Thailand’s Halal tourism gets a boost with ‘Halal Route’ app

Chulalongkorn University’s Halal Science Centre has introduced “Halal Route,” an application created to help Muslim travellers from around the world explore Thailand with ease by providing information about Halal tourism services.

The Halal Route app is designed to meet the needs of Muslim travellers by providing reliable, detailed and easy-to-use information. It lists Halal-certified restaurants, categorised by cuisine, nearby mosques and accommodations that offer prayer rooms and Halal food. The app also features a Qibla compass, daily prayer schedules and an Islamic calendar.

The application supports Thai, English and Arabic, making it accessible to both local and international users. The app is available for free download on both iOS and Android platforms.

The interactive workshop on the Halal Route application was attended by Malaysian and Indonesian representatives on December 19th, during the Thailand Halal Assembly 2024conference in Bangkok,to get to know more about the app, showing how it helps travellers and supports tourism businesses.

Halal tourism has been growing fast and the IMT-GT region (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand - Growth Triangles) is a key destination for Muslim travellers.

The global Muslim travel market showed strong recovery in 2023, with nearly 145 million Muslim travellers, reaching about 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to WebinTravel.

By the end of 2024, the number of Muslim travellers is expected to grow up to 5%, compared to pre-pandemic levels, reaching up to 168 million. By 2028, this number could rise to 230 million, with an estimated spending of US$225 billion. Thailand is currently ranked the 32nd favourite destination for Muslim tourists, according to the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI 2024).

Thailand, although not a Muslim-majority country, already welcomes Muslim tourists. The Halal Route app is aimed at making their travels in Thailand smoother, by solving common challenges like finding Halal food, prayer rooms and suitable accommodation.

Assoc. Prof. Winai Dahlan, Founding Director of the Halal Science Centre, explained that "Thailand’s Halal tourism is growing, especially as we welcome medical tourists and travellers from the Middle East and neighbouring countries. Halal Route connects them to trusted services, making their journey comfortable and fulfilling."

Dr. Sapta Nirwandar, Chairman of the Indonesia Halal Lifestyle Centre, said, "This app is very useful, especially in a non-Muslim country like Thailand. It helps travellers to find Halal restaurants, mosques and hotels easily. It’s a great tool for both tourists and businesses."

Dr. Sapta also suggested adding features, such as Muslim-friendly beach information and gender-specific facilities to make the app even better for Indonesian users.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Winai, the Halal Route app offers a complete package for travellers, from food and prayer time alerts to navigation using Google Maps. For businesses, it’s a chance to reach a growing market of Muslim tourists by meeting Halal standards.

“As tourism grows, innovations like Halal Route will continue to build trust and make the IMT-GT a top choice for Halal travellers”, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Winai.

By Kitipat Chuensukjit