Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services
In the OIC Member Countries
81
countries like Japan, main land China, or South Korea, almost all of the products lack
certification. Checking the ingredients of the product is only the way to know if the products
are Halal. HalalMinds is looking to expand but funding is still an issue.214
“To check the products, users scan the barcode which enables them to view an English
translation of the ingredients and alerts them whether the product is ‘Halal (permitted),
haram (forbidden) or Syubhat, an in-between category used when it is difficult to know
whether Halal methods have been followed, as is often the case with ingredients such as
emulsifier.’ The application contains a database of products with pictures and allows users to
add details of new products themselves.”215
5. Challenges
 There is low understanding of the concept of Halal and what constitutes Halal
products and services, which is understandable due to the limited exposure to Islam
in the country.216 This is actually exacerbated by the fact that certain organizations
have entered into the realm of certification without proper knowledge and
experience.217
 The presence of certain barriers of entry to the Muslim Travel Market, namely the
higher cost associated with developing Halal products in some instances, as well as
the novelty of the experience in marketing to Muslim travelers which itself poses a
difficulty in identifying the channels and messages most suitable for use.218
6. Lessons Learned
 The importance of raising awareness of what is Halal is an essential step towards
developing Halal products and services. Japan’s case illustrates how local
governments as well as businesses are coming together in an effort to increase
awareness and develop products suited to Muslim travelers.
 As seen in the various examples of businesses presented in the context of the case,
businesses paying attention to consumer inquiries and behavior has led a number of
successful Muslim-friendly products being developed. This highlights the importance
of paying attention to customers’ needs.
214 Tang, Joy. "HalalMinds Extending App to Other Asian Markets." Suroor Asia. 21 Oct. 2014. Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
215 Forster, Katie. "New Fukuoka-born App HalalMinds Helps Muslims Find Halal Food in Japan." Fukoka Now. 28 May 2014.
Web. 1 Mar. 2016.
216 Takemura. "Increasing Muslim Tourists to Japan."
217 Mr. Mohamad Zubair, Interview. March 2016.
218 Ibid.
.