Halal travel morphs as Muslims seek new experiences and destinations

Photo: TOLEDO, SPAIN - AUGUST 15, 2013: Group of Arab tourists, men and women in hijab walking the old streets of Toledo / Olga Iutina / Shutterstock.com

As the well-heeled Muslim traveller starts demanding more from travel and tourism, newer destinations are jostling to cater to this steadily growing market

Growing at an estimated four to five percent a year, in line with global tourism numbers, the Muslim-friendly or halal travel market has witnessed increased activity across the sector in 2016, offering widely differentiated products for a more demanding customer. New destinations are competing to become more Muslim-friendly, by packaging and clearly labelling what’s already there and adding newer attractions for this group of travellers, a trend that is likely to continue in 2017.

On the back of increased visibility of high-spend travellers, travel professionals report increased demand and availability of Muslim-friendly holidays, in countries such as Spain, France, Australia, Japan, Korea and Maldives, in addition to traditionally popular destinations such as the UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey.