The Department of Tourism (DoT) under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand is planning to promote the Land of Golden Pagodas as a tourist-friendly destination for tourists from Muslim countries.
To implement this plan, DoT has been holding discussions with the private sector in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and most recently Phuket to find ways to attract high-spending tourists from Middle Eastern countries.
According to Mr. Athuek Phrasenmoon, in charge of the DoT's Tourist Attraction Development Division, Muslim tourists are now the main target group of the global smoke-free industry as this group is the fastest growing market with strong spending power.
Muslim tourists are now the main target group of the global smoke-free industry as this is the fastest growing market with strong spending power.
Of the 11.8 million international visitors to Thailand last year, more than 400,000 came from the Middle East, up 65% from the same period in 2019, Mr. Athuek said. Total spending by this group of tourists also increased by 71% compared to 2019.
The DoT stressed that it wants to have a solid plan to attract more Muslim tourists to Thailand, while also preparing local authorities and those working in the service and hospitality industry to better understand the culture, behavior and special needs of Muslim tourists, such as Muslim tourists consuming only halal food.
As a result, discussions between DoT and the above localities showed that Muslim tourists preferred Muslim-friendly destinations such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Krabi.
They also prefer hotels and restaurants that have halal food and other facilities that cater to their needs, such as prayer rooms.
Mr Athuek also said that through discussions, the private sector wants the DoT to promote tourism activities related to the Islamic calendar, such as coming up with attractive campaigns after Ramadan, the most important holy month of Islam.
According to the MasterCard-Crescent Rankings Global Muslim Travel Index 2022, Thailand ranked fourth in the list of non-Muslim countries favored by Muslim tourists, after Malaysia, Singapore and the UK.
