Muslim Friendly Tourism:
Regulating Accommodation Establishments
In the OIC Member Countries
74
Table 17: Steps for Establishing Government Standards
Mainstream Standards
E.g. ASEAN Green Hotel,
Philippine Star Rating
System
MFT Standards
E.g. Malaysia’s MFHS,
Turkey’s TS 13683
Gaps & Opportunities for
Improvement in MFT Standards
Steps  Form a body to set the
standard (with
stakeholders
represented)
 Review existing criteria
for accommodations
 Gather stakeholder input
 Develop a draft standard
 Collect feedback from
stakeholders and the
public
 Finalize and publicize
the new standard
 Develop
inspection/auditing
capacity
 Conduct inspection and
rating of hotels that
apply for the
certification
 Conduct periodic audits
 Establish a committee
consisting of main
stakeholders
 Review existing
standards (mainstream
and Halal)
 Develop a draft
standard
 Obtain feedback from
wider pool of
stakeholders. . This is
called the “Public
Comment” stage.
 Revise draft based on
feedback
 Release standard
 Engaging all stakeholders
including industry associations
and consumers
 Changing MFT hindering
legislation if it exists as well as
MFT hindering elements in
conventional hotel standards
(e.g. requiring hotels to serve
alcohol)
 Liaising with regional/the OIC
governments
 Allowing for local variations in
case of regional standards
 Minimizing conflict of interest
between standard setting and
certification roles
 Training and building capacity of
local inspectors
 Establishing controls,
documentation and follow up
processes
 Promoting the standard among
industry stakeholders and
consumers
Source: DinarStandard
As the previous table shows, the process for establishing MFT standards is similar to that of
establishing a mainstream standard. Both start with forming a body or a committee consisting
of the main stakeholders, then review existing standards. Stakeholders are involved in
developing a draft standard, which is subsequently shared with a wider group of stakeholders
for review. The draft of the standard is revised based on stakeholder feedback, then the
finalized standard is released.
Gaps and Opportunities for Improvement for MFT Standards
Based on the analysis of the steps involved in establishing a mainstream standard as well as
those for developing an MFT standard, the following are areas of improvement for MFT
standards. While some of the areas may already be partially addressed, they are highlighted
below to ensure full adherence.
 Engaging all stakeholders
While some stakeholders are involved in the process of establishing MFT standards,
involving all stakeholders is a gap. Heavily involving accommodation establishments -
which can be represented through their industry associations – in addition to