Thailand in Islamic tourism push with dedicated app

Tuesday, 10 Jun, 2015 0

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is the latest national destination marketing agency aiming to tap into the lucrative Islamic tourism market.

TAT is to launch its first dedicated Muslim tourism app on June 22, which will offer information on locating mosques, Halal restaurants, hotels, prayer rooms, and other Muslim friendly services in the country.

It will be available on iOS and Android initially in Thai and English with plans to expand the content to Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia in the near future.

It was unveiled at the recent Thailand Travel Mart Plus trade event in Bangkok before specially invited Islamic travel industry leaders from countries including Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Oman, the UAE, Turkey, and Singapore.

"This is a very special and historic moment for us, as it marks the launch of a new strategy to more strongly position Thailand as a "Muslim-friendly destination," said TAT acting governor Juthaporn Rerngronasa.

"A new borderless ASEAN will emerge from 2016 onwards, after which we project a huge increase in Muslim visitors from our ASEAN neighbours to the South, specifically Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei."

The global Muslim travel market is forecast to be worth $192 billion by 2020, according to a report commissioned by Halal travel website Crescentrating.

below social share icons

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

Global Hotel Alliance brings together a unique collection of independent hospitality brands for GHA DISCOVERY, a multi-brand loyalty programme. GHA...

Queensland – where it’s rude not to stare Here in Queensland, there’s plenty to do. But there’s even more to...

Philippine Airlines (PR), also known as PAL, is the Filipino flag carrier. The company started their operations in February 1941,...

Since 1932, P&O Cruises has offered Aussies and Kiwis the opportunity to take to the seas and have the holiday...

To say Sweden is fit for a fairy tale is not overstating it—the palaces dazzle, the boreal forests are brimming...

We are a small-group adventure travel operator offering more than 750 tours in 100 countries, on all seven continents. Our...

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator. Its 93 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives,...

Destination British Columbia (Destination BC) is a Provincially funded, industry-led Crown corporation that supports a strong and competitive future for BC’s...

Air Transat is Canada’s number one leisure airline. It flies to some 60 international destinations in more than 25 countries...

WANDERERS WELCOME to MISSISSIPPI Mississippi is a state for all those who are wanderers at heart. From lush, forested Appalachian foothills to...

The city has been the vibrant heart of Japan for over 400 years, and is a crossroads where tradition meets...

Traveltek is the world-leading provider of online solutions for the travel trade, from consumer-facing websites to call centre applications. We...

Virtuoso is the leading global network of agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel, with more than 20,000 advisors. We...

ECOMMPAY is an international payment service provider and direct bank card acquirer, engineering bespoke payment solutions for clients worldwide. Our...