Halal Certification and Its Impact on Tourism in Southeast Asia: A Case Study Halal Tourism in Thailand

Halal is a concept that originally comes from Arabic language which means something permissible or unbounded. This term then become a foundation in Islamic Law. Countries in Southeast Asia region are heterogenic country with rich diversity of culture, religion and custom. Majority population in Southeast Asia is Muslim, thus affect policy making within the region. One of the keys that move the economy is not only trade, but also the tourism sector. In this sector of each country to favor its tourist regions respectively in order to attract tourists to visit the country. The tourism sector could also support the development of a country and also one of the strategic factors in order to increase foreign exchange and also incomes. Halal products is a major requirement for Muslim consumers. There have been many countries although not a majority Muslim population began to encourage halal certification to get a positive response on Muslim travelers and has become a new policy by the government of the ASEAN countries in promoting tourism sector. This article will look at how far the policy of ’Halal’ is run in Thailand, and how it impacts on the tourism sector.