BANGKOK - The Thai government has launched a free e-guidebook to promote gastronomy tourism for Muslim and other foreign tourists, an official said on Thursday.

Deputy government spokesman Rachada Dhnadirek said the Thai and English versions of the e-guidebook, Muslim-Friendly and Gastronomy Tourism Routes, is available for free download.

Ms Rachada said the e-guidebook from the tourism department of the Tourism and Sports Ministry aims to support self-drive tourism connecting 14 southern provinces and extending to Malaysia, Singapore, and Batam Island in Indonesia.

The 154-page e-guidebook provides two routes.

Under the Muslim-friendly route, tourists can visit places of interest to Muslim tourists. They may also follow the route to experience Muslim culture, food and activities, said Ms Rachada.

Meanwhile, the gastronomy route provides information on general tourist attractions and suggests local and famous restaurants in each location.

The e-guidebook says the information is based on data as at Aug 9, 2022. It provides links to websites and other sources for more updated information as well.

The e-guidebook also provides a sample of the two routes that are covered in 20 days. Both sample routes start and end in Chumphon province, in the southern part of Thailand.

The Muslim-friendly route includes places and provinces such as Phuket, Krabi, Batam Island, Penang and Singapore. As for tourists who choose the gastronomy route, they will drive past the same provinces and three countries but through different locations.

The e-guidebook has separate sections on the 14 southern provinces including Phuket, Krabi and Narathiwat.

It also provides information on how to apply for a tourist visa to enter Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia by crossing the borders.

In each province section, the guidebook provides brief information on the province and tourist destinations that people must visit, restaurants where they should eat and goods they should buy. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK