PATTANI (Southern Thailand): The Thai-ASEAN Halal Tourism Industry Association (TAHTA) is confident that the local supply of sea crabs is sufficient to become a new tourist attraction in Pattani Province.

TAHTA President Aida Oujeh said this is possible because there are two crab farming centers in Pattani Province, as well as a research center, in addition to the catch from local fishermen.

“We are going to make crabs a new product in the tourism sector here. Especially now that Pattani Province has been declared as the ‘City of Sea Crabs.’

“The upgrade of Pattani to the ‘City of Sea Crabs’ was carried out by the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) led by Lt Col Wannapong Kotcharak,” she told Apa Khabar TV.

According to her, travel agents in Southern Thailand will promote these sea crabs as a strategic tourism product.

“We will introduce crabs for food, crabs for tourism promotion, and crabs to be showcased to the world.

“Having a lot of crabs alone is not enough. Therefore, we want to introduce crabs to the tourism sector as well.

“To achieve this, we have invited 40 travel agents from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore through the ‘Familiarization Trip’ (FAM Trip) to Pattani, which began on August 30 and will conclude in Songkhla Province today (September 2, 2024).

“We are grateful to SBPAC for providing support and assistance in implementing the FAM Trip and this City of Crabs program,” she said.

Aida explained that all the travel agents attending the event will also visit Songkhla, including Hat Yai and the floating market.

The project to make crabs a tourism product in Pattani is the first of its kind, and she hopes to continue receiving support from the local community.

“Crabs will be made the main menu item in dishes for tourists,” she said during the Business to Business (B2B) program held at a prominent hotel in Pattani.