Muslim-friendly tourism gaining market share in Spain’s $65 bln travel industry

Photo:BARCELONA, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 13, 2015: People sitting on a double decker tourist coach in front of The Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona on September 13, 2015 / Dvoevnore / Shutterstock.com

A rich Islamic heritage, a growing halal food industry, and increasing efforts among hotels and tourist agencies to accommodate the needs of Muslim visitors have made Spain an increasingly attractive destination for Muslim tourists. What are the opportunities for new tourist service providers to address the demand for Muslim-friendly travel in Spain?

MUSLIM-FRIENDLY 

Spain was placed 9th by CrescentRating in its ranking of the top 10 non-OIC destinations on the Global Muslim Travel Index 2015. According to CrescentRating, Spain had an estimated 2.6 million Muslim arrivals in 2014, representing 4 percent of total arrivals in that year.

Spain has a rich Islamic history, having been ruled by Muslims between the 700s and 1500s. There are a number of mosques with historical significance dating back to the Middle Ages, including the Basharat Mosque, Mosque–Cathedral of Cordoba, King Abdul Aziz Mosque, and Mosque of Cristo de la Luz.

The local population of over 2 million Muslims has established halal restaurants, meat manufacturing suppliers, and distributors. There are currently over 300 companies in Spain with halal certification, and so the country lends itself to a Muslim-friendly environment for Muslim tourists.

HALAL HOTELS

There are two hotel chains that have received halal certification from Spain’s leading certifier, Instituto Halal: Alanda Hotel Marbella and Melia Hotels International. 

Discussing the certification process, Tomas Blanco, Madrid Director of Instituto Halal, commented, “We have checked the kitchens to ensure they are halal and audit this on an ongoing basis. We also inspect the rooms to ensure there is no alcohol or non-halal food.”

The Alanda Hotel Marbella is a four-star hotel located on Marbella’s Golden Mile, three kilometers from Marbella’s Old Town Center and nearby Andalusian provinces. The hotel offers 199 rooms, with five suites and several amenities and services including a swimming pool, restaurant, café, spa, gym, and wellness center.

It offers halal food for Muslim travelers as well as prayer facilities, prayer mats, prayer timetables, and a Quran in each guestroom. The hotel is located next to the King Abdul Aziz Mosque and was purchased by the Saudi corporation Fawaz al Hokair in 2014 to add to their FAS Hotels portfolio.

Melia Hotels International was founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca, and is the largest domestic hotel chain in the country. It operates over 350 hotels across seven brands in 35 countries. and Its Cordoba location is certified as halal. The Tryp Cordoba Hotel is located in the heart of the city and offers 107 modern contemporary rooms, dining spaces, a gym, and a lounge.

Photo: The city of Cordoba / Jose Galan / Shutterstock.com

TRAVEL AGENCIES

Several Muslim-friendly travel agencies have been established in Spain.

Founded in 2009, NurAndDuha was the first halal tourism services agency in Spain. It was endorsed by Instituto Halal to promote tourism in the country by tying Islamic heritage to Spanish history.

Al Andulas Experience provides Muslims with services including tours, transport, and halal catering reservations to discover the history of Andalusia.

Erentour is a local tour operator that blends historical cultures from East and West from the Middle Ages, with tours in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Photo: TOLEDO, SPAIN - AUGUST 15, 2013: Group of Arab tourists walking the old streets of Toledo / Olga Lutina / Shutterstock.com

CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS 

Actively work with tourism agencies and online influencers to promote Spain’s Muslim-friendly image

Turespana’s (TourSpain) Strategic Marketing Plan, currently the most active initiative supported by the Spanish government, helps the Spanish Tourism Institute promote the country as a destination under the Plan e Nacional Integral de Turismo between 2012 and 2016.

Marketing Spain’s Muslim-friendly attributes can be a challenge. Instituto Halal’s Blanco commented, “There is a perception among Muslims in Spain that pork and alcohol are very popular. These are first images that come up when people search for Spain. Very little comes up when you search for Muslim-friendly tourism. This needs to be addressed.”

Advertising through online platforms that directly address the target Muslim consumer may help circumvent this problem. For instance, targeted advertisements can be placed through Muslim Ad Network or Halal Ad on websites popular among online Muslim users. Furthermore, announcing vacancies through dedicated Muslim-online booking platforms for halal travel, such as HalalBooking, HalalTrip, and Tripfez, will help reach the target market in a more cost- and time-efficient manner.

Determine the extent to which you seek to accommodate Muslim needs

It may not always be feasible to fully address Muslim needs, and hence accommodating Muslim needs without fully alienating non-Muslim tourists may be a better option. Commenting on the challenge, Blanco said, “You can’t always get 100 percent certified, and doing so may restrict your market. However, there are substantial benefits from doing so. If there is a substantial Muslim market, having dedicated prayer spaces will really help in attracting Muslim tourists. However, a lot of hotels are hesitant to accommodate this as they lose out on lucrative meeting and conference space—so it’s a tough call to make.”

Determining the number of Muslim tourists, which will likely vary significantly by region within Spain, is also important in determining the likely market share capture.

Consider the format you wish to launch

Spain’s access to coastal areas makes it an ideal destination for beach resorts. With the rapid emergence of Muslim-friendly beach resorts across Turkey, Egypt, the GCC, and Southeast Asia, there is substantial demand and opportunity for establishing them in Spain.

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