Muslim Tourism Surge

A recent article by the AFP last July caught my eye: "Global travel industry gears up for Muslim tourist boom". Based on a study conducted in 47 countries by Singapore-based halal travel specialist Crescentrating, along with DinarStandard, a U.S.-based firm that tracks the Muslim lifestyle market - I note some interesting points for sharing. The full article is found here.

Spending by Muslim tourists, growing faster than the global rate, is forecast to reach $192 billion (156 billion euros) a year by 2020, up from $126 billion in 2011 - Muslim-majority states such as Egypt, Malaysia and Indonesia were already favorite destinations, but non-Islamic countries are now "taking a serious look" at Muslim holidaymakers

Other findings from the survey include:

• The availability of halal food tops the list of Muslim travelers' requirements 

• Ranked Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport the most Islam-friendly airport in a non-Muslim country.

• Destinations such as Thailand and Australia, especially the Gold Coast, are already taking into account these travelers' needs in their services and facilities, that includes prayer rooms at airports and hotels, halal restaurants and even spas adapted to religious requirements

• The Economist Intelligence Unit said in a March report also noted that "that meeting the needs of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims is fueling business opportunities in a range of sectors....It also notes that more than half of the world's Muslim population is aged 24 or younger, many of them well educated"

Another article popped up on my news feed today - "Guest post: Marketing to Muslim Tourists" on the Financial Times by Shelina Janmohamed of Ogilvy Noor. On a side note, I find the premise of Ogilvy Noor as "the world's first bespoke Islamic Branding & marketing consultancy agency" to be keenly au fait. I noted these interesting points for sharing. The full article is found here.

• The Muslim consumer market, worth an estimated $2.1tn. Over 90 per cent of Muslims say their faith affects their consumption...

• In 2011, Muslims spent an estimated $126bn on travel and tourism, an amount predicted to rise to $192bn by 2020 – and that is without counting the religious pilgrimages of hajj and umrah. This expenditure accounted for more than 12 per cent of total global outbound tourism expenditure in 2011, according to the World Tourism Organisation...

• Global revenue from Muslim tourists is expected to rise 4.8 per cent a year over the next eight years, compared with a global average of 3.8 per cent....

• Muslim travelers are looking for the “halal” label on hotels, restaurants and even airlines when they travel. Fifty per cent of Muslim travellers would use halal-friendly facilities if they existed and 30 per cent would seek strict Sharia-compliant services....

• Some Muslim travellers are looking to connect with Muslim populations in other countries to learn more about the ‘ummah’, the global Muslim nation and its heritage and, for some, visiting sites from Muslim history is important....

• Countries with minority Muslim populations are starting to see them as assets when it comes to attracting Muslim tourists, either through food availability or as an incentive to visit the extended ‘ummah’...

• China’s Muslim Ningxia province is being positioned in this way, vying for Muslim tourists especially from the Middle East and southeast Asia....Turkey’s efforts are often described as halal holidays. The phrase sharia tourism is bandied about for Indonesia. Indonesia’s ministry of tourism has recently spoken about its strategy of reaching out to Muslim travellers through an Islamic experience.

Telkomsel at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta

Even in our advertising locations within the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, brands such as Telkomsel and the Accor Group (Ibis hotels) have advertising specifically aimed at muslim tourists going to religious pilgrimages of hajj and umrah or for the Ramanda hotel packages respectively.