Photo for illustrative purposes only

Islamic Lifestyle

Unisex showers at beaches a concern for the halal-conscious, say Muslim-friendly travel experts


Photo for illustrative purposes only. 

A Muslim family holidaying on Australia’s Sunshine Coast used a club’s members-only private showers without permission because it couldn’t find female-only closed-door public facilities, reported an Australian newspaper. ABC News cited the local authority that manages public facilities in that area, Sunshine Coast Council, as saying the open shower and unisex toilets at that beach “were designed according to the required legislation”.

Muslim-friendly tourism experts told Salaam Gateway halal-conscious travellers would consider unisex toilets or shower facilities a problem.

Elena Nikolova, the entrepreneur behind popular blog and travel guide Muslim Travel Girl, said she would first check to see if toilets and shower facilities at beaches were unisex or not before deciding on whether to swim. She would have to make a decision whether to “miss out on the fun due to the facilities”, she said.

“On a recent trip to Miami I wanted to swim however I had to forgo it as there was only an external shower available on Miami beach, which was exposed so there was nowhere to change out of a wet burkini suit,” said Nikolova.

For women who choose to dress modestly, no closed-door same-sex shower facilities could also create a “health problem”, as it takes a much longer time to dry off in full-body burkinis, said Nikolova.

“[F]or countries that want to attract Muslim tourists, this can create a backlash and negative advertisement of the area or country,” she added.

Ufuk Secgin, chief marketing officer of online travel booking platform HalalBooking, agrees with Nikolova.

“Halal-conscious customers certainly would not be in favour of unisex toilet or shower facilities,” Secgin told Salaam Gateway.

“It would be a negative criteria for our customers when considering properties offering such facilities and it would have a negative impact on the sales of these properties,” he added.

A spokesperson for Tourism Australia, which markets the country internationally, told Salaam Gateway the Sunshine Coast incident “appears to be an isolated example of the beach facilities provided at one particular beach and not necessarily indicative of what is happening in other public places.”

“Generally, the most popular beaches visited by international visitors in Australia overwhelmingly provide separate facilities for men and women,” the spokesperson added.

Both Nikolova and Secgin also pointed out the issue affects more than just halal-conscious travellers. 

"In the UK, for example, where we are based, this is not only a concern for Muslim women but there are also many feminist and other women’s groups working to ensure that the provision of single sex spaces and safe spaces for women is not eroded," Secgin said. 

Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of HalalBooking competitor HalalTrip, and pioneering Muslim-friendly hospitality standards company CrescentRating, pointed out that unisex toilets are not new.

“Unisex single toilets have been there for many years, which does not concern any. Airline toilets are unisex,” Bahardeen told Salaam Gateway.

The issue for halal-conscious travellers is when a whole washroom, with multiple toilets and showers, is unisex, said Bahardeen.

“They are not ideal for males and females who wish to have privacy in such an environment. One example is hijab-wearing Muslim women who would like to perform ablution by removing the hijab, and do not wish to do so in the presence of non-females,” Bahardeen said.

HalalBooking and HalalTrip have not received any feedback or concerns about the issue of unisex toilet facilities.

However, Secgin said HalalBooking would consider highlighting it if it were to become a concern, adding that properties offering dedicated women-only and men-only facilities enjoy the highest demand on HalalBooking.

HalalBooking reported earnings of $12 million and profit of $830,000 in 2017. HalalTrip does not publicly report its earnings. 

Bahardeen said that if gender-specific male and female toilets begin to disappear then it will be “a huge concern” for many Muslim travellers.

“Overall, I do believe that gender-specific toilets should remain as one option for individuals who wish to make that choice,” said the Singapore-based Bahardeen.

“The other possibility is to really look at re-designing the standard public washrooms which then can cater to all requirements.”

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tags:

Beaches
Public facilities
Same-sex facilities
Toilets
Women