Phi Phi Islands in Thailand. (Photo Credit: Sebastian Pichler / EF Go Ahead Tours)
The highly anticipated third season of Mike White's hit HBO series "The White Lotus" is likely to be shot and set in Thailand, multiple sources close to the production recently told Variety.
Sources told the outlet that White has been spending time in Thailand scoping out sites. However, HBO declined to confirm a Season 3 location.
The first two seasons of "The White Lotus" were filmed at Four Seasons resort properties in Hawaii and Italy, respectively and Variety points out that Four Seasons operates at least four properties in Thailand, including in destinations such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and the Golden Triangle.
White hinted at Asia as a potential setting for the third season during a clip at the end of Season 2. "I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality. It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus," he said.
Production on Season 3 has yet to begin but the show is still generating plenty of buzz after its Season 2 finale broke viewership records in December. If Google search data and hotel bookings are any indications, the series' settings have been some of its biggest winners. The San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel, which doubled as the "White Lotus Resort & Spa, Sicily" in Season 2, was reporting a massive spike in demand after the series wrapped up last winter.
"Knowing the amount of demand, I think that it's going to get really challenging to find availability. Not only at the [San Domenico Palace] but throughout Sicily and Italy in general," said Marco Palermo, a managing account director with New York-based travel agency Authentic Italy.
If Season 3 does indeed take place in Thailand, the popular Asian destination will undoubtedly experience a big boost in tourism and a welcome one in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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