beach (opening scene), Bagan Village, Huai To Waterfall, Khlong Rood (Emerald Canal), Nai Mueang Beach, Tho Luang Cave, Khao Khanab Nam, and Khao Ngon Nak
- Phang Nga: Phang Nga Bay
- Trang: Sunset Beach and Koh Kradan
The film was shot in Thailand between June and July 2024 with a production budget of over 400 million baht. Beyond enhancing Thailand’s international image, the project created employment for more than 2,245 Thais, spanning crew members, production companies, and local service providers, underscoring Thailand’s potential as a world-class film destination.
Thailand attracts another mega-production: Alien Earth
Following the success of Jurassic World: Rebirth, Thailand was also selected as the filming location for the big-budget international series Alien Earth, which premiered on August 13, 2025 on Disney+ Hotstar. This marks the most expensive foreign series filmed in Thailand in more than 30 years, with an investment of 2.8 billion baht and a production schedule lasting nearly two years.
Filming took place across seven provinces, Bangkok, Phang Nga, Krabi, Nakhon Pathom, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Samut Prakan, providing jobs for more than 16,000 Thai crew members.
These projects highlight Thailand’s growing role as a premier global filming hub, bringing both economic impact and cultural visibility through international entertainment media.
