Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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There are some attempts to raise the profile of country’s tourism sector such as promoting and
funding programs including sports, education, authentic Qatari and Arab cultural experiences
and the nation’s “sun and beach” asset. However, marketing campaign or strategies targeted at
Muslim travelers is not evident. Through this focus, Qatar appears to be carving out a niche in
the region that avoids competing head-to-head with other destinations such as Dubai, Bahrain
and Oman.
SWOT Analysis for Qatar MFT
The table 24 provides a SWOT analysis of Qatar MFT.
Table 24: SWOT analysis of Qatar
Strength Weakness
 Parts of Doha has world class infrastructure
– West Bay
 Most of the tourist are from OIC countries in
particular the GCC
 World class Islamic Museum  Not well known for its tourism products and
services
 Good connectivity and major transit hub
Doha due to Qatar Airlines
 Limited experience in serving the Muslim
traveler
 Tourism Experiences mostly concentrated in
Doha
 Extreme temperature during summer
Opportunities Threats
 Stopover packages for Qatar Airlines
especially Umrah
 Competition from UAE
 Hosting the World cup
 Promote as both a MFT heritage destination
as well as a modern city destination
Summary
Qatar has also the basic MFT services such as availability of Halal food, prayer facilities etc. A
large majority of hotels offer prayer facilities – such as designated prayer rooms, prayer mats
and timetables and Qibla signs marked in rooms – for Muslim guests for prayers.
Geographical location could be either a boon or bane. The boon is that it is located in the
Middle East and surrounded by other countries where the majority of its population are
Muslims. Hence, travel could perhaps be relatively hassle-free. The bane is attracting the
Muslim tourist. Many countries for example Dubai offer similar infrastructure and facilities to
the Muslim traveler. Qatar needs to explore avenues on how best to provide a unique and
Qatari experience to the traveler. There is also a lack of inbound tour operators focusing on
the MFT theme. Currently the number of tour packages to Qatar is limited.