A view of the Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok.

Bangkok, Thailand, (SM/IINA) : The first halal hotel in Bangkok, which was opened in November, is attracting Muslim visitors with the management hoping to tap deeper into a growing market.

The four-star Al Meroz hotel in Bangkok, hopes to play its part in changing that, and to cash in. Nearly 30 million foreign tourists came to Thailand last year but only about 658,000 were from the Middle East, according to industry data, Bangkok Post news reported.

“There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. It’s a huge market,” said the hotel’s General Manager Sanya Saengboon.

“Just one percent of that market is enough for us to thrive.” The hotel, which boasts mosque-like architecture, has two prayer rooms and three halal dining halls.

An Australian guest Muslim at the hotel, said access to a halal hotel was a comfort to Muslim travelers in Thailand where halal food can be hard to find.

“It’s a really nice experience. It’s the first halal hotel here and I find that amazing,” said Fazal.

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.

Majority of people in Thailand’s southern regions, near the border with Malaysia, are Muslims.

Thailand saw a 10 percent increase in arrivals from the Middle East in 2015 compared with 2014, data from the department of tourism showed.