ISLAMIC TOURISM

FROM AN ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE

Hussain Sunny Umar

Presentation

Outline • Definitions • Significance • Evolution • Developments • Challenges • Tourism Sharia requirements • Maldives • Eriyadu Island Resort

Definitions

• Purposeful tourism • Religious tourism • Sharia-compliance tourism • Halal Tourism

Preferred

Definition • A form of tourism targeted to Muslim community who wishes to indulge the services, facilities and activities compliant with Islamic principles – Henderson (2010)

Sharia

Requirements • • • • • • • • • • Prohibition of alcohol, pork, gambling and prostitution Prayer facilities (place, Quran and Qibla) Halal food and drinks and toiletries Bed and bathroom should not be position in the direction of Makkah and availability of bidets Appropriate entertainment (TV, music, etc.) Art depicting human and animal form is prohibited Predominantly Muslim staff Appropriate staff dress code and flexible work hours in Ramadan • Segregated facilities for men and women (pool, spa, gym, buffet, etc.) Islamic funding (Islamic finance) and philanthropic donations (Zakat and Sadaqa) Ethical marketing and promotion and Corporate social responsible strategies

Significance of the

Muslim Travel Market

• Muslim population 1.62 billion (25%) • Halal industry US$ 2.3 trillion • 49 Muslim Majority countries • Indonesia - 205 million people • Muslim travel market – US$ 137 billion (exc. Hajj & Umrah) • 57 OIC countries – 82% expenditure • GCC represents 3% - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman & Qatar • GCC - 31% travel expenditure

Spendings of Tourists (US$ Billion) $137 $122 $95 $89 $65 $52

GLOBAL MUSLIM MARKET UNITED STATES Global Muslim Market GERMANY United States Germany CHINA China UNITED KINGDOM United Kingdom France FRANCE

14 12 10 8 2 0 6 4 16 20 18 Top Muslim Travel Expenditure Source Countries 18,2 17,1 10,1 7,4 7,2 5,7 5,4 4,1 3,5 2,5 Iran Saudi Arabia UAE Kuwait Indonesia Qatar Malaysia 2,2 Russia Germany France United Kingdom

Muslim

Travel Preferences Halal Food 67% Overall price 53% Muslim-friendly experience 49%

Evolution of

Islamic Tourism • Post 9/11 incident • Clamped Muslim entering Europe and US • Rise of Intra-tourism (within Middle East) • Jawhara Hotels, Shaza Hotel, Almulla • Rise of Sharia-compliance hotels in Asia • De Palma hotel & Sofyan Hotel

Islamic Tourism

Developments Islamic Conferences, Programmes, Seminars and Magazines Islamic Floors, Hotels, Resorts, Apartments, Cruise Ships and Medical Tourism Islamic Airlines, Airports and Highways Islamic Tours, Websites and Apps

• Conferences – JoSIT, OIC & HTC • Hotels – Sultan Beach Hotel (Turkey), Rayhaan Hotels (Saudi), Grand Nile Tower (Egypt) & Caprice Gold (Maldives) over 637 rooms

Caprice Gold

Maldives A project worth US$ 170 million

• Islamic tours – Shouq travel (Egypt), Crescent Tours (UK) & Luxury Travel (Vietnam) • Website – Crescent rating (Singapore) & ITC (Malaysia) • Halal Trip vs Trip Advisor

Challenges • Varying School of thought • Difference in Sharia standards • Sharia hotels vs dry hotels (alcohol free) • Operation & Management costs

The

Maldives

Eriyadu

Island Resort

Halal

Facilities • Halal food • Direction of Qibla • Prayer facility • Mosque • Separate spa hour for female • Bidets • No gambling, adult channels or prostitution

THANK

YOU