When the HBO black comedy “The White Lotus” premiered in the summer season of 2021, it took viewers to Hawaii’s sunny Maui. It was a correctly timed pandemic escape full of intrigue, satire, intercourse and bloodshed.
The 2nd time featured a typically new forged — save for Jennifer Coolidge and her character’s quietly sinister partner, played by Jon Gries — and a new locale, Taormina, on the rugged southern Italian island of Sicily.
Both of those seasons place the spotlight on so-known as “display screen tourism” — the increasing inclination of tourists to flock to places they see in tv shows and movies.
U.S. Google queries about viewing Italy spiked nearly 20% in between Oct — just after the 2nd season premiered — and December of 2022, in accordance to the on the net investigation firm Semrush.
Travel bookings by Americans to Italy virtually doubled during this time as well, in accordance to Jim Corridore, insights manager at the sector analysis firm Similarweb.
Given that the beautifully shot options are as significantly a character as the solid, viewers are now clamoring to uncover out exactly where the third time will be filmed.
A not-so-subtle hint
Numerous viewers caught a not-so-subtle hint in the closing display, when Daphne (performed by actress Meghann Fahy), toasting at supper, explained, “Upcoming year, the Maldives.”
But we are not so confident.
The Maldives was named-dropped near the stop of period two of “The White Lotus,” major admirers to speculate it would be the next filming area.
HBO has not announced the place the next time will be set.
However, in October 2022, exhibit creator Mike White implied it could be Asia, when he informed the entertainment information web-site Deadline: “I consider it’d be enjoyable to probably go to a whole distinctive continent. You know, we did Europe — and perhaps Asia, a thing ridiculous like that, that would be fun.”
A next theory
There’s so a lot enjoyment created by the exhibit — and its borderline fanatical fanbase — that any statement created by White is speedily pounced on.
That is what took place when he created a temporary online video concept for writer Evan Katz Ross though purportedly on a beach in Thailand very last month.
Ross posted the video clip to his Twitter account, which has some 1.5 million sights. Cue the theories that “The White Lotus” is heading to the Southeast Asian country known as “The Land of Smiles.”
The front-runner: Japan
But the smart revenue is on Japan — specifically, the historic previous money of Kyoto.
In season a single, 4 Seasons Vacation resort Maui at Wailea played host to the present. In time two, it was the San Domenico Palace Taormina Four Seasons Resort.
Like Maui and Taormina, Kyoto also has a 4 Seasons hotel. The Zen-like 5-star hotel is designed all-around an historical pond the place a famed warlord lived through the 12th century.
Japan has 3 Four Seasons accommodations — two in Tokyo and one particular in Kyoto (pictured).
The locale performs into hints that spirituality will be the concentrate of season three far too.
“The first year highlighted cash, and then the 2nd period is sexual intercourse,” White explained to Deadline. “I feel the third season will be a satirical and funny search at loss of life and jap religion and spirituality.”
He even enable slip that “Jennifer [Coolidge] is my mate and every person loved her in the very first period, and I was like, ‘I cannot go to Italy with out Jennifer.’ And probably that is even now the case. Like, perhaps you cannot go to Japan with no Jennifer both.”
In truth, in Japanese tradition the lotus flower is revered for remaining in a position to emerge beautiful and pristine from filthy drinking water, symbolizing enlightenment.
“Enlightened” is the title of another HBO sequence, developed by Mike White, which ran for two seasons and starred Laura Dern.
We requested 4 Seasons Kyoto irrespective of whether plans to shoot there are without a doubt afoot — but associates declined to remark.
If Kyoto is indeed the locale, the resort and city can assume a sizeable uptick to its international profile as soon as the exhibit airs.
The affect of ‘screen tourism’
For the premiere and finale of the two seasons of “The White Lotus,” the 4 Seasons motels in Maui and Taormina experienced some of their highest search visitors ever, stated Marc Speichert, the main commercial officer at Four Seasons Motels and Resorts.
“In Maui, for example, during the to start with time, we skilled a 425% 12 months-around-12 months raise in web-site visits and a 386% improve in availability checks,” he stated.
San Domenico Palace Taormina, which has the legendary steep slopes of smoldering Mt. Etna as its backdrop, is shut for the year until eventually mid-March, but then thoroughly booked right until May — so hopes of skipping down the corridors like Mia and Lucia will have to wait.
Two figures expended the night in Villa Tasca in the 2nd time of “The White Lotus.” To do the identical, get ready to fork out all-around $6,000 for each night time.
But other filming areas in Sicily have also turn into preferred, such as Villa Tasca in the Sicilian money metropolis of Palermo.
The 16th-century estate, which has four bedrooms and 20 acres of gardens, is detailed on Airbnb for close to $6,000 for each night time.
Beyond “The White Lotus,” the broader trend of touring to visit iconic Tv and motion picture areas carries on to improve.
Netflix shows like “Bridgerton” and “Emily in Paris” are claimed to have greater journey desire to Tub, England (pictured) and France, respectively.
Jon Gieselman, president of Expedia Brands, stated, “We are seeing a surge in outings to lifestyle capitals and Television shows enjoying a function in tourism.”
It can be extremely a great deal a world wide phenomenon far too. When polled, two-thirds of world-wide tourists have thought of — and nearly 40% have booked — journeys to locations just after viewing them in films or tv, according to an Expedia report posted in November 2022.
