Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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3.1 Malaysia
Tourism is a huge sector of the Malaysian economy. United Nations World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO) listed Malaysia as the 12th most visited country in 2014. South-East
Asia was again the fastest growing sub-region both in the region and in the world according to
UNWTO. Malaysia competes with Thailand and other countries in the region in attracting
inbound tourism. Malaysia is ranked amongst the best destination in the world for Muslim
travelers by GMTI 2015. The country has shown consistent growth in visitor arrivals in recent
years and is a popular place for international Muslim tourists. Table 19 shows the Muslim
visitor arrivals and expenditure for the years 2010, 2014 and projection for to 2020.
Table 19: Muslim visitor arrivals to Malaysia for the period 2010 to 2020
Year (Inbound Tourism) 2010 2014 2020
Inbound Muslim Visitor Arrivals (Millions)
4.64 5.27 6.59
Inbound Expenditure by Muslim Visitor (US$ Millions)
3,427 4,290 5,228
Source CrescentRating, 2015
Muslim visitor arrivals are expected to witness a strong increase in the next five years to reach
6.59 million by 2020. Malaysia has successfully positioned itself to be ideal for Muslim family
tourism. Government authorities are branding their destination to offer "Muslim friendly
tourism". The country Muslim friendly tourism program has succeeded in attracting more
Muslim tourist. In 2014 the Muslim tourist arrivals was 5.27 million. This translates into a
growth rate of 4.4 percent. The Muslim visitor growth will be faster than the total visitor
arrivals.
The percentage of Muslim tourist visitors in 2014 was 19.9 percent of total arrivals and this
would increase to 21.7 percent as of 2020.
Malaysia receives a good number of inbound tourist from the GCC countries each year. Ahmad
Nazri Hamzah, Senior Manager of Commercial Services at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad,
mentioned that from their point in their entry into the country Arabs are welcomed.
Announcements are made in Arabic and the signages are also in Arabic. In addition, all F&B
outlets at the airport are Halal, although halal certificate from the Department of Islamic
Development Malaysia (JAKIM) is not always displayed.
Faith-based needs of Muslim Traveler
a) Halal Food
Halal food can be readily found across the country and an increasing number of restaurants
have Halal certification. Easy access to Halal food has been one of the top reasons that Muslim
travelers feel at home in Malaysia. There are many Halal restaurants in the city offering all
types of cuisine from Malaysian to Korean, Japanese to all types of fast food. Food courts in
major shopping malls offer a selection of food from all over the world.