Nation to rake in B7.5bn from films
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Nation to rake in B7.5bn from films

214 foreign movies shot in 1st 5 months

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports expects Thailand to earn 7.5 billion baht from foreign film productions this year, a 10% hike compared with last year's figure.

Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Pongpanich yesterday said the ministry was confident the target was achievable, especially after the filming of White Lotus Season 3, a hit HBO series being shot in Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui.

The third season is set to feature Thai-born K-pop artist Lalisa "Lisa" Manoban, he said.

On Friday, Mr Sermsak met Scott Schaeffer, senior vice president of HBO Production. He said the government recognises the importance of foreign film production not only in generating revenue but also in attracting tourists who are keen to visit shoot locations.

Foreign film production also helps create jobs and spur local economy, he said.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the foreign film production industry in Thailand has seen steady growth.

In 2022, the country earned about 6.39 billion baht from 348 film productions. The earnings rose about 5.3% to reach 6.75 billion last year when Thailand welcomed 466 film productions from 40 countries.

For this year, the ministry expects to earn 7.5 billion baht from the industry, Mr Sermsak said, adding that during the first five months, 214 foreign films were shot in Thailand, generating up to 3.53 billion baht and creating jobs for almost 14,000 Thais.

Mr Schaeffer, meanwhile, expressed his admiration for the professionalism of the Thai crew and the support from the government. He also praised the world-class beauty of the filming locations in Thailand, particularly the landscapes of Phuket, Koh Samui in Surat Thani and other islands in the Gulf of Thailand.

The decision to choose Thailand as the film location came from the government's tax rebate incentives which HBO and Warner Bros considered as the best in Asia, Mr Schaeffer said.

The tourism and sports minister said the government is confident more international film productions will choose Thailand as their film location due to its diversity, beautiful locations, experiences in global film productions of Thai crews, facilitation provided by the government, a 20% cash rebate and a waive of personal income tax for foreign actors and actresses.

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