Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
21
outlets/restaurants; these are mainly the OIC member states in the Middle East such as Qatar,
UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. There is an emergence of many Halal certification bodies in non-OIC
countries, some of which have multiple bodies performing Halal certification.
In the certification of Halal food, there are minor differences among the standards adopted by
the certification bodies. Among the main differences is the issue of crustaceans. This has some
implications when assuring Halal for Muslim visitors, as it is considered not Halal by some
schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
A harmonized Halal standard and a uniform certification process across the OIC member states
will greatly help accelerate the adoption of Halal certification by food outlets. The Standards
and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMICC) is a standards body for the OIC member
states, which aims to achieve “‘One Halal’ logo and ‘One Halal’ standard”. SMICC could play an
important role in enabling widespread use of Halal certification.
b) Prayer Facilities
Prayer is one of the central elements of Islamic practice and worship and it is the second of the
five pillars of Islam. According to the Pew Research Centre report11 mentioned earlier, 63
percent of Muslims perform the five daily prayers. While traveling, some of them will combine
some prayers and perform them three times a day.
In order to cater to this need, the services and facilities that are frequented by Muslim
travelers need to be equipped with prayer rooms ideally with separate space for both males
and females. Another important consideration is the cleansing ritual referred to as Wudhu.
Wudhu is performed before a Muslim performs their prayers. This requires that the prayer
rooms are provided with “foot washing” facilities.
c) Ramadhan Services
Although Muslims are less likely to travel during the month of Ramadhan, there are still many
looking to spend this time away from home, especially if this period coincides with school
holidays. In addition, an increasing number of Muslims take holiday breaks during the two
Muslim festivals. Destinations who wish to target this period need to be able to cater to the
special needs during the month of fasting.
The main service that is required to cater to this need is the ability of the hotels at the
destination to cater to Halal pre-dawn meals.
d) Water Friendly Washrooms
For Muslims, water plays a key role in purity and cleanliness, both of which are core aspects of
the faith. Physical cleanliness is stressed as an essential component of being a Muslim. As such,
special attention is given to hygiene in the washroom. This entails the use of water in the
toilets, and it is discomforting for Muslim travelers where the setup for water use is not
available. Providing such facilities has become less cumbersome now with the widespread
11 Pew Research Center Forum on Religious and Public Life (2014); The Future of the Global Muslim Population;
Washington, DC USA