Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
57
malls is a strong asset. The children in the family would enjoy gaming arcades or theme parks.
The men would opt maybe for a golfing program or a drink at coffee shop.
2.4.5 Travel agents and tour operators
Travel agents / Tour operators area has seen lot of developments in the recent past with
regard to the MFT market. In OIC member states many established tour operators are now
beginning to look at MFT as a specific product. Traditionally travel agents specialized in
pilgrimage tours to Mecca are also now looking at developing/providing products for the MFT
market. There are also new smaller players emerging who are only focused on the MFT
market. Some major online travel platforms also look to cater to this segment.
Travel agents in non-OIC destinations are also beginning to offer Muslim friendly tour
packages. These travel agents aim to promote Muslim tourist arrivals by providing necessary
facilities and arrangements. They are as follows;
1. Halal food is prioritized in these Halal tours and agents work with restaurants to
arrange Halal meals.
2. Mosques and prayer rooms are also arranged during the tour.
3. When such facilities are not available, agents are capable of enquiring with shops,
restaurants, parks, hotels, and outlets to provide private prayer places.
There are a few travel agents in Japan that offer tour packages to Muslim travelers – such as
Miyako International Tourist Co. Ltd. and Feel Japan with K Co. Ltd. Many Muslim-friendly tour
packages in offered by agents provide extensive tour coverage of Tokyo and Osaka.
Fawad Khan of Singapore Airlines based in Jeddah and Saudi Arabia mentioned that the
younger generation use social media and perform searches on the web. Recommendation from
friends and relatives is a major factor in determining a particular place of travel. They prefer web
search material in Arabic. Generally, tour operators and travel agents are the channels used by
the Saudis for purchasing holiday products when they travel with family. They like to have their
entire trip pre-planned before they embark on their journey.
Tourists crave novel experiences in new destinations. Thus, there exists a need for a well-
designed tourist itinerary that would create a lasting impression. This also helps OIC Member
states strategically gain a competitive advantage. Tour guides play an important role in this
regard. As such, tour guides knowledge of the Muslim community is important in serving the
needs of the Muslim traveler.
Mr Zulkifly Md Said, Director General of Islamic Tourism Centre Malaysia mentioned the
tourist guides assigned to Muslim tours needs to be educated on the needs of a Muslim traveler.
This is something which the ministry of tourism of culture Malaysia together with ITC and the
relevant stakeholders are looking at coming up with additional modules to help the tourist guides
to understand this segment better.
Nabeel Shariff, Director at Serendipity Tailormade mentions that in many countries shopping is
of key consideration amongst the Muslim tourist. Tour guides knowledge on the local shopping
scene and availability of items that would appeal to the Muslim tourist is favored by the Muslim
traveler.