Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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Shopping districts/Shopping malls
Shopping is one of the major motives for travel among the Muslim travelers. As such, shopping
districts and/or malls need to cater to the needs of Muslims shoppers.
The key guidelines for shopping districts/mall are:
1) Availability of Halal food outlets
2) Prayer room with wudhu facilities in the shopping district or mall
3) Water-friendly toilets
Attractions/Theme parks
Attractions are where tourists spend most of their time outside their accommodation. As such,
they need to be equipped with services catering to the Muslims.
Key guidelines for attractions are as follows:
1) Availability of Halal food outlets
2) Prayer room with wudhu facilities
3) Water-friendly toilets
Spas & Wellness centers
Spas and wellness centers are some of the services that visitors to the destination look for.
Catering to the Muslims of Segment A as well as some in Segment B will require the following:
1) Separate facilities for males and females
2) Male staff attending to male customers, and females attending to females
3) Muslim-friendly dress code for staff
4) Halal-certified products (as far as possible)
Healthcare facilities and services
For catering to healthcare visitors, hospitals and health clinics need to be equipped with Muslim
friendly services.
The key guidelines for hospitals are:
1) Halal food availability
2) Rooms marked with the Qiblah direction.
3) Prayer room for visitors
4) Water-friendly toilets
For catering to the Segment A Muslims, the services will also need to cover the following:
5) Doctors and nurses of the same gender as the patient
6) Halal medications (as far as possible)
It will be also good for the Hospital to have:
7) Muslim chaplain service
Conference and Event Venues
Catering to the business visitor segment for conferences and major events will require the event