Thailand has become a popular filming location among movie makers, with over 50 requests to use Thailand as a filming location in just one month, the Thai Department of Tourism has said.

In January alone, the office received 56 requests from movie makers to film their production in Thailand, which accounts for a total investment value of around 687.35 million THB (22.4 million USD), Director of the Department of Tourism’s Thailand Film Office Wansiri Morakul disclosed.

Among these requests is a high-budget production from New Zealand , which is expected to start filming in Thailand in April, she added.

Wansiri pointed out that the fact that high-budget films chose Thailand as their filming location bodes well for the country.

In 2011, a total of 606 films were shot in Thailand , generating a revenue of 1.22 billion THB for the economy. However, last year's income from this area is 34.38 percent lower than that of the previous year when 1.86 billion THB was brought into the country from only 578 films.

This is partly a consequence of the flood crisis during the end of the year, which slowed down filming processes from October to December.

According to Wansiri, the office planned five roadshow activities for this year. Two roadshows were conducted in the Republic of Korea and the UK while the remaining three are scheduled for Hong Kong (China), Cannes and the US .

The office will reassure film makers that filming locations in Thailand have not been affected by last year’s devastating flood.-VNA/NNT