Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services
In the OIC Member Countries
118
Sector MFT Common Practice MFT Advanced Features
Travel Services Providing Halal food and
accommodating prayer times in tour
itineraries.
Digital travel services including
Muslim-focused websites and travel
apps (e.g. Halalinn website in
Turkey)
Islamic heritage tours
5.1 Importance of Religious Considerations for Muslim Travelers
The rationale to addressing the Muslim travel market as a unique target segment is that Islamic
religious considerations significantly affect Muslim travelers’ buying, decision-making and
satisfaction levels.
This study’s survey provides a very strong view that ‘religious’ considerations in travel products/
services are a significant need for most Muslim travellers. Below are those key insights from
this Study’s research that this proposition is based on:
 Researching for religious needs during travel: A big number (84%) of respondents
said they research destinations before traveling to ensure they meet their religious
needs.
 Muslim-friendly services identified as a major need: In ranking criteria for choosing
leisure travel destination, Muslim-friendly services had the highest score, with 65% of
respondents saying that it was ‘Extremely Important.’ (See section #2.2)
 Halal food options is the most important need identified: For accommodations, the
presence of Halal food options is the most important criteria with 95% of the
respondents (67% ‘Extremely important.) There were similar responses for restaurants
in general and for travel transit facilities such as airports, malls, etc.
 Religious needs not being served: Even though a high majority said they were
satisfied with their last leisure trip, 39% of respondent also said that their religious
needs have been totally neglected. This may imply that they are happy with their travel
experiences so far, but with clear areas of needs not being served, that can become a
marketing differentiating opportunities for most travel industry stakeholders.
5.2 Customer Demographics and Purpose of Travel Opportunities
In regards to customer segmentations, based on this study’s general market research and survey
analysis, the following are the key areas of Muslim traveler customer segment opportunities:
Demographic
 Young demographic segments: As highlighted in Section 5.1, the Muslim traveller
market, the most prominent age segment for MFT market is the ‘Millennial’ age segment
of 18-34. In addition, young Gen X Muslim families with children (age 35-44) would be
the other most important segment, especially for the luxury segment but also for the
middle-class market segment.
 Singles and young married couples : As evident by survey responses, ‘Married with
children’ (50%) are a significant portion of the lifecycle stage of Muslim travellers. This
coupled with age demographics, points to young families. In addition, the second