Thailand targets Muslim travellers

Thailand’s tourism industry targets Muslims but most hospitals, clinics and medical tourism agencies have not grasped the opportunity.

Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a Muslim-friendly app to help Muslim visitors find halal restaurants and hotels, mosques and halal tours, as well as providing travel news and a guidebook.

Thailand is positioning itself as a Muslim-friendly destination by pushing halal tourism and launching marketing incentives for Muslim-related agencies.

Juthaporn Rerngronasa of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says that “Marketing Thailand as a Muslim-friendly destination is a pilot project to promote Muslim visitors to Thailand as we realise the potential and readiness of Thailand to promote this market.”

TAT aims to help tourism organisers and travel companies adapt to the needs of Muslim travellers. This includes showing prominent Muslim landmarks or visiting Muslim communities in Thailand, providing prayer rooms, halal restaurants and hotels, as well as other attractions tailored for this market segment, including shopping malls, amusement parks and theme parks.

There are also initiatives to promote halal tourism in Thailand’s southern Muslim provinces bordering Malaysia, as well as incentives for Muslim travel agents and media to survey tourism products and services for Muslim tourists in Pattaya, Hua Hin and Phuket, where Phuket is gearing up to be a halal food centre. In nearby Krabi province, little known for being a predominantly Muslim area, is positioning itself as a premier destination for Muslim travellers.

TAT hopes to increase the proportion of Muslim travellers especially amongst the high-end and intermediate markets, as well as family and women groups.

According to the MasterCard Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index 2015, Thailand was ranked second within the most popular destinations for Muslim tourists from all over world (in the category of non-Muslim countries), behind Singapore and ahead of the UK.

The Muslim population in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is t 240 million, which is a huge and growing market for tourism, especially from Indonesia and Malaysia that are home to the majority of Muslims in the region.

The potential is expected to rise further after the Asean Economic Community 2015 comes into effect as expected by the end of this year.

TAT is also focusing on source markets such as the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, as well as Iran, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

Last December, the Halal Science Centre of Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, the Central Islamic Council of Thailand and Halal Standard Institute of Thailand joined forces and launched “Thailand Diamond Halal”, a brand concept under which all halal products and services sourced in Thailand will be marketed, including halal tourism and halal medical tourism.
According to Professor Priyakorn of the Halal Standard Institute of Thailand, the brand concept can be adopted by hospitality companies, hotels and tour operators and can ensure that, among other things, hotels are equipped with prayer facilities including ablution rooms, prayer rugs, qibla direction, women’s prayer garment and restrooms with rinse spray hoses. Prayer rooms and related facilities should also be part of public places, such as shopping malls, theme parks, offices, and highway rest stops. Tour operators can offer Islamic heritage tours and bespoke Muslim-friendly travel packages

A new smartphone application in both English and Thai – and Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia later– is now available for both Android and iOS systems for download from the TAT’s website (or from App Store or Google Play.