BANGKOK: The Thailand Film Office under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening the kingdom’s status as the preferred shooting location for all types of foreign film productions.
The Thailand Film Office is spearheading the effort offering foreign fillmakers to combine work and leisure in Thailand.
The ‘Amazing Workation’ initaitive has three key elements: Great Incentives, Great Services, and Great Relaxation, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said in a press release yesterday (May 10).
Great Incentives include maximum rebates of up to 20% for foreign film productions investing B50 million, with a cap of B150mn per project, as well as income tax exemption for foreign film actors from Aug 2, 2023, to Aug 1, 2028.
Great Services involve world-class facilities and hospitality for filmmakers, while Great Relaxation offers unique cultural experiences and leisure activities ready for them in Thailand.
“Thailand is already a favourite filming location for foreign TV and film makers, who applaud the kingdom’s diverse geographical characteristics, historical sites, natural beauty, fascinating culture, and filmmaking services and government support. The latest Amazing Workation initiative will certainly help further strengthen this appeal,” said TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn.
According to the TAT, 171 foreign films were shot in Thailand in the first four months of 2023 earning revenue of B1.29 billion. These represented an increase of 18 films and B118mn in revenue when compared to the same period in 2022.
In 2022, Thailand was chosen as the location for 348 foreign film productions earning revenue of almost B6.4bn.
Thailand has recently hosted some of the world’s most most high-profile TV productions. Notable among them are the third season of the reality TV series ’The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip’ which was shot in Phuket and premiered on the Peacock streaming service on Mar 23, 2023. The final two episodes of season 27 of ABC’s ’The Bachelor’ series were also filmed in Krabi and aired on Mar 20 and 27, 2023.
On the big screen, the Czech adventure comedy movie ’Ostrov’ was shot almost entirely in Phuket and Krabi and released in movie theaters across Europe in February 2023.
