Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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and service center, which attracts businesses. Many major multi-nationals have regional
headquarters in KL.
c) Healthcare Travel
Medical tourism is a significant sector of Malaysia's economy, with an estimated 1 million
traveling to Malaysia specifically for medical treatments alone in 2014, contributing around
US$200 million in revenue to the economy. Malaysia is reputed as one of the most preferred
medical tourism destinations especially amongst the Muslim travelers because it provides
modern private healthcare facilities and highly knowledgeable medical professionals.
In 2014, Malaysia was ranked the world's best destination for medical tourism by the Nomad
Capitalist. Malaysia was also included in the top 10 medical tourism destinations list by CNBC.
Supply Side Analysis
a) Transport terminal services (airports, cruise terminals, railway stations, etc.)
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is the major airport of the country located on the
outskirts of Kula Lumpur. The airport offers Muslim friendly facilities ranging from prayer area
to halal dining. Many Muslim tourists are clearly visible at the airport. Ahmad Nazri Hamzah,
Senior Manager of Commercial Services at Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad commented that
the Middle East tourist prefer Malaysia because of the similarity in religion and availability of
halal food. Hence creating the correct ambience at the airport is necessary. In KLIA majority of
the 45 food & beverage, outlets are halal.
b) Transport services (airlines, cruises, railways, etc.)
Malaysian airlines is the country’s national carrier. AirAsia and Malindo Air are the country’s
budget airlines. All provide Halal food. The leading OIC member state destinations from
Malaysia are Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Brunei and Qatar. The total weekly
flights to Indonesia are about 392.
c) Accommodation services (hotels, resorts, etc.)
Accommodation facilities in Malaysia are mostly Muslim friendly. Many hotels are specially
targeting Muslim tourist originating from either the GCC or South East Asian countries. The
guest registration form in PNB darby park, a Hotel in Kuala Lumpur also has the following
condition “I hereby declare that the person(s) who is sharing with me is my mahram”
The Grand Bluewave Hotel Shah Alam which is located in Kuala Lumpur, offers halal-certified
food. Other halal-friendly facilities include availability of the Quran, in-room Qiblah signage,
prayer mats and a women-only level located on the 17th floor of the hotel. In addition, the
hotel is alcohol-free and provides recreational facilities like swimming pools and gyms with
timings for female only use. The hotel also has separate prayer rooms for males and females as
well as separate spa facilities. Some of the Hotels also have a religious scholar overseeing there
“Halal” related services.