Malaysia has retained its status because the world’s leading halal tourism destination. According to the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2022 MasterCard-CrescentRating, the country has once more topped the “Muslim-Friendly Destination of the Year (OIC)” category.
Malaysia has held the highest spot because the index was launched in 2015. This yr, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia finished second. GMTI tracks the performance of the whole Muslim tourism market.
The index was presented on the Halal In Travel-Global Summit 2022, held recently in Singapore.
Before the pandemic, MasterCard and CrescentRating predicted that the Muslim traveler market was growing rapidly, from 108 million Muslim travelers in 2013 to 160 million in 2019.
GMTI’s latest research shows that as global borders reopen, the industry is prone to get better, with 230 million Muslims expected to travel by 2028.
In the report’s prologue, CrescentRating founder and CEO Fazal Bahardeen warned that many current global events could derail the momentum.
“This healing process is delicate and may be disrupted by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, rising gasoline prices and other health threats such as the emergence of monkeypox and variants of Covid-19,” he warned.
Nevertheless, Fazal remained hopeful concerning the worldwide expansion of Muslim tourism.
“We are confident that economies will recover quickly from the destruction of lives and livelihoods caused by the epidemic. Additionally, as the tourism industry prepares for quarantine-free international travel, we believe the Muslim tourism sector can make a significant contribution to accelerating economic recovery.” he stated.
He further emphasized the necessity to deal with the important thing aspects that can take the halal travel sector into the subsequent phase of growth.
“Women, Generation Z and Millennials are the most important and fastest growing segments of the Muslim community. 70% of the projected population of two billion are under the age of 40, with Generation Z and Millennials making up 50% of the “population” Moreover, women travelers are certainly one of the fastest growing areas of the Muslim travel industry. They constitute about 45 percent of the world’s “competitors” of Muslims, he added.
The GMTI 2022 study also found that meaningful travel is gaining popularity within the Muslim tourism landscape as younger Muslims seek personal development while exploring the world.
“The goals of this religion emphasize the importance of giving back to the community and protecting the environment to preserve natural resources. Additionally, the lockdown during the epidemic and the damage it has caused to people’s lives and livelihoods has increased understanding of the need to be aware of your community and society when traveling,” the report said.
Islamic Tourism Center director general Datuk Dr Mohmed Razip Hasan said modern Muslim travelers have more complex requirements.
“Muslim travelers today are looking for transformative experiences that would ideally aid their human development upon returning to their homeland,” he noted.
Locations should adapt accordingly to fulfill these recent demands of Muslim travelers.
“Destination managers could create value for this particular group of Muslim tourists by encouraging them to sign up for volunteer programs in the destination they are visiting, connect and socialize with the local community, and engage in activities such as attending religious classes and participating in community clean-up programs,” he explained.
Mastercard division president (Southeast Asia) Safdar Khan said meeting the needs of today’s Muslim travelers will keep the businesses relevant.
“As environmental sustainability increases, firms must explore the right way to incorporate sustainability into their products in addition to provide personalized travel experiences.
“Asia Pacific is well known for its appeal to Muslim tourists. As expectations and crowds return to airports, it is critical to consider the changing nature of travel and changes in the demographic mix of Muslim travelers as a result of the growing influence of Gen Z, Millennials and women,” he added.
At the identical time, Safdar advised stakeholders to deal with the element of tourism that sells best: experiences.
“As travel begins to return to normal, it seems to have taken on a brand new meaning – people not want to only see the world, but fairly experience it,” he added.
