The growth of adventure tourism for thrill-seeking Muslim travellers

Adventure tourism is defined as a trip that includes at least two of the following three elements: physical activity, natural environment, and cultural immersion. The sector was worth $263 billion globally in 2014, reported the U.S.-based Adventure Travel Tourism Association.

For the Muslim market, Thomson Reuters’ State of the Global Islamic Economy 2015/16 report estimates that approximately 11 percent of global outbound spend on tourism in 2014 was attributed to Muslims. Assuming Muslims maintain the same proportion of expenditure, their potential spend on adventure tourism in 2014 could have been as high as $28 billion. 

Globally, adventure travel is the fastest growing travel segment and this presents a huge opportunity for Muslim travel companies as well. The sector is lucrative as travellers are willing to pay a premium for exciting and authentic experiences. Adventure operators have reported an average of $3,000 spent per person, with an average trip length of eight days, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

KEY EMERGING PLAYERS IN MUSLIM ADVENTURE TRAVEL

There are several key adventure travel companies that target and accommodate Muslim travellers and address Muslims’ lifestyle needs, including providing halal food, incorporating prayer times into itineraries and respecting alcohol-free and modesty requirements.

Holiday Bosnia

Holiday Bosnia is a UAE-based travel company that specializes in philanthropic-based adventure trips to Bosnia.  The company is Muslim-owned and is in tune with accommodating to the needs of Muslim travellers but caters to anyone interested in exploring Bosnia, be they Muslims or non-Muslims.

Holiday Bosnia offers white-water rafting, hiking, mountain-climbing, skiing, camping, and horseback riding within nature trails. Their philanthropic-based Peace Camp allows travellers to immerse themselves in post-war peace-building activities with the local communities, as well as in the more typical adventure activities.

The company provides prayer timetables and prayer facilities for their Muslim clients, as well as guiding their groups to halal food outlets.

Additionally, Holiday Bosnia believes an important part of Islamic travel is to meet and interact with local communities. “We also build a 'meet the community' element into our programmes and we find that this is often the most enjoyable part of the trip for our customers - regardless of their religion,” said Kamraan Siddiqui, the company’s founder.   

Serendipity Tailormade

UK-based travel company Serendipity Tailormade provides halal food and is mindful to also design for privacy on their adventure trips.

In their riverside safari camp in Tanzania, guests stay at luxurious tented chalets overlooking the Rufiji River and its resident hippos and crocodiles. The tents have been carefully placed to provide privacy and blend into the natural surroundings.

The lodge provides halal food as a standard and also offers prayer facilities in guests’ tents and at the nearby mosque. However, alcohol is served, but in a segregated area.

Vacations by Lemiya

Vacations By Lemiya is a travel company based in the United States that offers eco/adventure trips to destinations across the globe.

It offers trips that include rappelling, white water rafting, and volcano hikes in Costa Rica, and Amazon rainforest cruises in Peru.

Lemiya Alexander, the company’s CEO, provides tailor-made tour packages and a personalized touch in accommodating Muslim needs. She sends menus to her clients in advance and works with the local chef to provide alternatives that adhere to Islamic dietary standards.

She also includes a list of hand-picked Muslim-friendly restaurants in her clients’ travel documents, which provide a variety of seafood and vegetarian options, non-alcohol-based marinades and sauces, and family-friendly ambiance. The company also ensures that alcohol is removed from hotel/resort rooms.

Secret Paradise

Secret Paradise is a travel company in the Maldives that organizes local island trips that include adventure activities.

Their itineraries include snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing trips, jeep safaris, kayaking, windsurfing courses, visits to uninhabited islands and culinary tours.

Since the Maldives is a Muslim country, it is relatively easy for the company to accommodate Muslim guests. “There is always a mosque available for prayer, all food is halal and our guides can relate to and understand the needs of our Muslim guests,” said Ruth Franklin, Secret Paradise’s Director of Sales.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Determine your core customer segment – even if you’re targeting Muslims, there is scope to specialize by age and source country.

For Vacations By Lemiya, most clients are Generation Xers and Millennials, mainly second and third generation Muslim Americans of Arab and Indo/Pakistani origin.

Holiday Bosnia’s target market is Muslim families in addition to young, middle-income single Muslims, men and women in their 30s who have more disposable income and are more flexible and mobile. About 65 percent of their target groups are from Gulf countries, and 30 percent are from western countries such as UK and USA. The remaining 5 percent come from Malaysia and Indonesia.

Secret Paradise targets both Muslims and non-Muslims. “Our shorter stay packages are more popular with guests travelling from Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and UAE. Our longer stay packages tend to attract guests from the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia and the USA. We also have a healthy age range: 45 percent  55+, 30 percent 35-55, and 25 percent 18-34,” said Ruth Franklin.

Use diverse marketing channels to build awareness and don’t just rely on travel booking sites.

Secret Paradise’s biggest marketing challenge is growing their brand awareness. “We are promoting a brand that specializes in a tourism product that not many tourists know exists. Through various channels awareness of this alternative Maldives holiday continues to grow. However, you only have to speak to visitors at travel shows or even passengers at airports to know that we have only just scraped the surface,” said Ruth Franklin.

Secret Paradise gets 40 percent of its customers through direct enquiries via their website, 30 percent through international adventure partners and another 30 percent via online sites such as Responsibletravel.com, CrescentRating, and Trip Advisor, according to Franklin.

Leverage social media and traditional word-of-mouth advertising.

Holiday Bosnia markets its offerings through its website and social media. The company also attracts many customers through word of mouth.

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