Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services
In the OIC Member Countries
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 The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has launched a new e- brochure entitled
'Germany for the Jewish Traveler' to address religious services tailored towards
travelers from the Jewish faith.
 Marriott Hotels, one of the largest hospitality companies founded in 1993, has launched
Virtual Reality travel experiences in collaboration with Samsung to allow guests to order
virtual reality experiences. Using these experiences, guests are given the opportunity to
viewMarriott’s offerings in remote destinations.
Sales promotion activities are a method of marketing targeting consumers or distribution
channels to drive revenue, attract traffic, or introduce new products. Examples include press
price-off deals, contests, loyalty cards, discount vouchers, dealer incentives, cross promotions
and trade shows. Examples of the use of sales promotions in the tourism industry include;
 Marriott has used twitter contests to engage loyalty members during Super Bowl 50.
To engage local customers on the ground, the campaign requested users to take
pictures of a Super Bowl branded Marriott Rewards bus in San Francisco in exchange
for Marriott Rewards points. Marriott increased mobile engagement rates with social
media.15
 Hyatt Hotels and Resorts also launched the Hyatt Gold Passport, which is an exclusive
discount for members of its loyalty program to encourage booking and shopping with
Hyatt on its website to essentially overshadow online travel agencies.16
Branding/ Positioning and Integrated marketing campaigns use a combination of
promotional activities to enhance the customization and personalization of customer experience.
Examples of the use of integrated marketing campaigns used by tourism products and
services providers include;
 Hilton has launched an integrated campaign to boost website users with the slogan “stop
clicking around”, which Hilton explains offers the lowest rates. Hilton plans to market
through several channels including Live Nation, an American entertainment that
operates concert or event promotions and the Grammy Awards Annual ceremony, which
features performances by prominent musicians and recognizes high performing
musicians with awards.17
 Travel Oregon had set up a $3 million marketing campaign using TV, Instagram and
online content to boost tourism by listing descriptions of the state’s seven wonders. The
organizations created a 60 second television ad and used the hashtag #traveloregon to
engage users on social media.18
Furthermore, Destination Management Organizations and local tourism agencies also contribute
towards marketing efforts to attract consumers for local economic development. Tourist
15 Samuely, Alex. "Marriott Scores 69pc Mobile Engagement Rate with Social-enabled Loyalty Campaign." - Mobile
Marketer., 11 Apr. 2016. Web.
16 Ting, Deanna and Jason Clampet. "Hyatt Enters the Direct Booking Wars With Discounted Loyalty Member Rates." Skift.
18 Apr. 2016. Web.
17 Ting, Deanna. “Hilton’s New Ad Campaign and the Push for More Direct Hotel Bookings.” Skift. 26 Feb. 2016
18 Shankman, Samantha. “Travel Oregon Takes on the 7 Wonders of the World in New Ad Campaign.” Skift. 4 Mar. 2016