UAE recognized as the number 1 destination for halal tourism in the world.
Dubai, UAE. The United Arab Emirates is the number 1 destination in the world for the quality of the development of a halal ecosystem for Muslim tourists, according to a report by the Global Islamic Economy Report for 2016-2017 provided by Thomson Reuters.
The closest competitors to the UAE are Malaysia and Turkey. The rating is based on four main criteria: inbound tourist flow of Muslims, the quality of a halal ecosystem, awareness-raising campaigns, and the sector's contribution to the employment of personnel.
Muhammad Saleh Badri, general secretary of the International Halal Accreditation Forum, said: "The study showed that more and more Muslims are turning to halal areas and services. Today it is becoming increasingly important to look at the industry and connect emerging niches."
The volume of the Muslim tourist market in 2015 amounted to US $ 151 billion, and today it shows an annual growth of 4.9%, ahead of the growth rate of the tourism industry itself (3%). The Muslim tourism market, 72% of which are residents of the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, is the second largest tourism market after China, with a volume of US $ 168 billion and ahead of the United States (US $ 147 billion).
"This trend represents excellent business opportunities for the industry. However, all participants in the process also need to take into account the challenges that will help to make a breakthrough in the development of tourism," Badri said, citing the low awareness of Muslims about the industry as the main challenges.
“We have to admit that not everyone knows how halal services work, which makes each component 100% halal. It is the responsibility of each participant in the process to convince travelers that they receive absolute halal,” Badri said.
He added that Muslim travelers and halal consumers are constantly looking for new travel destinations that are Halal certified that they can trust. Common standards must be approved so that vacationers can satisfy all their needs for halal products and services. Currently, the forum is working on collecting all the criteria for halal products into a single set of international standards.
