Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services
In the OIC Member Countries
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 A decision to start using the term “Halal tourism” instead of “Shariah tourism” was an
important development, as the term “Shariah tourism” can be intimidating to some
tourists.
 Although Halal Tourism was not well-received in Bali due to the fear that it will
alienate mainstream travelers, the case was entirely different in its closest
neighboring island, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. When Halal tourism was
introduced in West Nusa Tenggara, it was met with a highly positive response, leading
the province’s most visited mainstream tourism destination, Lombok, to win two
categories in World Halal Travel Awards 2015 in Abu Dhabi, which are World’s Best
Halal Destination and World’s Best Halal Honeymoon Destination. Ever since
achieving this milestone, Lombok has been constantly developing Halal Tourism and
garnered 50% more foreign travelers in 2016 compared to the previous year. Based
on this successful experience, it is clear that the Halal tourism concept can be
implemented in most mainstream tourism destinations an add-on service for Muslim
Travelers.