Bangkok, 29 November 2017– The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Halal Science Centre Chulalongkorn University are coordinating a special seminar on “Halal Tourism in Thailand” at the “4th Thailand Halal Assembly 2017″ to be held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) on 3 December, 2017 between 09.00 – 12.30 Hrs.
The event aims to increase and develop the potential for tourism operators to understand the promotion of tourism for the rapidly-growing Muslim market, and to build stronger tourism partnerships between government agencies, the private sector and the community.
The seminar will focus on ways to help Thailand attract more visitors from the Islamic countries, and enhance the ability of Thai-Muslim tourism entrepreneurs to upgrade the quality of their products and services to cater to this promising market.
The seminar topics are:
-“Halal Tourism in Thailand: how to promote Thailand as a Muslim friendly Destination” by Mr. Nithee Sriprae, Executive Director of the Tourism Product Department, TAT.
-“Local and Global Trends for Halal Tourism in the Media’s Perception” by Mr. Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor of Travel Impact Newswire.
– “Halal Tourism in Thailand as a Muslim friendly Destination (Discussion)”
-“Southern Community – based Tourism Connectivity by Dr. Prachyakorn Chaiyakot, Lecturer, Hatyai University
– “The Opportunity of Halal Tourism in Northern Thailand” by Mrs. Suwaluck Uansa-ard, Director of the Human Resource Management Program, Rajabhat Chiang Mai University .
– “A Perception of Tour Guides in Halal Tourism” by Dr. Aree Binprathan, Researcher and Professional Tour Guide
For online registration, please click here. (before 2 December 2017). E-mail: [email protected]
More than 1,000 delegates are expected to attend the Thailand Halal Assembly, which will be inaugurated by Thai Prime Minister H.E. Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha. The event is organised jointly by the Halal Science Center of Chulalongkorn University, the Central Islamic Council of Thailand and Halal Standard Institute of Thailand.
TAT Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn said, “As the country’s leading annual event for the Thai-Muslim community, the Thailand Halal Assembly attracts strong participation from business executives, academics, government officials and eminent personalities from the ASEAN countries, the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. This will help us meet the national tourism strategy of positioning Thailand as a Muslim-friendly destination.”
Key sub-events include the 10th Halal Science Industry and Business International Conference (HASIB), Thailand International Halal Expo 2017 (TIHEX), the Halal CB Convention, Halal SMEs and Startups symposium, Halal Nano Technology and Innovation in the Modern Era, Role and Responsibility of Muslim Scientists in Halal Industries.
This year, the organisers have opted for the theme: “Halal Wisdom: Convergence of Science, Technology and Islamic Arts”. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and former ASEAN Secretary-General, will deliver a special lecture on this topic.
The Royal Thai Government has given strong backing to the event because of the benefits accruing to regional ASEAN socio-cultural and economic integration. The roughly 650 million population of the 10 ASEAN countries comprises 46% of Muslims, a huge market waiting to be tapped by the Thai-Muslim community.
The Muslim population worldwide is about 1.6 billion, or 23% of the total global population. Thailand is projecting strong growth in visitors from Muslim countries; such as, Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh, all of which are within two-three hours flying time from various Thai cities. In addition, visitors from the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait already comprise the highest-spending category of visitors to Thailand.
Thailand has been welcoming visitors from the Islamic world for many decades. TAT has also published guidebooks for Muslim visitors and regularly participates in travel shows in the Muslim world; such as, the annual Arabian Travel Mart (ATM) in Dubai. Thousands of Muslim visitors come to Thailand every year for health and wellness treatment.
The kingdom is also a top-ranked destination for Gulf airlines; such as, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. Just Emirates alone flies from Dubai to Bangkok six times a day, with four of those flights being operated by the A380. In turn Etihad flies from Bangkok four times a day from Abu Dhabi and Qatar Airways five flights a day from Doha. In addition, FlyDubai is operating twice daily from Dubai to Bangkok.
One of the most important trends has been for these same airlines to add other points in Thailand. Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways are now flying daily to Phuket and has announced plans to operate flights to Chiang Mai later this year.
For further information on Thailand Halal Assembly 2017 and registration: www.thailandhalalassembly.com
