High Demand for Muslim Travel

Travel packages offering halal food and cooking and prayer rooms find approval with Muslim travellers – ITB Berlin presents the results of a survey by DinarStandard, a leading institute, on the potential of the Muslim travel market.

By the year 2020 growth in Muslim travel will have reached 4.8 percent, significantly higher than the global figure of only 3.8 percent. A total of 14 percent of all international trips will be undertaken by Muslims.

These are the results of a survey presented at the ITB Berlin Convention which was carried out by Reem El Shafaki, a senior associate of DinarStandard. According to the findings of this expert, Muslim travellers’ preferred destinations include Malaysia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The DinarStandard survey examining travel habits polled close to 1,000 Muslims around the world. Half of the respondents were from Asia, 22 percent from the Middle East and North Africa, and 15 percent from the Americas. Asked what was most important for them at their holiday destination, 67 percent answered halal food and cooking according to the rules of the Quran.

At 53 percent, the second most important factor was the overall price of the trip. For close to 50 percent a Muslim-friendly atmosphere was among the most important holiday aspects. Almost 53 percent went on holiday with their family, 23 percent with friends and around 19 percent travelled with their spouses.

According to El Shafaki, tour operators who want to be part of this anticipated boom of the future must make sure certain conditions are fulfilled. Halal food and cooking as well as prayer rooms for worshipping are indispensable.

She advises including suitable washrooms for use before prayers and special services during the fasting month of Ramadan, such as breakfast before sunrise, as part of the travel package. According to the survey, activities forbidden by Islam are not necessarily desired but are nonetheless tolerated.

Reem El Shafaki notes that numerous holiday destinations around the world have already tailored their services to suit Muslim travellers. Thus, by offering Muslim-friendly services the Australian state of Queensland has succeeded in increasing tourism by 38 percent.

In 2012, the EU Commission said that steps should be taken to attract greater numbers of Muslim holidaymakers to Europe. Tour operators such as Crescent Tours and islamictravels.com specialize in Muslim holidaymakers’ needs and offer tailored travel products to make it easier for their customers to choose the right holiday destination.

ITB Berlin 2014 will be taking place from Wednesday, 5 to Sunday, 9 March, and from Wednesday to Friday will be open to trade visitors only. Parallel with the trade show, the ITB Berlin Convention, the largest travel industry event of its kind in the world, will be held from Wednesday, 5 to Friday, 7 March 2014.