Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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Saudi Arabia can target the Muslim market by enticing the Umrah travel to extend their stay in
KSA for tourism/holiday.
SWOT Analysis for Group B
Table 13: SWOT analysis of Group B
Strengths Weakness
 All are Muslim dominant countries hence
general awareness and understanding of
tourism-friendly product and services.
 Limited availability of attractions including
theme parks.
 With the exception of Indonesia, all countries
are located in relatively close proximity to
one another. Travel could encompass
multiple countries by the tourist.
 High summer temperatures (in middle
eastern countries)
 Arabic is the dominant language spoken in
almost all the counties with the exception of
Indonesia.

Opportunities Threats
 High growth market.  Growing competition from non-OIC member
states.
 Average age of the tourist in these countries
would be in the 20s to 40s age group. Hence
social media platforms would be important
in planning their travel.
 Negative market perception of economic
instability.
 Becoming a family destination because of its
affordability.
 Muslim culture and experience. Attractive to
especially the young adults interested to
learn about Islamic heritage.
 Development of Islamic tourism based on
Education themes.
Group C – Potential for Growth
The third cluster consists of markets that offer unique opportunities for example Kuwait or
Iran. Tunisia and Egypt, which have been traditional tourism markets are having safety
concerns. If these concerns are removed, they will perform as well as the group C countries.
Iran has the best potential within this group to grow its tourism market and also grow its share
of the Muslim travel market if the sanctions are removed. Brunei, Kuwait, Bahrain and
Maldives can grow their market share by a better reach out to the Muslim market.