Bangkok, 11 December, 2018 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is to again organise a special seminar and one-day tour to promote Thailand as Muslim Friendly Destination on 15-16 December during the annual Thailand Halal Assembly 2018 to be held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC).
The activities are designed to help foreign participants at the Halal Assembly better understand the enormous opportunities of Thailand’s growing range of Muslim Friendly tourism products and services, and also help Thai sellers understand the trends and developments in emerging source markets; such as, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and other countries in South Asia, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The 16 December seminar on “Thailand as a Muslim-Friendly Tourism Destination” will include a presentation by Ms. Sujitra Jongchansitto, TAT Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business. It will be followed by a panel discussion on “Value Creation through Thailand as a Friendly Destination” moderated by Dr. Aree Binprathan, a prominent Thai-Muslim guide and academic.
About 150 participants are expected to attend, including representatives from tour companies, accommodation, restaurant, travel agents, community-based tourism, educational institutes and the general public.
The seminar will also include presentations by Ms. Yuvadee Nirattrakun, TAT’s Director of Marketing Research, on new markets; such as, Oman and Kuwait, as well as by other speakers on “Melayu Living: Cultural Tourism” and “Halal Tourism: A Startup”.
TAT will also have a booth at the Halal Assembly to showcase relevant tourism information and Thailand’s Muslim-friendly communities nationwide.
On 15 December, 2018, TAT will arrange a one-day educational tour for academics, lecturers and interested participants to visit and experience Muslim-friendly attractions in Bangkok.
The Thailand Halal Assembly is the country’s leading annual business event to promote the economic development of the Thai-Muslim population, create jobs and distribute income. It is organised by the Halal Science Centre, Chulalongkorn University, and the Central Islamic Council of Thailand (CICOT) under the patronage of Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Thailand is witnessing significant growth in visitor arrivals from Muslim populations around the world, especially during the two Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha peak Islamic holiday seasons.
Citizens of Muslim-majority countries; such as, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and many more can come to Thailand without a visa. Airlines; such as, Emirates, Etihad, Oman Air and Qatar Airways have nearly 20 flights a day to Bangkok from their respective hubs in the Gulf countries.
TAT sees enormous potential from the growing demographic segments; such as, the Muslim Millennials who have the time, desire and money to travel and see the world, but also want to maintain their religious and cultural responsibilities.
Moreover, TAT sees this as a good opportunity to attract Muslim travellers to Muslim-majority Thai provinces in the South like Yala, Pattani, Songkhla, Narathiwat and Satun, all of which are included on the list of 55 secondary provinces now being actively promoted.
