| James Kon |

BRUNEI visitors to Thailand in 2018 spent a staggering BND930 million, despite the slight decrease in the number of Bruneians travelling to that country.

The spending, which is a 4.44 per cent increase compared to 2017, was revealed in statistics by the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Marketing Manager Richard Lim, during a recent medical seminar jointly organised by Grace Travel Agency, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Bangkok Hospital at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.

Lim also mentioned that in 2018, the total of international visitors to Thailand reached 38.1 million, an increase of 7.6 per cent compared to 2017. The visitors from Brunei Darussalam stand at 14,246 in 2018, which is 0.9 per cent lower compared to 2017.

He said, “Thailand is one of the top 10 in the world’s biggest food-exporting countries, and also one of the top five countries exporting Halal food to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries.

“Thailand is also a top medical hub in Asia for foreign patients and their relatives, and its cuisine is in the top five of the most popular.”

He also described Thailand as a Muslim-friendly destination, with Halal food easily available in major cities.

With a Muslim population of 4.8 million, there are 3,600 mosques and 600 Muslim schools in Thailand.

In addition, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has introduced a new concept titled ‘Open to New Shades of Thailand’, with the objective of giving more depth to the presentation of Thailand’s tourism, growing the business for grassroots tourism sector players and enhancing the country’s image as a land of amazing diversity worth discovering.