Easy access to halal food and family-friendly attractions boost Singapore’s Muslim-friendly travel standing
Singapore is the highest-ranking non-OIC country on the two halal/Islamic travel indexes – the Halal Travel Indicator on Thomson Reuters’ Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI) and the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) produced by CrescentRating and MasterCard.
Singapore Tourism Board’s Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam, Area Director (Middle East and Africa), tells Salaam Gateway that two key factors work in Singapore’s favour – easy access to halal food and mosques, and a wide variety of family-friendly attractions and experiences.
Salaam Gateway: Why is halal/Muslim-friendly travel and tourism so important to Singapore?
Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam: Muslim travellers are a demographic that is rapidly growing in importance.
According to the MasterCard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Traveller Index 2015, there were about 108 million Muslim travellers last year who spent some $145 billion, – which accounts for about 10 percent of the global travel economy – making them the largest source travel market ahead of places like the United States and China.
With their travel expenditure tipped to increase by over 30 percent to $181 billion by 2018, attracting Muslim travellers to visit Singapore can prove beneficial for our tourism sector, especially in a year of festivities and promotions galore as the Republic celebrates 50 years of independence.
Salaam Gateway: What are the two most important factors that have established Singapore as the leading halal/Muslim-friendly non-OIC destination?
Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam: One factor is the sense of familiarity in Singapore, where a sizable Muslim community harmoniously co-exists with other races in a multicultural society. That means ease of access to many halal food choices and mosques where they can fulfil their religious obligations while they are on holiday.
Another aspect of Singapore that appeals to Muslim travellers from the Middle East, especially, is the wide variety of family-friendly attractions and experiences where there is something for everyone, considering that travellers from the Middle East tend to travel with their families.
Salaam Gateway: What are the STB’s plans to keep Singapore at the forefront of halal/Muslim-friendly travel and tourism for the long-term?
Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam: STB strives to ensure the injection of appropriate content to create memorable experiences for visitors and differentiate Singapore from other destinations as a way to continue to attract both new and repeat visitors.
We released a halal travel guide for Muslim travellers in Malaysia and Indonesia, – in conjunction with luxury fashion magazine Glam and Glam Lelaki (Malaysia) and travel publication Panorama Magazine (Indonesia) – to increase affinity between them and Singapore. The travel guide details the wide selection of halal food and facilities as well as the various ethnic landmarks and precincts in our Muslim-friendly city.
Our office in Dubai is working with trade partners to increase the awareness and affinity of Singapore as an ideal holiday destination in the Middle East markets. We are embarking on several partnerships to promote the destination across the region, and developing new marketing materials that are culturally sensitive and appropriate for this market.
In keeping with market trends, STB will also be engaging travellers more actively through digital and social media channels with the aim of creating a community of travel advocates for Singapore.
Salaam Gateway: What are the most popular attractions in Singapore for tourists and travellers from Muslim-majority/OIC countries?
Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam: Being a multi-cultural society means visitors can experience several ethnic cultures within one vacation. For instance, visitors can get insights into Singapore’s rich Malay heritage when they take a walk through the Malay-Muslim quarter Kampong Glam, which was once the residence of Malay royalty in olden-day Singapore. Similar cultural precincts in Singapore are places like Chinatown, Little India and also the Joo Chiat neighbourhood, where they can learn about the unique Peranakan history.
Singapore is also a family-friendly destination where there is plenty for loved ones to enjoy together. Travellers with families can spend some quality time amid the flora and fauna at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which recently became the Republic’s first UNESCO Heritage Site, or get up close and interact with wildlife at the Jurong Bird Park and the Singapore Zoo, which was voted by travellers as the fifth best zoo in the world in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2014.
The suite of other family-friendly attractions and activities includes Gardens by the Bay, Universal Studios Singapore and Marine Life Park at the Resorts World Sentosa, River Safari and the many evergreen attractions like the Merlion Park and cruises on the Singapore River.
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