Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services
In the OIC Member Countries
44
promotional initiatives as well as a central distribution system. 78 An example of this is the
Muslim-friendly Project launched by Hakuba Goryu Tourism Association in Japan in 2012.
More than twenty accommodation facilities cooperated in creating and launching a website
targeting Muslim travelers as well as in organizing a joint promotional campaign.79
In Spain, a “Halal Cluster” is being developed in Cordoba city with the help of the Instituto
Halal with the aim of enabling business targeting the Muslim consumer to cooperate in
various areas including Tourism.80
In Thailand, in a bid to consolidate its marketing efforts towards Muslims, the Halal Science
Centre of Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, the Central Islamic Council of Thailand and
Halal Standard Institute of Thailand launched a unified “Thailand Diamond Halal” brand that
would enable MFT products and service providers to cooperate in marketing themselves.
Another example from Thailand is the Krabi SME business community forming a Halal
Muslim-friendly Club consisting of hotels, restaurants, and tour companies to launch a
website for the promotion of their products and services targeting Muslim travelers.81
3. Digital Marketing
DMOs and tourism industry players have been increasingly using digital marketing tools in
their effort to attract Muslim travelers, an understandable trend as more and more travelers
use them for research, locating providers and purchasing products and services. The “virtual
marketplace” is an excellent tool that can be utilized even on a restricted budget. A tourism
operator can start with a simple website then develop it eventually adding more functionality.
Both DMOs and tourism industry players have been active in attracting Muslim travelers
through the use of digital tools including the web, mobile apps and social media.
Besides creating their own websites, Hotels and airlines are being marketed through various
travel sites through both mainstream and Muslim friendly platforms. Smaller size
establishments have even cooperated, in some cases, to create a joint platform to market their
Muslim-friendly services as in the case, mentioned earlier, of the website created by the
Hakuba Goryu Tourism Association in Japan for accommodation establishments.
DMOs are also actively highlighting Muslim-friendly tourism services and products on their
websites as well as through social media. An example of this is the “Muslim-friendly Thailand”
video posted by Thailand’s tourism authority on the Facebook page featuring Muslim families
with children and couples enjoying Thailand.82 Mobile apps have also been used by
government agencies to showcase Halal certified restaurants and Muslim-friendly hotels as
well as mosques and facilities that have prayer rooms. Both Thailand and Korea government
agencies have launched apps targeting Muslim travelers. 83
4. Travel Conferences
78 Soteriades, Marios, “Tourism Destination Marketing: Approaches Improving Effectiveness and Efficiency.” Journal of
Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 3 Iss: 2, pp.107 – 120.
79 “The Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on the Asian Tourism Market” UNWTO. In: Regional Seminar on the
Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on the Asian Tourism Market (16-17 November 2015), Brunei Darussalam.
80 Please refer to Spain case study for further information.
81 Please refer to Thailand case study for further information.
82 ”Asian Countries Capture Big Revenues from Muslim Tourists.” Halal World Institute. 5 Oct. 2013. Web.
83 Battour, M., and Ismail, M.N. “Halal Tourism: Concepts, Practices, Challenges and Future.” Tourism Management
Perspectives (2015)