Travel around Thailand, Safe and Sound Halal Style
The Halal Science Center, Chulalongkorn University has developed Halal Route, an application that lists restaurants, lodging, mosques, prayer directions, and tourist attractions in Thailand under Islamic tourism principles. It hopes to help Muslim tourists travel in Thailand with peace of mind, and supports tourism industry operators to grow and welcome a growing number of Muslim tourists.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) predicts that in 2024 there will be around 168 million Islamic tourists worldwide. According to the Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI 2024), Thailand is the 32nd most popular destination for Muslim tourists. However, the major problem Muslim tourists encounter in Thailand is finding Halal-accredited restaurants, hotels, accommodations, or tourist attractions with service areas (such as prayer rooms) that are compliant with the Islamic way.
From Left to Right: 1. Associate Professor Dr. Winai Dahlan 2. Dr. Anat Denyingyot 3. Erfun Weahama
- Sunainee Mahama 5. Suwainah Sa-i
“Halal Route” is a travel aggregator app that collects searchable information on Halal restaurants, mosques, prayer locations, times, and directions for prayers (the qibla), tourist attractions, Muslim villages or communities, hotels, accommodations, etc. This app is linked to Google Maps for navigation with precision. It also supports 3 languages, Thai, English, and Arabic, so that Muslim tourists can live and travel more comfortably and with peace of mind,” said Mr.Erfun Weahama, Science Service Officer, Halal Route App development team.