Thailand is the talk of the virtual town. Social media conversations about traveling to Thailand have surged by 60 percent since the premiere of the HBO series White Lotus, which is set in Thailand for its third season, according to Sprout Social, which monitors social media trends.

“There were more than 775 million instances where conversations mentioning both ‘The White Lotus’ and Thailand appeared on users’ feeds,” said Rachael Goulet, Sprout Social’s director of social media. “People aren’t just talking about the show as something to watch; they’re talking about it as a reason to travel to Thailand.”

The data was drawn from social media conversations across X, YouTube, Reddit, and Tumblr, said Sprout Social.

The total number of conversations is equivalent to about twice the population of the United States. That level of engagement, Goulet said, does more than “indicate a strong trend on social media; it indicates a broader cultural moment.”

It also indicates that Thailand is benefiting from a phenomenon that travel industry analysts refer to as “Set-Jetting.” In a twist on the term “jet setters,” set-jetting is when travelers are drawn to destinations featured in TV shows and movies.

Expedia, the travel booking website, has called this trend a significant force in travel, with TV shows and movies now surpassing the influence of social media platforms alone.

“We found it hard to believe people were actually booking trips to places they saw on a show. We commissioned research and sure enough, movies and streaming shows are now the top inspiration for travel,” said Melanie Fish, chief trend tracker for Expedia Brands.

“But it’s not all talk,” CNBC reported. “Travel searches have jumped, in many instances, months before the (White Lotus) third season started.”

Search interest for Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, the show’s main filming location, soared 370 percent in Hong Kong in January year on year, according to Expedia, which also reported a significant rise in bookings to several areas in Thailand.