The Thai government arrived at this year’s Cannes Film Market with “The White Lotus” as a prime example of how the country’s film incentives can lead to tangible benefits.
Sunanta Kanvalkurki, director of the Department of International Trade Promotion of Thailand (DITP), told Variety that the HBO series generated about $36.5 million in local production costs over its 129-day filming period and involved about 1,000 Thai staff members. After the show aired, travel bookings to Thailand increased by approximately 300% and online searches for the country increased by approximately 88%.
“This is the right direction that the government has decided to support,” Kanvalkurki said.
The series also marked the acting debut of Thai-born Blackpink member Lisa Manobar, deepening the cultural resonance of the ties to Thailand.
The core of Thailand’s offer to overseas producers is a 30% cash rebate, and Kanvalkurki explains that there are no spending caps or cultural tests, meaning there is no need for production companies to incorporate Thai content. The rebate has attracted a string of major titles, and in addition to “The White Lotus,” recent productions include “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” “Alien: Earth” and the Bollywood blockbuster “Durandal.” According to the ministry’s statistics, 162 international films were shot in Thailand from January to March 2026, generating more than $36 million in inbound investment.
This year, DITP invited 15 Thai companies to the Cannes Film Market under the theme “Reimagining Thailand”. Trading activity during the first two days of the market reached approximately 500 million baht (approximately $15 million), and DITP was targeting a total trading value of approximately 1.4 billion baht (approximately $42 million) over the entire festival period, Kanvalkulkiji said.
The government also allocated 220 million baht (approximately $6.7 million) to fund 86 local productions, reflecting a dual strategy of promoting inbound filming while developing domestically produced content. “We work very closely with the Thai film industry, the entertainment industry, and Thai government agencies,” Kanvalkulkiji said. “It’s not just the Department of Commerce.”
Thailand’s Boys Love and Girls Love series have emerged as one of the most commercially dynamic products of its domestic endeavors. At Thailand Night Cannes, Deputy Prime Minister Sufaji Sutumpun spoke about the expansion of the BL and GL markets. “Thailand currently produces more than 55% of all boy love content in Asia, reaching audiences around the world, including Japan, Latin America and Europe,” said Mr Stumpun. The market is expected to exceed 4.9 billion baht (more than $155 million) by the end of last year. Ms Kanvalkurki said she expected the scope to expand further, with a delegation to South America planned in the coming weeks.
At the beginning of the evening, Princess Ubolratana of Thailand spoke about the creative changes underway. “The deeper a work is rooted in the land, the more authentic it feels and the farther it can travel,” said the princess.
The creative picture supports that. Kanvalkurki cites the Palme d’Or win for Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Boonmee in 2010 as an exciting moment for the Thai film industry, which she says is a signal that Thai filmmakers have the potential to express their creativity on the world stage. That lineage continues directly to this year’s Cannes. Sompot Chidogasongponse, who has collaborated with Apichatpong for more than 20 years, released his debut feature 9 Temples to Heaven for the world premiere at Directors Fortnight, with Apichatpong serving as producer. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, released in 2024, grossed more than $73 million worldwide, and Helpful Ghost won the top Critics’ Week award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.
On the diplomatic front, Thailand and France are celebrating the 170th anniversary of bilateral relations this year. “France has the potential to become a gateway to the EU,” Kanvalkurki said, adding that Thailand has resumed free trade negotiations with the EU, with both sides aiming for a conclusion by the end of the year.
