Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
20
values based affinity, security, and comfort (e.g. Halal food, family friendly environments,
prayer facilities, etc.)
1.2.2 Faith-based needs of Muslim Travelers
Six faith-based needs have been identified as the main areas for Muslim travelers. While the
majority of Muslim travelers adhere to some of these needs, the level of importance of them
varies among Muslims. A segmentation of Muslim travelers, based on these needs, is presented
later in the chapter.
a) Halal Food
Halal food is by far the most important service that a Muslim traveler is looking for when
traveling. Acceptability of the different levels of Halal food assurance varies among Muslims.
The following Table 3 illustrates the main types of “Halal” assurance provided by food outlets
and their acceptability by most Muslims.
Table 3: Halal assurance acceptability
Halal Assurance Remarks Acceptability
Halal certified restaurants Restaurants certified Halal by a
Halal Certification Body (HCB).
Most HCBs do not certify
restaurants that serve alcohol, but
some do.
Acceptable for all
Restaurants served by
only a Halal certified
kitchen
Restaurants served from a kitchen
certified Halal by a HCB.
Acceptable for many
Self-assurance – claims to
serve only Halal food
A. Muslim
owned/managed
B. Non-Muslim managed
The restaurant management/staff
claim all food served in the
restaurant is Halal
A. Acceptable for many
B. Not acceptable for many
Self-assurance – claims to
serve Halal food and non-
Halal food
The restaurant management/staff
claim that some food served in the
restaurant is Halal
Not acceptable for many
Self-assurance – claims to
serve only vegetarian or
seafood
The restaurant management/staff
claim that all food served is
vegetarian or seafood
Acceptable for many
Source: CrescentRating (2015) and MTSI (2015)10
The acceptability also varies depending on the region the Muslim travelers are coming from.
Having food outlets with proper Halal assurance that is identifiable by the visitors is the best
option sought by Muslim visitors from South East Asia and Western Europe.
Halal certification is generally provided by local bodies. In some OIC member states, Halal
certification is regulated by one body that has been authorized to perform certification in the
country. Some OIC member states do not have such certification bodies certifying food
10 MasterCard-CrescentRating (2015); Muslim Travel Shopping Index 2015 (MTSI); Singapore CrescentRating