Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services
In the OIC Member Countries
93
Spain has many of the ingredients necessary to be situated at the top of the non-OIC preferred
Muslim-friendly destinations, but it requires the will of the national tourism institutions and a
push on the MFT infrastructure to get there.
International Halal Tourism, a platform founded by the Instituto Halal and Innova TaxFree,
provides Muslim tourists with information about the supply of Halal tourism in Spain and
Latin-America. They also help the Spanish and Latin-American tourism agents (companies,
institutions, etc.) to have the required knowledge and the means in order to take advantage of
the business opportunities that Halal tourism offers and carry out commercial activities with
the aim of promoting Halal tourism inside and outside of Spain.232
Most stakeholders are of private nature, or, as it happens with the Seville Mosque Foundation
and the Granada Mosque Foundation, a by-product of their main goals.
The Granada Mosque Foundation has been to receiving Muslim travelers from all over the
world and assists them during their stay233. Also, through the extensive travel taken in order
to seek support for the Granada Mosque Foundation, they have visited many Muslim majority
countries and constantly invite people to visit Spain. The Mosque itself has contributed to a
better understanding of the general public about the Muslims of Granada and Spain, which is
of value for Muslim travelers.234
MFT services in Spain are mainly spread across three sectors: food, hotels and tour
operators/local guides. Many of the interviewees have agreed these are the main three things
that differentiate MFT services from conventional ones.
Government policies supporting MFT
There are no government policies supporting the development and marketing of MFT in
Spain235 . Although the institutions in charge of promoting Spain as a tourism destination have
shown some goodwill towards MFT the market is quite new to Spain and the relevant
institutions are still adapting to it. 236
The development of a Halal infrastructure and facilities, such as mosques, is well within the
legal system, as cooperation agreements were signed by the Comisión Islámica en España, an
entity representing many Islamic associations and communities of Spain, and the Spanish
government, in 1992. However, the implementation of this agreement has been left, in most
cases, to private initiatives.237
Although there are no policies at a national level, but there have been some efforts within
local councils. The Instituto Halal is developing a ‘Halal Cluster’ in Cordoba. The cluster will
give businesses the option to get financial help, mentoring, help with marketing and foreign
commerce, etc. This cluster will help with the exchange of products and merchandise, but also
with tourism. It will create a platform with a judicial recognition that will also help the
232 Tomas Guerrero, Interview, Madrid, 2016
233 Bashir Castiñeira, Interview, Granada, 2016
234 De La Corte, Manuel. "Símbolo De Convivencia." Símbolo De Convivencia. GranadaHoy, 30 Dec. 2008. Web. 09 Apr. 2016.
235 Mariam Isabel Romero, Interview, Cordoba, 2016
236Interview with Tomas Guerrero, Interview, Madrid, 2016
237 Ibrahim Hernandez, Interview, Sevilla, 2016