London, UK – 13th March 2019 – The Only Way is Thailand this year for the Essex based cast of award-winning, popular reality ITV show The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE).

The much-loved cast of TOWIE, plus one newcomer, travelled to the stunning island of Koh Samui between 5th – 13th March to film 2 amazing episodes for series 24, hitting TV screens on 17th March 2019 (9pm, ITVBe).

In a bid to add even more glamour to the show the cast ditched their usual European trip for a tropical twist and a more grown-up vibe this year. Since arriving in Koh Samui popular stars such as Chloe Sims and Pete Wicks have been hanging out at luxury hotels and enjoying the islands beautiful beaches, boat trips, yoga and plenty of delicious local food too. The boys explored the islands jungle interior on a 4x4 adventure while some of the girls fulfilled lifelong dreams of meeting Asia's gentle giants at the island's new elephant welfare centre, Samui Elephant Sanctuary, a haven for retired elephants.

A TOWIE trip isn't complete without a party, of course, and the cast has been making the most of the island's cool beach clubs too – think cocktails in cabana's under casuarinas. Heaven. Fans have been able to follow the cast's adventures on Instagram and Twitter using #TOWIEThailand but will have to tune in on the 17th March for full plot lines.

Joanna Cooke, PR Manager for the Tourism Authority of Thailand UK, who helped coordinate the project said; “This has been a really exciting project to work on and a great opportunity to showcase Thailand on prime time television to an engaged audience. Not only is each episode of TOWIE watched by over 1.2 million viewers but the cast, collectively, has 20 million+ followers across social media. Overall this is an excellent opportunity to work with multiple celebrity influencers as well as gain huge TV exposure, plus the massive press coverage generated from the trip and show itself.”

The 65 strong team of cast and crew flew to Bangkok with EVA Air and onwards to Koh Samui with Bangkok Airways. “We couldn't have achieved this without the fantastic support of our trade partners to whom we are incredibly grateful,” said Joanna.

Executive Producer Nazleen Karim comments; “This is a very exciting series for TOWIE. 24 series in and it's still one of the most exciting and dynamic shows to produce, still attracting big newsy headlines and a loyal fan base. The show's ongoing success is unprecedented in reality TV. As always, our job is to evolve the brand and this year we are very excited to bring some new, young cast into the fold and are looking forward to the new stories and fresh outlook they will offer. We've also got new cameras; new titles and a new logo so get ready for a new TOWIE look. As well as bringing on new cast it's important that our audience still get to enjoy the evolving lives of our much-loved existing cast and following them to one of the amazing countries they love to travel to means that the viewers can also enjoy what happens when those much-loved TOWIE faces (and bodies) travel to a beautiful holiday destination such as Thailand. Sun, sea, and wait and see…”

Executive Producer Cheryl Price adds; “TOWIE has always been about a luxury, aspirational lifestyle and as the show has enjoyed long term success so have the cast which has taken them to some of the most beautiful locations in the world where they've dined in the finest restaurants, partied in the most breath-taking locations and experienced more than most people could dream of. In our cast chats we asked where they'd like to go, and Thailand kept being mentioned. I have filmed in Thailand before and I knew it would give us the breath-taking locations and cultural experiences we were looking for to showcase how the cast has grown. It's a beautiful, magical country and we have been so welcomed by the local people who have helped us to create what we think are two of TOWIE's most exciting ever episodes. This is the furthest we have ever travelled, and it has been well worth it. The excitement of bringing the cast and our team to this wonderful country has reignited a passion within us all that has driven big noisy storylines against the most stunning backdrops and brought lots of energy, fun and humour that we're sure will translate onscreen.”

Don't miss the glamour and gossip of TOWIE in Thailand; tune in at 9pm on ITVBe on Sunday 17th March for the start of series 24 and one of two amazing episodes set in Thailand. Search #TOWIEThailand to catch up on the cast's Thai adventure and to tweet along with the episodes as they air (catch the second episode on 24th March at 9pm)

Want to travel to Thailand the TOWIE way? Check out their itinerary on the Tourism Thailand Blog for tips on where to stay and play and follow in the steps of your favourite cast stars!

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Notes to Editor

The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE)
The Only Way is Essex is the stand-out, smash hit, ITV Be entertainment series that follows the lives of a glamorous group of cast as they go about their totally Essex lives. TOWIE, as it has become so affectionately known, is a BAFTA-winning reality series that is filmed like a drama and shot and edited within a week of transmission. Unique and innovative, the show has changed the face of television, launching a completely new genre of entertainment known as 'dramality' or 'real drama'. Filled with make-ups and break ups, humour and warmth, TOWIE is addictive viewing and engages the audience across multiple platforms, with the strongest social media statistics in television.

PR Contact for TOWIE (Lime Pictures) is Rachel Hardy RHardy@limepictures.com

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is a government organisation, under the Ministry of Tourism & Sports. The promotional body's key objective is the positive promotion of Thailand worldwide to increase awareness of, and visitation to, the country through a variety of sales, marketing & PR strategies.