Thailand`s Muslim-Friendly Destination Strategy Goes Well Beyond

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Thailand’s Muslim-Friendly Destination
Strategy Goes Well Beyond Just Tourism
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Bangkok – When one of Southeast Asia’s largest Buddhist-majority countries launches a
tourism outreach to attract Muslim visitors, it clearly has a much wider significance than just a
travel industry development. Although the primary goal of the tourism authorities is to boost
visitor arrivals, expenditure and average length of stay, the Thai government is also mindful of
the broader goal to build inclusive societies, prevent religious and ethnic conflict, and contribute
to the third and, arguably, the most important pillar of ASEAN integration, the Socio-Cultural
Blueprint.
===========
The strategy to position Thailand as a
Muslim-friendly destination was
unveiled on June 5 at the Thailand
Travel Mart Plus, the country’s most
important annual B2B trade show. A
total of 113 tour operators and media
from Iran, Egypt, Kuwait, Tunisia,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Oman, the
UAE, Turkey, India and Singapore were
invited to attend a day-long launch
event. They were taken on tours in and
around Bangkok as well as other
provincial destinations. The TAT also
produced a number of collateral
publications highlighting Halal
restaurants in Thailand and Islamic
attractions in the Southern Provinces.
On June 22, it will launch a new mobile
app to be used as an offline/online
guidebook for Muslim visitors.
For the Tourism Authority of Thailand,
directing its attentions at the Islamic
market is a continuation of what it does
best – monitor global travel trends,
identify new and emerging markets,
and then connect consumers, buyers
and media in those markets with
Thailand’s diverse range of products
and services. Over the years, it has
followed that simple strategy well to tap
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The TAT has spotted the potential
identified in the market research and
rankings reports issued by
DinarStandard and CrescentRating. Of
the 1.6 billion Muslims globally, the vast
majority live in Asia. The 2015 Global
Muslim Travel Index 2015 (GMTI 2015)
by MasterCard & CrescentRating
estimates the Muslim travel market in
2014 as being worth $145 billion, with
108 million Muslim travellers
representing 10% of the entire travel
economy. That is projected to grow to
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expenditure projected to grow to $200
billion.
In her speech to the invited tour
operators and media at the TTM+, Mrs.
Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Acting
Governor, TAT, referred to the new
strategy as “a very special and historic
moment for us.” She said Thailand has
the required range of products and
services for Muslim travellers. “We are
already seeing many of our shopping
complexes providing facilities for
Muslim prayers. Halal food is also
becoming commonplace. We are also
seeing increasing investor interest in
developing halal tourism hotels. All this
is good for us because it will create jobs
for our emerging younger generation
and promote national inclusiveness and
integration.”
Prof. Dr. Pakorn Priyakorn, President of
the Foundation of Islamic Centre of
Thailand, said in his presentation,
“Historically and culturally Muslims
have been an integral part of Thailand
for centuries. Islam is not only the
second largest religion in the kingdom
but also enjoys royal and official
patronage. The Thai law provides for
freedom of religion, and the Royal Thai
Government (RTG) generally respects
this right in practice.” He said the Thai
population of 67 million comprises 5.8
million (8.6%) Muslims as of 2013.
There are 3,600 mosques nationwide,
including 180 in Bangkok. Muslims
enjoy full state support and free to
teach and observe their religion
according to their own tenets.
Dr Pakorn, who is also a Director, Halal
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Thailand’s Muslim-Friendly
Destination Strategy Goes Well
Standard Institute of Thailand (HSIT),
noted that Thailand’s other mainstream
economic sector, agriculture, would
also benefit from the TAT strategy.
Thailand is already one of the world’s
biggest food exporters and one of the
five biggest exporters of non-pork, nonalcoholic foods to the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation countries. Halal
certification in Thailand was initiated in
1969. As of 2014, the HSIT has halal
certified 4,000 factories covering
120,000 products (10% for export).
Halal Strategy
==========
Indeed, on June 2, 2015, just three days
prior to the TAT event, the Thai cabinet
approved the Halal Development and
Promotion Strategy for 2016-2020. The
objective is to promote Thailand as a
key manufacturing and export base for
halal products and services, increase
the country’s revenue, build awareness
and trust in Thai halal products. The
accompanying Action Plan is a threepronged effort involving the Thai public
and private sectors and various Islamic
institutions in Thailand.
Although the Global Muslim Travel
Index 2015 ranks Malaysia and
Indonesia as the top destinations for
Muslim travellers amongst Muslimmajority countries, Thailand is ranked
second amongst the Muslim-minority
countries, after Singapore. TAT officials
are making no secret of their desire to
gain top spot within a few years.
TAT Acting Governor Mrs Juthaporn Rerngronasa
Presently, Thailand gets an estimated
three million Muslim visitors a year. Of
this, about 75% would be from
Indonesia and Malaysia. There is strong
potential to attract more Muslim
visitors from India, Bangladesh and
Pakistan, all of which are within fourto-five hours flying time of Thailand.
The next generation of Muslim visitors
will flow from Central Asian Republics,
North Africa and the large ethnic
Muslim populations in Europe, South
Africa and elsewhere.
Muslim visitors are both a quality and
quantity customer segment. Visitors
from the Gulf countries have a high
average length of stay and daily
expenditure. For example, in 2013,
visitors from the UAE had an ALS of
10.6 days, while Thailand’s overall
average was 9.8 days. The average daily
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expenditure of UAE visitors was more
than US$195, while the overall Thailand
average was US$150.
Aviation advantage
There was no shortage of interest in attracting
business from the invited buyers of the Islamic world.
TAT officials note that Thailand gets
more direct flights from Islamic
countries than any of its ASEAN
neighbours. Emirates Airlines flies 6
times a day from Dubai to Bangkok,
Etihad Airways 3 times a day from Abu
Dhabi, Qatar Airways 4 times a day
from Doha and Oman Air twice a day
from Muscat. On a weekly basis, there
are 11 flights from Istanbul, daily flights
from Amman, six flights from Almaty,
Kuwait and Bahrain, five flights from
Cairo and two weekly flights from
Tashkent. In addition, Etihad Airways,
Emirates Airlines, and Qatar Airways
also have direct flights to Phuket, now
rapidly emerging as Thailand’s second
most important aviation gateway.
Citizens of the following OIC countries can get 15- or 30-day visa-free access to Thailand: Oman,
Qatar, UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Turkey, Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan. At the Arabian Travel Market in May 2015, Minister of Tourism & Sports Mrs
Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said that nationals of GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, and the UAE), can get a 90-day visa-free stay for medical treatment. The
regulation also allows a patient to be accompanied by up three GCC nationals for the same 90day period without visa. Further details are available on the website of the Royal Thai Embassy
and Royal Thai Consulate in all GCC countries.
The Thai private sector responded well to the TAT’s Muslim-friendly initiative. A total of 92 Thai
exhibitors (see full list below) turned up at the table-top session organised at the TTM+ to
meet with the invited buyers. Flown in by Thai Airways International, Emirates, Etihad, Oman
Air and Mahan Air, many of the buyers were visiting Thailand for the first time. The invitees
also met with other tourism operators exhibiting at the TTM+. TAT has produced a number of
guidebooks and brochures to help Muslim visitors such as “Halal Check-in Thailand”, which
contains a list of halal certified restaurants as well as brochures on tourist spots in the southern
provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.
Mr. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Executive Director of Information Technology Office, TAT,
introduced the mobile app designed for Muslim visitors to be launched June 22. This will make
it easier for them to find Muslim-friendly products, services and facilities nationwide. Designed
for IOS and Android, it will be an online/offline guidebook to more than 500 sites and locations
of potential interest to Muslim visitors, including mosques, halal restaurants and hotels,
shopping centres with prayer rooms, and other facilities around the country. A map will also be
incorporated to help navigation. Initially to be in Thai and English, it will be expanded to Arabic
and Bahasa Indonesia later.
Broader development strategies
The Muslim-friendly outreach fits well within Thailand’s national and regional development
strategies. A primary beneficiary will be South Thailand, home to 63% of the Thai-Muslim
population. A low-grade insurgency has held back economic progress. As young Muslims in
some of the restive provinces find it difficult to get jobs, many have shifted to the neighbouring
provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang-nga, where tourism is booming. Today, Thai Muslims
make up about 30% of Phuket’s population. The provincial authorities are gearing up to position
it as a Halal food centre and show the island’s readiness in catering to the special dietary needs
of Muslim visitors. TAT also forecasts that Phuket and Thailand’s Andaman coast will become
one of the top destinations for Arab visitors.
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The Thai tourism industry has
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The Rise of the WhistleBlowers
Read Imtiaz Muqbil's 100%
Because southern Thailand shares a border with northern Malaysia, the prospects for promoting
cross-border tourism are obvious. The invited participants to the TAT forum also discussed
opportunities for Thai-Malaysian tourism and were introduced to routes linking Sungai KolokKelantan. They were also taken on fam trips to survey tourism products and services for Muslim
tourists in Pattaya, Hua Hin and Phuket. The trip included special spots of potential interest to
the high-end and intermediate markets, family and women groups.
In her speech, the TAT’s Mrs Juthaporn said, “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 Darussalam.” Hence, positioning
Thailand as a Muslim-friendly destination will make a major contribution to strengthening the
Socio-Cultural Blueprint of ASEAN Integration and boost intra-regional travel.
To download the presentations during Thailand’s Muslim-Friendly Destination forum, please
click the following links:
accurate forecast in the
columns gagged by the Bangkok
Post
For 15 years (January 1997-July
2012), Imtiaz Muqbil penned a hardhitting fortnightly column called
“Soul-Searching” in the so-called
“newspaper you can trust”. In July
2012, the column was gagged, with
no explanation.
Over the years, four columns had
explicitly forecast the rise of whistleblowers -- a prediction now coming
100% true. Read the four columns by
clicking on the links below.
<> Let's Hear It for WhistleBlowers
1: Thailand Muslim Friendly Destination by Dr. Pakorn Priyakorn
2: Readiness of Thailand to Welcome Muslim Visitors by Mr. Imtiaz Muqbil
3: Halal Tourism by Mr. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot
List of Thai Exhibitors at Table Top Sale
Tour operators
1. TravelBullz Ltd.
2. Royal Thai Travel & Trading
3. Asia Channel Holidays Co., Ltd.
4. AMI Thai Ticket and Travel Co., Ltd.
5. Topaz Travel
6. World Travel Service Ltd
<> 2002: The Year TIME
Magazine Recognised Whistleblowers
<> Ex-White House Spokesman
Exposes “Culture of Deception”
<> U.S. is No Longer the
Country it Once Was
To read other far-sighted "SoulSearching" Columns, please click
here.
============
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==========
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Hotels & Resorts
1. Almeroz Hotel
2. A-ONE Hotel, Bangkok-Pattaya
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=============
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