Malaysia aiming to spice up Islamic tourism post-COVID-19

Once the situation with CoOVID-19 improves, the Muslim market would likely travel extensively

World Islamic Tourism Council President Dato Mohd Khalid Harun said that once the CoOVID-19 situation improves, the Muslim market is likely to accelerate travel significantly, and urged travel destinations and industry players to focus on the eventual Prepare to reopen tourism.

Islamic tourism is one of the most important sectors in the halal industry and tourism in Malaysia can diversify its economies or generate income from its foreign currency. As we can see, tourism has also become one of the largest and most potential sources of income to generate income in this globalized and connected world, especially Malaysia.

Dato Mohd Khalid urged industry players in Malaysia to think about how to serve the Muslim tourism market by considering how to make halal or approved food and prayer facilities readily available. He said, “These needs can be incorporated into facilities and attractions such as shopping malls, restaurants, theme parks, accommodations and even special events. We must continue to provide the necessary infrastructure and facilities to meet the expected number of Muslim travelers from around the world once the borders are reopened and to meet their faith-based requirements.

Dato Mohd Khalid said: “One of the programs that the World Islamic Tourism Council will initiate is the Islamic Tourism Conference & Exhibition. It is a value-added program for industry players worldwide to take this opportunity to learn from the conference experts and to network during the exhibition.

In 2019 there were a total of 140 million Muslim tourists, which is 10% of the global travel industry. That number is expected to increase after the pandemic, with the Muslim population growing 70% from the global average of 32%.

Muslim tourism markets known for their high purchasing power include the Gulf Cooperation Council, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Iran, Turkey, Western Europe, and North America.

The World Islamic Tourism Council is optimistic that Islamic tourism has the potential to generate higher returns for the country’s tourism industry and create Malaysia as the top Islamic tourism destination once COVID-19 is eradicated. Dato Mohd Khalid said he was confident that the Islamic tourism sector in Malaysia could get stronger again COVID-19.