Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
60
SWOT Analysis for Group A
Table 12: SWOT analysis of Group A
Strength Weakness
 Advanced tourism infrastructure  Growing security concerns in Turkey
 Malaysia and Turkey have tourism
products to cater to a wide range of
themes (shopping, dining, beaches,
heritage, etc.)
 Recent Airline incidents in Malaysia
 Rich Islamic artefacts around the country
including mosques, Islamic architectural
beauty, and museums of Islamic art,
especially in Turkey.
 High temperature in Summer in UAE
 Access to a wide variety of Halal food for
Muslim tourists (including fast food
outlets)
 No proper identification of Halal food
outlets in UAE and Turkey
 Availability of prayer facilities at tourist
spots and public premises (hospitals,
offices, shopping malls, theme parks)
 No government led initiative in Turkey to
promote MFT
 Availability of Muslim-friendly travel
packages including those of seasonal
festivities i.e. Ramadhan, Eid-ul-Fitr
 Strong promotional campaigns
 Visa free or Visa on arrival for many
nationalities
 Strong focus on MFT through ITC in
Malaysia and through DIEC initiative by
Dubai
Opportunities Threats
 Growing Muslim travel market  Competition from countries such Singapore,
Japan and S. Korea which are keenly
targeting the Muslim tourist
 Younger generation of Muslims keen to
connect with the rich past Islamic heritage
(Turkey)
 Negative word of mouth due to the
economic problems in some countries
 Development of new Islamic tourism
products based on the “Heritage or
Education” themes
 Islamophobia driven negative sentiments
towards Muslim countries
 Muslim tourists are keen to visit “Muslim-
friendly destinations” with good tourism
products
 Providing educational understanding for
students from Islamic countries
Group B – Best Positioned for Growth
The second cluster of markets demonstrates strong growth potential that can be unlocked with
increased investment. These countries have the most of the basics in place. Qatar, Indonesia,
Oman, Jordan and Morocco are well positioned to grow their market share of Muslim travelers.