By CS Thana
BANGKOK
Thailand's tourism authority launched a smartphone app Monday specifically geared towards attracting Muslim tourists to the country.
The app for IOS and Android devices is designed to help Muslim visitors find mosques, hotels and shopping centers with prayer rooms, and halal restaurants
“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," Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Acting Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said.
The acting governor was speaking at a press conference to unveil the app, along with a TAT sponsored campaign to encourage more Muslim visitors.
According to the TAT over three million visitors from the Middle East, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei visited the country in 2014.
"We are 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," Juthaporn added.
The TAT has targeted Muslim tourists, as well as those from China and Russia as part of a campaign to increase stagnating visitor numbers.
The country's tourism industry is still reeling from a disastrous 2014 when a military coup and months of widespread street protests adversely affected the industry.
The Kingdom is predominantly Buddhist, although parts of the deep south maintain a strong Muslim identity.
