Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Regulating Accommodation Establishments
In the OIC Member Countries
35
3 Muslim Friendly Tourism Standards and Regulations
3.1 Need for MFT Standards and Regulations
In recent years, the tourism industry has started to grasp and address the distinct needs of
Muslim travelers. Muslim-friendly travel is seen as a promising niche market by many
accommodation providers. There is no current consensus on which MFT elements to
incorporate, however, accommodation establishments make their decision based on the ease
of implementation, the cost, and the impact on non-Muslim guests. Previous research studies
show that needs of Muslim and non-Muslim travelers do overlap in several areas, such as a
hotel’s location and price, which are critical for travelers, regardless of faith. Furthermore,
Muslim and non-Muslim travelers alike value many of the characteristics captured by
conventional quality standards, including cleanliness, spaciousness and convenience.
However, research has indicated that Muslim travelers have specific faith-related needs; some
of which may even clash with the needs of non-Muslim travelers, including, for instance the
absence of alcohol from hotel premises.
A recent survey of Muslims travelers, undertaken for a previous study “Muslim Friendly
Tourism: Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services In the OIC Member Countries,
August 2016” highlights several selection criteria, shown in the figure below, that Muslims
might have in common with non-Muslims.73
Figure 7: Muslim Travelers' Destination Selection Criteria (in percentages)
“How important are the following criteria for your choice of a leisure travel destination?”
Source: DinarStandard
73 “Muslim Friendly Tourism: Developing and Marketing MFT Products and Services In the the OIC Member Countries
Report. 8th COMCEC TourismWorking Group. August 2016. Web.