Thailand‘s government arrived at this year’s Cannes Film Market with “The White Lotus” as its flagship example of how the kingdom’s filming incentives translate into tangible returns.
Sunanta Kangvalkulkij, director-general of Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), tells Variety that the HBO series generated approximately $36.5 million in local production spending across 129 days of filming and engaged around 1,000 Thai crew members. After it aired, travel bookings to Thailand surged by around 300% and online searches for the country rose by roughly 88%.
“This is the right direction that the government has decided to support,” Kangvalkulkij says.
The series also marked the acting debut of Thai-born Blackpink member Lisa Manobal, deepening the cultural resonance of its Thailand connection.
Thailand’s core offering to international producers is a 30% cash rebate that Kangvalkulkij describes as carrying no spending cap and no cultural test – meaning productions are not required to incorporate Thai content. The rebate has drawn a run of major titles: alongside “The White Lotus,” recent shoots include “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “Alien: Earth” and Bollywood blockbuster “Dhurandhar.” Between January and March 2026, 162 international films were shot in Thailand, generating more than $36 million in inbound investment, according to ministry figures.
DITP brought 15 Thai companies to the Cannes Film Market this year under the theme “Reimagining Thailand.” Deal activity in the first two days of the market reached roughly THB500 million (approximately $15 million), and Kangvalkulkij says DITP targeted total deal value of around THB1.4 billion (approximately $42 million) for the full festival period.
The government has also allocated THB220 million (approximately $6.7 million) to fund 86 local productions, reflecting a dual strategy of courting inbound shoots while developing homegrown content. “We work really closely between the Thai filming and entertainment industry and also the Thai government agency,” Kangvalkulkij says. “It’s not just the Ministry of Commerce.”
Thai Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love series have emerged as among the most commercially dynamic products of that domestic effort. At Thai Night Cannes, Deputy Prime Minister Suphajee Suthumpun addressed the BL and GL market’s reach. “Thailand now produces over 55 percent of all Boys’ Love content in Asia, reaching audiences across Japan, Latin America, Europe and beyond,” Suthumpun said. The market was projected to surpass THB4.9 billion (more than $155 million) by end of last year. Kangvalkulkij says she expects that reach to extend further, with a delegation to South America planned for the coming weeks.
Opening the evening, Thai Princess Ubolratana spoke to the creative shift underway. “The more deeply a work is rooted in its own soil, the more genuine it feels and the further it can travel,” the princess said.
The broader creative picture bears that out. Kangvalkulkij cites the Palme d’Or awarded to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” in 2010 as a galvanizing moment for the Thai industry – a signal, she says, that Thai filmmakers could show their creativity to the global arena. That lineage runs directly through to this year’s Cannes: Sompot Chidgasornpongse, an Apichatpong collaborator of more than two decades, world-premiered his debut feature “9 Temples to Heaven” in Directors’ Fortnight, with Apichatpong serving as producer. “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies,” released in 2024, grossed more than $73 million worldwide, and last year at Cannes, “A Useful Ghost” took the top prize at Critics’ Week.
On the diplomatic front, Thailand and France are marking 170 years of bilateral relations this year. “France could be our gateway to the EU,” Kangvalkulkij says, adding that Thailand has reinitiated free-trade negotiations with the European Union, with both sides targeting a conclusion by year’s end.
