Indonesia and Malaysia have once more achieved resounding success within the Mastercard-CresentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023, becoming the preferred destinations for Muslim travelers worldwide. Both countries can boast the title of Most Muslim-friendly destination of 2023 for the eighth time.
In the GMTI 2023 report, Fazal Bahardeen, founder and CEO of CrescentRating, said the rating provides a comprehensive overview of nations’ performance in serving Muslim travelers as tourism destinations.
The GMTI (Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index) rating is predicated on 4 most important criteria: In this aspect of the rating, Indonesia tied with Malaysia in first place by way of popularity of the Muslim travel destination. Other destinations in Southeast Asia also made the highest ten.
Indonesia, because the country with the biggest Muslim population on the earth, and Malaysia, which ranks twentieth by way of population density, proceed to be popular destinations for Muslims. Both countries took first place within the GMTI 2023 rating. While Indonesia took first place in 2019, Malaysia has maintained its strong position since 2015.
Indonesia and Malaysia scored 73 points out of a possible 100, Singapore scored 64 points and placed twelfth, Thailand scored 52 points and the Philippines 46. Of the 140 countries assessed, the region confirms its determination to offer the perfect services and meet the needs of Muslim travelers.
Successful synergy
Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Uno expressed her appreciation for the alternative of Indonesia as the preferred destination for Muslim tourists. Sandiaga felt proud and completely happy when he received the award in Singapore on Thursday (1/6).
The award is a transparent demonstration of the efforts of Kemenparekrafa and all stakeholders to advertise the event of halal tourism in Indonesia. In two years, Indonesia’s halal tourism has risen within the rankings from fourth place in 2021, second place in 2022 and first place in 2023.
Sandiaga Uno also thanked all parties, especially the Indonesian Halal Tourism Association (PPHI), Halal In Travel, Mastercard Crescent and others who contributed to this achievement.
Thanks to this collaboration, PPHI won two awards concurrently, namely Stakeholder Awareness Campaign of the Year within the Mastercard Crescent Rating GMTI Awards and Stakeholder Awareness Campaign of the Year within the Halal In Travel Awards 2023.
Moreover, Sandiaga revealed that this achievement mustn’t only be maintained but in addition improved. Sandiaga also hopes its goal of 8.5 million tourists will be supported by halal tourism and Muslim tourists. The achievement can also be expected to speed up the creation of 4.4 million jobs by 2024. The focus might be on halal tourism because the sector has huge potential to create six times more jobs and significantly empower communities.
Maintaining the momentum
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing announced that Malaysia has successfully retained its top spot within the ‘Best Muslim-friendly Destination’ category within the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023 report.
Recognized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as ‘Best Muslim-Friendly Destination’ and ‘Best Muslim-Friendly Destination’, this achievement further strengthens Malaysia’s position and image as a pacesetter in Muslim tourism and Muslim-friendly tourism and hospitality (MFTH) at regional and international levels .
Because of this achievement, Tiong is happy with Malaysia’s success in attracting 2.12 million Muslim tourists to the country last 12 months, contributing to a complete expenditure of RM5.37 billion.
Tiong urged local entrepreneurs and industry players to adopt the concept of Muslim-friendly hospitality services as certainly one of the strategies to expand and support the expansion of the Islamic tourism industry within the country.
Tiong also encouraged them to take part in courses and programs organized by ITC, including the Muslim-Friendly Tourist Guide (MFTG) course for locally licensed tour guides and the Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition (MFAR) program. These programs provide business development opportunities through the rapidly growing Islamic tourism sector.
The way forward for halal travel
GMTI highlights the importance of the halal travel segment as international Muslim tourist arrivals are forecast to achieve 110 million by 2022 and increase to 140 million by 2023. Muslim visitors are forecast to achieve as much as 230 million by 2028, with their spending estimated at $225 billion. Asia leads in arrivals, with over 31 percent of travelers to the region identifying as Muslim.
Fazal Bahardeen, founder and CEO of CrescentRating, also revealed that while each travel destination is exclusive, Muslim travelers often search for itineraries that consider their faith-based needs. They want the provision of halal food, facilities for worship, and supportive communication and news from the places they visit.
GMTI also highlights the importance of collaboration and innovation within the tourism industry, encouraging destinations to adapt to the changing needs of Muslim travelers. As the industry recovers strongly from the pandemic, understanding and responding to this market’s preferences might be key to long-term growth and sustainability.
