Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) participated in the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) and Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) recently to highlight the potential of the Muslim tourist market as a regional tourism recovery strategy.
“What we can see in TRAVEX is that ASEAN member countries already have a basic grasp on Islamic Tourism and its impacts on the economy, society and culture. They are on the right track and would benefit from a more systematic approach to further develop the sector in their respective countries, and thus make the ASEAN region an attractive destination for the Muslim tourist market,” said Marina Muhamad, Director of Industry Development at ITC. In that spirit, ITC, as an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) responsible for developing the Islamic Tourism sector and the Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) ecosystem in Malaysia, took part in the three-day ATF and TRAVEX to share its efforts in making Malaysia a preferred destination for Muslim tourists and increase the buy-in towards MFTH.”
ITC took the opportunity to introduce its Muslim-Friendly Recognition (MFR), an accreditation scheme that recognises tourism products, attractions, services, facilities, and packages that possess key elements that are appealing to Muslims and enhance the Muslim travel experience, especially when it comes to meeting their faith-based needs.
Southeast Asia is currently home to 260 million Muslims, with access and mobility to conveniently travel within the region due to geographical and economic reasons.
“By creating or modifying tourism services and packages to cater to the Muslim market, ASEAN countries have the potential to pull high-spending Muslim tourists to explore the region with ease,” Marina said.
“This creates a supportive setting for economic growth as the demand for MFTH products and services will grow and the region’s tourism industry players will need to roll out new products and services, creating more employment opportunities as well,” she added.
“ITC on behalf of Malaysia is ever-ready to share our expertise with neighbouring destinations interested in expanding their adoption of MFTH with the schemes and standards that we have developed. We also welcome decision-makers in the tourism industry to come and visit any of the 14 states of Malaysia to experience our Muslim-Friendly hospitality themselves.”
Malaysia, recognised as the “Top Muslim-Friendly Destination of the Year (OIC)” in the “MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2022” since the index debuted in 2015, is one example of a country that has profited from Islamic Tourism and MFTH. At the height of its tourism performance in 2019, before the pandemic set in, Malaysia recorded 5.3 million Muslim tourist arrivals, contributing to RM16.72 billion in tourist receipts.
The travel exchange was considered to be a win-win event for all exhibitors and visitors as it promoted collaborations between all participating countries, eventually benefiting all countries involved, and the ASEAN region in particular.
This year’s ATF and TRAVEX were held at the Jogja Expo Centre, Jogjakarta, Indonesia from 3-5 February 2023. With more than 207 businesses and 115 exhibitors involved, TRAVEX, a business-to-business (B2B), trade-only component of ATF was an ideal platform for all ASEAN countries to rebuild the tourism sector, especially now that destinations had reopened and people were starting to confidently travel again. This year, the largest travel and tourism trade in Southeast Asia was also joined by other international delegates, including China, India, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
