Mubasher: The number of Muslim international travellers is expected to grow to 156 million in 2020, from 121 million in 2016, with travel expenditure projected to reach $220 billion, according to a recent study
The Mastercard-Crescentrating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2017 also expects total travel expenditure by Muslim travellers to reach $300 billion by 2026, making the market one of the highest spending tourist markets in the world.
CrescentRating has evaluated destinations since 2011, ranking them based on how well they cater to Muslim travellers, and based on access, communications, environment, and services.
As Malaysia tops the GMTI 2017, branding itself as one of “the best destinations for Muslim travellers” with a score of 82.5, it was followed by the UAE, which has held a stable position compared to last year.
Saudi Arabia came in fifth place with a score of 71.4, moving up one place, followed by Qatar (70.5), Morocco (68.1), Oman (67.9), and Bahrain (67.9). With a score of 66.3, Jordan came in twelfth place, as Egypt ranked 14th (64.1) and Kuwait came in 15th with 63.9. Tunisia came in 18th place with a score of 61.1.
The main drivers behind the market’s growth are the growing, younger Muslim population and middle class, increase in access to travel information and availability of Muslim-friendly travel services, as well as Ramadan and business travel.
Halal food, modest fashion, and wellness are considered major trends in the Muslim consumer market, as Gen Y, Z, and A keep seeking authentic, affordable, and accessible destinations for their travels.
Mastercard-CrescentRating GMTI was introduced in 2015 to create an index to benchmark destinations in the Muslim Travel Market.
