Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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Some hotels and restaurants are also offering Iftar meals, which include buffet meals to be
taken after breaking fast. A few restaurants in five star hotels offer a wide selection of cuisine
for the Muslim traveler in Ramadan.
d) Attractions & Activities (shopping, beaches, sightseeing etc.)
The Muslim travelers, visiting an attraction in United Kingdom would generally find Halal food
or vegetarian choices. Most do not provide prater facilities.
Nabeel Shariff, Director at Serendipity Tailormade based in London, said that wearing the Hijab
at tourist attractions in United Kingdom is common. There is no discrimination at all by either the
locals or non-Muslim tourist.
e) Travel agents/Tour operators
Currently not many Tour operators are offering Muslim Friendly Tour packages to the UK.
There are a few UK based outbound travel agents who offer out bound Muslim friendly
packages. They could eventually offer UK inbound packages as well. A number of major tour
operators like Kuoni are beginning to develop UK inbound packages to cater to Muslims.
f) Human capital
United Kingdom is fortunate that although it’s a non-OIC member state there is high
knowledge about the Muslim lifestyle due its large Muslim population. Although Muslim
tourists may be served in restaurants by non-Muslims in the country they are fairly familiar
with the special needs and preferences required by Muslim travelers. However, there are no
structured programs to develop human resources specially to cater to the MFT segment.
g) Destinations
United Kingdom is a preferred travel destination by Muslims because of the following;
- Variety of activities which is offered throughout the country
- Understanding and respect of the Muslim traveler
- Good availability of Halal food
With a significantly large Muslim population, especially in the cities of Bradford, London and
Manchester the destination attracts many visitors. In addition, the National Tourist Board for
England a non-governmental organization supported through a grant from the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is very supportive in attracting the Muslim tourist into the
country.
UK makes a great travel destination for Muslims due to the growing awareness for the need of
at the destination. Many restaurants have gone out of their way to ensure halal food
availabilities all year round, in order to cater for Muslim visitors, especially from the Middle
East who regularly visit the country. Additionally, a few cities with large Muslim populations
in UK are renowned for a particular food theme. Bradford is popularly known as the curry
capital of Britain.