Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services
In the OIC Member Countries
96
Restaurants and hotels distribute directly by the respective establishments. Reservations are
usually made either by phone or on websites in the case of hotels and Al Nur restaurant. The
reservation might come from any usual online platform, but for those looking into staying in a
MFT accommodation most usually come through tour operators; none of the hotels, not even
the Alana hotel which is strictly Halal, advertise in their website as such. Therefore, the tour
operators have a big role to play in this, because they are the ones that act on behalf of their
clients and that have the knowledge of where to eat Halal food or how to find MFT
accommodation.249
The tours can be fully escorted and full board or other more flexible options, and they might
or might not include flights. In the case of Ibn Battuta Tours they work in partnership with an
authorized travel agency that allows them to include flight prices within their packages. The
payment of the tours can be done either directly from the client to the tour operator, through
their website or bank transfer via local agents that sell the tours at the countries of origin, or
through the organizations that work in partnership with the tour operators.250 Less used
forms include, Travel Warehouse which is a B to B, and HalalTrip, which is a B to B to C.251
6. Promotion
Public government institutions have not yet taken a direct role in developing and promoting
the MFT industry in Spain. Girasoling has the only official program to promote Spain in the
Gulf countries, but it is not necessarily Halal or Muslim-friendly.252
Some tour operators help to promote Spain as a MFT destination so they can benefit from the
increased demand. For example, Andalucian Routes, a Halal tour operator that focuses on
MFT with an educational component regularly travels to give talks about the Islamic history
of Spain.253
In the public/private sector, two foundations were identified that have contributed and still
are, to promote Spain as MFT destination, although this is a byproduct of their main activities,
namely, the Granada Mosque Foundation and the Seville Mosque Foundation.
The promotion of MFT products and services happens through referrals and word of mouth,
social media and websites, attending Halal fairs and exhibitions, mailing lists, visits to
countries of origin and partnerships with local travel agencies and through cooperation with
Islamic organizations.
In promoting MFT products and services an important aspect is gaining the trust of the
Muslim traveler. An effective way to do this is by working in partnership with organizations
that are already recognized and that Muslims trust. By virtue of association, the product or
service gains the trust of the potential Muslim customer and therefore is more likely to be
successful.254
Two important elements to take into account in the promotion of MFT products and services
are that Muslims do not only travel with the idea of just enjoying themselves in the places that
249 Tariq Mahmood, Interview, Granada, 2016
250 Hisham Melara, Interview, Granada, 2016/ Tariq Mahmood, Interview, Granada, 2016
251 Flora Sáez, Interview, Madrid, 2016
252 Mariam Isabel Romero, Interview, Cordoba, 2016
253 Tariq Mahmood, Interview, Granada, 2016
254 Ibid