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| Source: JMTI 2017. Tokyo leads the pack in Muslim-friendliness as a travel destination. Osaka, Hokkaido and Chiba qualify as "adopters" in the index. |
Japan is set to benefit from one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism sectors by welcoming over 1 million Muslim visitors by next year, according to new research.
The Mastercard-CrescentRating Japan Muslim Travel Index (JMTI) 2017 is the first time detailed analysis of the Muslim travel market into a single destination. In the research, Japan is measured and tracked as a destination against a range of criteria. It aims to allow each region to understand the level of services across their regions to grow and better cater to the requirements of Muslim travellers.
The research analyses the inbound tourism potential of 47 destinations in Japan. Tokyo topped the JMTI in the inaugural report with the region scoring highest as the most equipped destination for Muslim travellers to Japan, followed by Osaka, then Hokkaido in third place.
The research revealed Muslim arrivals to Japan increased from around 150,000 in 2004 to 700,000 in 2016. It is projected to surpass 1 million by 2018 and reach 1.4 million by 2020. Six in 10 of the Muslim visitor arrivals currently are from ASEAN, with Indonesia representing 27% of the arrivals.
Earlier this year, Japan moved up two places to take sixth spot for the non-OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) destinations in the annual Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2017, which covers 130 destinations. Asia has remained the leading region in the world in terms of attractiveness to Muslim tourists with an average GMTI score of 57.6, with Africa coming in second place at 47.0, and then Oceania (43.8).
The research revealed Muslim arrivals to Japan increased from around 150,000 in 2004 to 700,000 in 2016. It is projected to surpass 1 million by 2018 and reach 1.4 million by 2020. Six in 10 of the Muslim visitor arrivals currently are from ASEAN, with Indonesia representing 27% of the arrivals.
Earlier this year, Japan moved up two places to take sixth spot for the non-OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) destinations in the annual Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2017, which covers 130 destinations. Asia has remained the leading region in the world in terms of attractiveness to Muslim tourists with an average GMTI score of 57.6, with Africa coming in second place at 47.0, and then Oceania (43.8).
The GMTI also showed that the Muslim travel market will continue to grow at a fast pace with the sector estimated to grow to US$220 billion in 2020. It is expected to grow a further US$80 billion to reach US$300 billion by 2026.
Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating and HalalTrip, officially launched the JMTI with its partner Halal Media Japan at Halal Expo Japan. He said: “This is a key milestone in the development of the GMTI. With the launch of the JMTI, we are now able to provide deeper insights within a destinations, so that they can better cater to this market.”
The event also saw the first set of 20 Japanese restaurants being awarded a Crescent rating. The rating is based on the level of services the establishment offer to Muslim diners.
Shinya Yokoyama, co-founder of Halal Media Japan said: “We are confident that the report will help further develop capability and capacity of Japan to welcome Muslim travellers.”
All 47 destinations in the JMTI were scored against a backdrop of four key strategic criteria - access, communications, environment and services.
Explore:
Read the Mastercard-CrescentRating Japan Muslim Travel Index
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| Source: JMTI 2017. 1.4 million Muslim visitors are expected to visit Japan in 2020. |
The event also saw the first set of 20 Japanese restaurants being awarded a Crescent rating. The rating is based on the level of services the establishment offer to Muslim diners.
Shinya Yokoyama, co-founder of Halal Media Japan said: “We are confident that the report will help further develop capability and capacity of Japan to welcome Muslim travellers.”
All 47 destinations in the JMTI were scored against a backdrop of four key strategic criteria - access, communications, environment and services.
Explore:
Read the Mastercard-CrescentRating Japan Muslim Travel Index