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A receptionist works at the Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, August 29, 2016. Predominately Buddhist Thailand has opened its first halal hotel as hopes to attract more Muslim visitors and boost one of the few bright spots in its economy. Nearly 30 million foreign tourists came to Thailand last year but only about 658,000 were from the Middle East, according to industry data. The four-star Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok, which opened in November, hopes to play its part in changing that, and to cash in. The Al Meroz, which boasts mosque-like architecture, has two prayer rooms and three halal dining halls. Rooms cost from 4,000 baht all the way up to 50,000 baht ($116 to $1,445) a night. Eager to tap into a growing Muslim tourist market, Thailand launched a mobile application last year which helps tourists search for halal eateries and Muslim-friendly attractions. Parts of Thailand's south, near the border with Muslim Malaysia, are majority Muslim. (Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters)
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