Türkiye dropped one place to fourth amongst top performing destinations in a sector expected to be value $220 billion by 2020, in accordance with the Global Muslim Travel Index 2017 published by Mastercard and CrescentRating in Jakarta earlier this month.
As a results of the index, Türkiye lost ground behind Malaysia, which retained its top spot, and Indonesia moved as much as third place in the general rating.
The study, which covered 130 destinations, found that many non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Asian destinations have moved up within the rankings consequently of concerted efforts to adapt their services to satisfy the needs and attract the Muslim tourism market.
Singapore retained its top position amongst non-OIC destinations, with Thailand, the UK, South Africa and Hong Kong making the highest five. Japan moved up two places to sixth place, while Spain entered the highest ten for the primary time.
The study found that the Muslim tourism market will proceed to grow at a rapid pace, with the sector estimated to be value $220 billion in 2020.
The study shows that it is predicted to grow by one other $80 billion to succeed in $300 billion by 2026.
It also revealed that roughly 121 million Muslim tourists visited the world in 2016 – up from 117 million in 2015 – and visitor numbers are projected to succeed in 156 million by 2020, accounting for 10 percent of the travel segment.
Asia stays the world’s leading region when it comes to attractiveness to Muslim tourists with a median index rating of 57.6, followed by Africa with a rating of 47.0, followed by Oceania with a rating of 43.8. Europe at 39.9, and within the Americas at 33.7.
Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating & HalalTrip, said the index continues to offer detailed information that may help destinations higher understand the evolving needs of the segment.
“We are definitely seeing the influence of a new generation of young travelers, millennials and Gen Z, who are combining technology with a true desire to explore the world while being guided by their faith-based needs,” he said.
“They will be the driving force behind the next phase of growth that destinations like Türkiye will need to embrace and implement appropriate measures to progress in the rankings in the future,” he added.
“These younger travelers want more choice, unique experiences and constant connection, which is evident in the growth of other segments of the Muslim lifestyle, such as halal food and modest fashion, which mesh perfectly with the travel market. As Muslim travel continues to diversify, tracking traveler demographics, while learning from GMTI, will be of paramount importance to destination management teams and decision makers who ultimately source solutions for this market,” he said.
Safdar Khan, president of Mastercard’s Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei division, said that with total spending in 2016 of roughly $155 billion, the Muslim travel market stays a powerful driver of continued travel growth around the globe.
“It is constantly evolving, with major forces such as demographic change and digitalization shaping the industry’s development,” Khan said.
“For example, technology is improving the experience of Muslim travelers at every stage, from the planning phase, to the experience phase, to the sharing phase. There are enormous opportunities for service providers to innovate and adapt their offerings to meet the unique needs of this segment at each of these stages across multiple touchpoints,” Khan added.
This article was first published on HurriyetNews on May 4, 2017
