Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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Opportunities Threats
 Expansion of tourism infrastructure.
Countries actively seeking to attract Muslim
tourists.
 Strong competition from Group C countries
which could possibly provide a similar
experience to the tourist.
2.6 Key Challenges in Development of MFT in OIC Destinations
a) Security concerns
Travel to a few countries could be a potential security risk. Many western governments have
issued travel advisory requesting its citizens not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Majority of Muslim tourists travel with family and generally want more family-friendly
activities such as shopping, sightseeing, theme park, nature reserve or museum.
b) No proper identification of Halal food outlets
A number of OIC member states have not developed a comprehensive identification process
which could correctly inform tourist that the food offered at a particularly dining
establishment is Halal. For example, Bali, Indonesia is popular with visitors from nearby
Muslim countries such as Malaysia, as well as countries from the Middle East. Although Bali is a
predominantly Hindu island, it’s part of Indonesia which has the biggest Muslim population in
the world. Though there are only 4 percent of Muslim population on the whole island, however
about 20 percent of Denpasar (its capital) is Muslim, therefore confirmation is required
whether the dining establishment is halal. Also not all the Halal dining places display the Halal
logo certificate.
c) Limited support and participation from government to promote MFT
In selected OIC member state the government has not yet engaged with the development of
Muslim friendly tourism. Lack of incentives and motivation by the government to develop the
tourism sector will decrease growth of the MFT market.
d) Increasing competition from non-OIC countries
Singapore, Japan and S. Korea for example are keenly targeting the Muslim tourist. In addition,
Australia and Thailand are also seeking to attract the Muslim travelers. Halal dining
establishments are available in many of the major cities of these countries. In 2014 about 22.5
million tourists travelled from OIC member state to non-OIC member state. This means about
one-third of total Muslim outbound tourist from OIC member state. Many countries are lifting
visa requirements to facilitate Muslim inbound travel. Both Japan and South Korea has relaxed
travel requirements for tourist originating from Malaysia and Indonesia.