Southern Thailand is redefining what luxury travel means, with experiences that leave a lasting impact.
When “Jurassic World: Rebirth” chose Krabi, Phang Nga and Trang for filming locations, on screen wasn’t just a cinematic fantasy. It featured the real geography of Southern Thailand with its seemingly untouched rainforests, million-year-old limestone cliffs and vivid emerald seas.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, during filming in mid-2024, the film’s production company injected more than 400 million baht to 650 million baht ($12.8 million to $20.8 million) into the Thai economy and created more than 2,245 jobs. Since the film was released in 2025, these locations have become magnets for film-inspired travelers, or “set-jetters.” Last year, Thailand welcomed more than 10 million long-haul travelers, including 1 million visitors from the U.K.
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In the cinematic geography of the Southern region, each province plays a different role. Krabi feels like a natural adventure set: Ao Luek, Khlong Hru, Khao Khanap Nam and the trails of Khao Phanom Bencha National Park feel like walking through a movie scene.
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Phang Nga offers seas that feel both majestic and mysterious. Trang moves at a quieter, deeper rhythm with sunsets on Koh Kradan and the landscapes of Hat Chao Mai National Park adding emotion to every journey. While cinema draws people in, the TAT is taking travelers further into a space of healing that welcomes every version of who they are.
“Thailand has an environment where wellness traditions and contemporary lifestyles naturally merge,” said Kiatphaibool. “This idea is reflected in the Healing Journey Thailand project.”
Under the big idea that “Healing is the New Luxury,” TAT partnered with British artist and culture influencer Henry Moodie to tell Thailand’s story through a softer lens. With more than 10 million followers worldwide, Moodie has become the heart of TAT’s Celebrity and Lifestyle Stories project, which showcases Thailand as a place to rest the mind.
Moodie’s journey through the South was about being present, starting with kayaking through mangroves, hiking to “Huai To” Waterfall, learning traditional weaving at Ban Na Muen Sri, diving at Koh Kradan and slowing down on Koh Mook.
By day, you can follow movie locations, go boating, hike and explore nature. As evening comes, everything slows with sitting by the sea, listening to the waves, spending time with local communities and letting your body and mind rest from the rush of the day.
The South is a place where travelers can do many things in one journey, in line with TAT’s vision: adventure and film-inspired travel during the day, rest and restoration in the evening. It’s this rhythm that defines Thailand’s new travel story, one shaped by the idea that “Healing is truly the new luxury.”
Today, Thailand is no longer just a destination; it’s a place for living and where people from many backgrounds choose to spend time in their own way. Luxury is not defined by price, but by the freedom to be yourself and to rest in the way your heart truly needs. Traveling in Thailand is about changing rhythm, from escaping chaos to finding calm, from listening to the outside world to listening to yourself.
Thailand is one of the few places in Asia where diversity is not just an idea, but is seen in everyday life, on the streets, in cafés, on beaches and in nightlife districts. People of different backgrounds and identities live side by side.