“This Index is a great indication of the value of halal tourism to Europe and the potential of the market to the economy,” said Tasneem Mahmood of CM Media, who are organising the world’s first halal tourism conference in Spain in September. “If you consider that visitors from the Middle East spent £1.1 billion in the UK in 2013 while those from UAE contributed £527 million, it shows just exactly how big this market is. Furthermore they travel in different times of the year which means there are opportunities across 12 months.
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| Source: Halal Tourism Conference 2014. |
“This research represents great opportunity for tourism boards, tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, restaurants and the entire sector.”
France is the most popular destination in Europe, with 30% saying they would like to visit in the near future. England and Italy tied for second place (28%) while Germany and Turkey (26%) rounded out the top five. According to the Index, 93% of international travellers said it was important that the country they were visiting had facilities that catered for a halal lifestyle.
The Muslim Travel Index Europe 2014 showed that although France topped the overall table for most popular destinations, only Malaysia (28%) picked it at the top of its list. For Saudi Arabian visitors Germany (33%) was the most popular destination while 39% of UAE residents opted for Turkey.
Almost all respondents - 97% - said it was important the country of destination provided halal food while 89% said it was important to provide praying facilities. Almost a quarter (24%) who had been to France, Germany, Italy and England previously described the halal facilities as average.
The Muslim Travel Index Europe 2014 looked at the attitudes and behaviour of majority Muslim populations to tourism in the future and their experiences of countries they have already visited in Europe. It was conducted with residents from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Malaysian residents who are already frequent visitors to Europe.
The Halal Tourism Conference, which is being held on 22 and 23 September 2014, will bring together the travel industry from around the world to discuss ways of tapping into this niche market. The event, which is being hosted in Andalucia, Spain, aims to equip delegates with market intelligence, industry forecasts and trends to understand how to market to the Muslim consumer and benefit commercially.
The Muslim Travel Index Europe 2014 showed that although France topped the overall table for most popular destinations, only Malaysia (28%) picked it at the top of its list. For Saudi Arabian visitors Germany (33%) was the most popular destination while 39% of UAE residents opted for Turkey.
Almost all respondents - 97% - said it was important the country of destination provided halal food while 89% said it was important to provide praying facilities. Almost a quarter (24%) who had been to France, Germany, Italy and England previously described the halal facilities as average.
The Muslim Travel Index Europe 2014 looked at the attitudes and behaviour of majority Muslim populations to tourism in the future and their experiences of countries they have already visited in Europe. It was conducted with residents from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Malaysian residents who are already frequent visitors to Europe.
The Halal Tourism Conference, which is being held on 22 and 23 September 2014, will bring together the travel industry from around the world to discuss ways of tapping into this niche market. The event, which is being hosted in Andalucia, Spain, aims to equip delegates with market intelligence, industry forecasts and trends to understand how to market to the Muslim consumer and benefit commercially.