Thailand saw a surge in hotel bookings by international visitors for the Songkran holiday in April, with the island of Koh Samui – filming location of the hit series White Lotus – recording a 65 per cent increase from a year ago, according to the government.
Koh Samui, located in southern province of Surat Thani, tops the hotel booking list for foreign tourists planning to check in between April 10 and 17, Deputy Spokesman Anukool Pruksanusak said in a statement, citing data from technology solutions firm SiteMinder.
The resort island is the primary destination for long-staying foreign tourists for the April holiday, Anukool said. The average stay has risen to 3.8 nights from 3.74 nights previously, he said.
The latest season of the White Lotus series has stirred international tourism interest for Koh Samui since it premiered in mid-February. Direct online bookings for the three Anantara resorts, owned by Minor International, rose 41 per cent in mid-February from a year ago, while web traffic more than doubled during the same period, according to founder Bill Heinecke.
Foreign bookings for hotels in northern Chiang Mai province and Bangkok registered a 41 per cent and 20 per cent increase respectively, according to Anukool. The government expects Songkran, the Thai new year holiday famous for public water fights, to generate about 20 billion baht ($590 million) in tourism spending, he said.
Thailand welcomed 8.9 million visitors since the start of 2025, generating revenue of 434.7 billion baht, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The tourism industry accounts for about 12 per cent of the Southeast Asian nation’s economy and employs nearly 20 per cent of its workers.
