Malaysia has been named the no. 1 destination across the globe
for the Muslim travel market, according to the MasterCard-CrescentRating
Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015.
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| Signage in Legoland, Malaysia. |
Malaysia topped the list Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
destinations, followed by Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Saudi Arabia saw the highest number of Muslim arrivals into the country in 2014 with 10.2 million followed by Turkey at 8.1 million. Singapore came first for non-OIC destinations, followed by Thailand, UK, South Africa and France.
The GMTI looks at in-depth data covering 100 destinations, creating an
overall index. The study also revealed that in 2014, this segment was worth US$145
billion with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10% of
the entire travel economy. By 2020, there will be 150 million Muslim tourists making up 11% of the market, valued at US$200 billion.
“The MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index has today set
a real precedent for the tourism industry,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of
CrescentRating and HalalTrip. “Not only is it the most in-depth research that we have undertaken so
far on the fast-growing Muslim travel market, but has provided all
stakeholders with some invaluable insight into how the halal-friendly
tourism sector is growing and developing from a global perspective.
“CrescentRating has seen a recent huge shift towards more destinations
targeting this sector like Japan and Taiwan, and it is a trend we expect
to continue.”
“We are pleased to partner with CrescentRating to develop the Global
Muslim Travel Index as we see it as an extension of our efforts in
giving consumers peace of mind when travelling and using our payment
products. Travel continues to be a core passion for consumers and we are
confident the GMTI will prove to be a trusted resource for this
important, fast-growing traveller segment,” said Matthew Driver,
President, Southeast Asia, MasterCard.
All 100 destinations in the GMTI were scored against weighted criteria which included suitability as a family holiday destination, the
level of services and facilities provided, accommodation options,
marketing initiatives as well as visitor arrivals. Malaysia had an index score of 83.8, followed by Turkey at 73.8 and
UAE at 72.1.
GMTI40, which will be updated quarterly around the year, will track the
average score of the top 20 OIC and non-OIC destinations and will form
the key index to monitor the performance of the Muslim travel segment.
The overall average score for 40 countries (GMTI40) currently stands at
56 while the overall average GMTI score for the complete 100
destinations is at 43.8. From a regional perspective, Asia Pacific
destinations lead with an average GMTI score of 54.
The Top 10 OIC destinations of GMTI 2015
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Overall
Rank
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GMTI 2015
Rank
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Destination
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Score
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1
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1
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Malaysia
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83.8
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2
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2
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Turkey
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73.8
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3
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3
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UAE |
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72.1
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4
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4
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Saudi Arabia
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71.3
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5
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5
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Qatar
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68.2
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6
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6
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Indonesia
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67.5
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7
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7
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Oman
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66.7
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8
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8
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Jordan
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66.4
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9
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10
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Morocco
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64.4
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10
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11
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Brunei
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64.3
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The Top 10 non-OIC destinations of GMTI 2015
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Overall
Rank
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GMTI 2015
Rank
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Destination
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Score
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1
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9
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Singapore
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65.1
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2
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20
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Thailand
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59.2
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3
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25
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United Kingdom
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55.0
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4
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30
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South Africa
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51.1
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5
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31
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France
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48.2
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6
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32
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Belgium
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47.5
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7
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33
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Hong Kong
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47.5
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8
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34
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US |
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47.3
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9
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35
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Spain
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46.5
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10
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36
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Taiwan
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46.2
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The year before, the top Muslim-friendly OIC destinations were Malaysia, UAE, Turkey, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia and Egypt in that order. Tunisia and Egypt are no longer in the top 10, having been replaced by Oman and Brunei.
The top 2013 Muslim-friendly non-OIC destinations were Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom, Bosnia & Herzegovina, India, Hong Kong, Germany, Australia and Tanzania in that order. France, Belgium, the US, Spain and Taiwan have replaced Bosnia & Herzegovina, India, Germany, Australia and Tanzania. While Japan is on neither list, the country has been working hard on welcoming the Muslim dollar.
