Bangkok, 24 December 2015 – The marketing strategy to better position Thailand as a Muslim-friendly tourism destination will get another major boost when the second annual Thailand Halal Assembly 2015 convenes in Bangkok between 25-27 December 2015.
Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha will officiate at the opening ceremony at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center on Dec 25. The event is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 delegates from Thailand, the ASEAN and Islamic countries and the Muslim diaspora from around the world. This year’s theme is “Halal Culture and Innovation for Halal Economy”.
The event is organised by The Halal Science Center (HSC), Chulalongkorn University, The Central Islamic Council of Thailand, The Halal Standard Institute of Thailand, and Halal Development Council. In addition to an International Conference on the Halal Science Industry Business, the event will include a Halal Expo of 200 booths exhibiting international and domestic products suited for the Islamic market. There will also be workshops and presentations of Thai-Muslim cultural shows.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Winai Dahlan, Founding Director of the Halal Science Center, “The Thailand Halal Assembly is designed to showcase Thailand’s role in the rapidly-growing market for Halal products. It will be an opportunity for Thai-Muslims to interact and network with the Muslim community around the world, establish more business contacts and upgrade their professional skills and knowledge.”
He added, “We are grateful for the generous support of the Royal Thai Government which is clearly indicated by the fact that the Prime Minister himself will deliver the opening address and preside at the welcoming ceremony.”
Tourism is prominently featured in the conference programme. One of the key presentation topics is “Thailand’s potential of Halal Tourism in AEC” by Mr. Pairote Potivong, Director of the center for IMT-GT Subregion Cooperation (CIMT), Thailand. Other presentations of interest to the tourism sector include “Potential of Halal tourism in non-Muslim countries” by Dr. Arata Mariko, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, and “Halal tourism for sustainable growth in AEC” by Dr. Sapta Nirwandar, Honorary advisor of Minister of Tourism, Middle East Market and Halal Tourism, Indonesia.
Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn said, “The Thailand Halal Assembly will play a major role in facilitating the success of our new strategy to enhance the kingdom’s image as a Muslim-friendly destination for leisure, business and MICE events. Thailand welcomes thousands of Muslim tourists from all over the world every year. These numbers will grow further after the AEC when we can expect to get more visitors from our neighbouring ASEAN countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. Hence, it is very important for Thailand to have the necessary products and services catering to the Muslim market.”
The TAT strategy to position Thailand as a Muslim-friendly was unveiled earlier in 2015. A special app has been developed and can be downloaded offering a comprehensive guide on Muslim-friendly products and services all around Thailand. It can be downloaded here:
IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/th/app/thailand-muslim-friendly-destination/id1002310096?mt=8
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wisdomlanna.thailandhalalexperience&hl=en
Further information and registration: http://thailandhalalassembly.com/index.php
Contact Information
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Tourism Authority of Thailand
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Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
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