This was published 1 year ago
The White Lotus season two locations: Sicily and star hotel set for tourism boom
The pristine coastal region of Taormina in southern Italy is set for a tourism boom thanks to The White Lotus TV series.Credit: HBO/Binge
The pristine coastal region of Taormina in southern Italy is set for a tourism boom thanks to The White Lotus TV series, with searches for Sicily hotels and flights surging since the program debuted.
Season two of the Emmy Award-winning show launched in Australia on October 31 on Foxtel and streaming platform Binge. It's set in the fictional White Lotus hotel in Sicily and revolves around the lives of the hotel's wealthy guests and employees, with an ensemble cast that includes Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza and F Murray Abraham.
For fans wondering if the hotel is a real place you can stay – it is. The series was filmed in a Four Seasons property in the resort town of Taormina.
The high-end beachfront retreat features 111 rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, manicured Italian gardens and an infinity pool perched above the Ionian Sea.Credit: Four Seasons/Peter Vitale
The former 14th century cliffside monastery, San Domenico Palace, is at the heart of the series' many aesthetically pleasing scenes. Its prominence throughout the comedy-drama may explain why travellers are suddenly Googling the resort town en masse.
Stays at the San Domenico Palace aren't cheap, with rooms starting at about $A1140 a night, and soaring to nearly $A15,000 a night.
The high-end beachfront retreat features 111 rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, manicured Italian gardens and an infinity pool perched above the Ionian Sea. The series' executive producer David Bernad described the historic property as having "so much personality", in an interview with People.
Views of Mount Etna from the San Domenico Palace.Credit: Four Seasons/Peter Vitale
Perhaps it's this combination of factors that prompted a frenzy of searches for "White Lotus location" around the time of the season premiere, with Australia reporting the highest proportion of queries of any region, according to Google Trends.
Australian searches for accommodation and flights to the coastal region spiked again around the season premiere, with search query "Sicily hotel" trending between October 30 and November 5, and "Sicily flights" searches peaking again ahead of the season finale.
Despite the show's biting commentary on resort tourism and its privileged clientele, the real-life hotel is reportedly booked out until April 2023 – and Sicily accommodation providers are benefitting from the The White Lotus effect too. UK-based luxury villa rental platform The Thinking Traveller has noted a spike in Sicilian villa enquiries and bookings following the series' launch.
The White Lotus' season finale attracted a US viewership of 4.1 million – a new series high – while the season premiere has so far been watched by 10.4 million people, according to figures by Warner Bros Discovery. Australian viewership data isn't available.
Italy was already among one of the most popular international travel destinations for Australians pre-pandemic. About 263,000 Australians returned from trips to Italy in 2019 prior to border closures, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
Season one of The White Lotus was filmed in Hawaii at luxury resort The Four Seasons Maui, where series creator and director Mike White previously revealed the hotel was "happy for the business" despite the series essentially transforming the $US9000 ($A12,213) a night luxury resort into a "hotel from hell".
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