The latest Mastercard Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index has
identified a need for more halal tourism guides to cater for the pent-up
demand for travel among Muslim travellers.
Halal travel guides are a crucial asset for destinations to
communicate and showcase the Muslim-friendly services at the
destination, the Index noted.
As international travel resumes, it is projected that Muslim
traveller arrivals will reach 140 million in 2023 and get back to
pre-pandemic level of 160 million in 2024.
Women travellers represent one of the fastest-growing segments within
the Muslim travel market, making up around 45% of global Muslim
arrivals. That translated to around 72 million Muslim women travellers
in 2019. Solo and women group travel was a growth sector pre-COVID, and
this is expected to continue as travel restarts.
Crucially, Muslim women are the big decision makers when it comes to
planning family travel, but there are pain points that destinations need
to address.
An earlier Mastercard/Crescent Rating report found that
privacy/modesty is a considerable concern for Muslim women, leading them
to avoid facilities that have dress code restrictions or do not provide
adequate privacy.
Muslim women prefer amenities that address their needs, such as
women-only prayer places, child-friendly services and information that
allows them to connect with local communities that have shared
interests.
The estimated expenditure of Halal Travel could reach US$225 billion by 2028.