How halal tourism is travelling in the right direction

A dedicated “halal cruise” is the latest in a stream of tourism offerings being marketed directly towards Muslim travellers, as global companies reposition themselves to cater to the growth market.

The cruise, touted as the first of its kind in Turkey without alcohol, pork products or gambling services on board, is set to sail next month, and follows a swath of travel apps, websites, hotels, airlines and Muslim-friendly guides clamouring to cater to the increasing number of tourists looking for a thoughtful holiday experience.

“It will be a cultural and historic tour that promises an atmosphere of social networking,” Kemal Gunay, the general manager of the host company Fusion Tour, said in the Turkish media last week.

With the world’s Muslim population expected to increase from 1.6 billion to 2.2 billion by 2030, projections suggest halal travel will outpace the growth of any other tourism sector within the next four years. According to the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015, while the sector was worth US$145 billion (Dh532.6bn) last year, it’s expected to grow to $200bn by 2020.

“It’s becoming a hugely competitive market now as tourism bodies realise the potential of attracting this high-spending market,” says Abu Dhabi-based event director Andy Buchanan, who in October will assist the UAE’s capital in hosting the World Halal Travel Summit – an event that is being promoted as “the largest B2B (business-to-business) gathering of global halal-travel specialists ever assembled”.

“Succeeding in halal travel is a very high priority for Abu Dhabi – almost every Abu Dhabi stakeholder is involved,” adds Buchanan.

Original article by Melinda Healy

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How halal tourism is travelling in the right direction