Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT):
Understanding the Supply and Demand Sides
In the OIC Member Countries
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Supply Side Analysis (Travel and hospitality services and facilities)
a) Transport terminal services (airports, cruise terminals, railway stations)
Almost all the transport terminals including the airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi provide
Muslim friendly services. In addition, the restaurants at the airport provide Halal friendly
meals. However, there is no clear signage to identify the Halal outlets at the Airport. Dedicated
prayer rooms are available at the air terminals.
b) Transport services
The national airlines, Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airway, offer Halal food on board. All meals
served are assured to be suitable for Muslims. However, alcohol is served on board the plane.
Currently no prayer space is available on the airlines.
c) Accommodation services (hotels, resorts)
A number of hotels in Dubai offer Muslim friendly services. Most hotels now provide the basic
services such as Halal food, Qiblah markings in rooms, prayer rooms in the hotel. Some hotels
are also now not serving alcohol and also have notices in the room to request for a quran or
prayer mat if required. UAE also boast a high percentage of its accommodation as “Apartment
Hotels”. This caters well to the Muslim family travel market, especially for the large families
from other GCC countries who travel to UAE. Some Hotel also have designated “ladies only”
floors.
Jaya Raj , Head of Revenue and Distribution at Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH) based
in Dubai UAE, mentioned that the group is targeting the Muslim traveler. HMH group has over
20 hotels and resorts across the Middle East and North Africa. They have an alcohol-free policy.
She believes that respect for local culture is integral to the business.
Al Jawhara Group in Dubai positions itself as a “Halal Hotel”. All hotels have strict policies
when it comes to not allowing alcohol brought into the hotel. In addition, it only allows
married couples to stay in the hotel. Khaled Kamal, the General Manager of Al Jawhara Garden
Hotel, says that they want to position the hotel as a family friendly hotel so that not only Muslims
will be able enjoy the services but also non-Muslims who look for a family friendly environment.
d) Attractions & Activities (shopping, beaches, sightseeing)
UAE in general and Dubai in particular continues to build attractions and Shopping Malls. As
for shopping, the Muslim Travel Shopping Index 2015, ranked Dubai as the top Shopping
destination. As far as MFT is concerned, all attractions, shopping malls etc. do provide the
needed services such as halal food, prayer facilities etc. There are number of parks and beach
which are designated for “women only” during certain days of the week.
e) Travel agents / Tour Operators
The current focus of the travel agents in the UAE is on offering Muslim friendly outbound tour
packages. There is no focus on providing “Muslim friendly” travel packages to the UAE. This