The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is targeting 150,000 Saudi Arabian tourists this year, according to Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, TAT’s deputy governor of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. The number of Saudi visitors to Thailand has been rising steadily, from 25,153 in 2015 to 96,389 in 2022. Saudi Arabian tourists tend to travel as couples and stay in luxury hotels, with average spending of THB100,000 ($3,160) per person during their trips. TAT hopes the Saudi visitors will contribute up to THB120bn ($3.78bn) to the Thai economy. Phuket and Pattaya are among the destinations being promoted to Muslim travellers seeking halal food, prayer facilities and other Islamic hospitality.