Demand for travel to Thailand has surged since lift of travel ban in March, with the country ranking in the top 5 international destinations for Saudi Arabia Jeddah, KSA; May 16, 2022: Almosafer, the Middle East’s leading travel brand, and The Tourism Authority of Thailand signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to boost tourism between the Kingdom of Thailand and GCC countries. Almosafer’s consumer segment and The Tourism Authority of Thailand will work together to promote and develop quality tourism experiences in Thailand for travellers from GCC countries, with a focus on key niche markets including sport tourism, luxury tourism, and health and wellness tourism. Muzzammil Ahussain, Executive Vice President of Almosafer, said: “The signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation with The Tourism Authority of Thailand today is an important step in meeting the growing demand for tourism from the GCC to Thailand. This partnership will provide our consumers with the best experiences while strengthening ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand is an increasingly popular destination and we look forward to working together with The Tourism Authority to enable many visitors from the GCC to experience all that Thailand has to offer.” The MOC follows the announcement on 9 March 2022 permitting Saudi nationals to travel to Thailand which marked the end of a travel ban for nationals wanting to visit the popular Southeast Asian destination. Since the announcement, Almosafer has experienced huge growth in demand for travel from Saudi Arabia to Thailand with a 470% increase in demand compared to January 2022 and a 268% increase compared to February 2022. Thailand is currently a very popular international destination for visitors from the GCC, especially from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait where Thailand ranks in the top 5 and top 9 international destinations respectively. During the month of May to date, searches for Thailand on Almosafer’s platform grew by 1100% in Saudi Arabia, and 477% in Kuwait, compared to January and February 2022. Mr. Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas) said: “This Memorandum of Cooperation will pave the way for strategic tourism collaboration efforts between TAT and the Almosafer with an emphasis on revenue-generating quality tourists. We expect this partnership to help strengthen the position of Thailand as a popular destination for Arab travelers from the gulf region which focuses on enhancing Thailand’s image as a unique leisure destination offering quality with value”.