Why stories about ‘Halal tourism’ should ring alarm bells rather than be mere fascinations? — Read details

Indian media has been flooded with stories about ‘Halal Holidays’ and ‘Halal tourism’ over the past few days. These stories comprise details of what this special holiday means, how the arrangements are made, and the facilities provided to the tourists. However, their concerns should have been around why, in the first place, these holidays were designed and how country after country is falling under their grip. Does this indicate an Islamisation of tourist places or something more? Let’s find out.

We at Organiser will also take you through the details of these ‘Halal Holidays/ tourism’ but before that, let us take you through the reasons why they came into existence.

According to media accounts, ‘Halal tourism’ is a type of tourism targeted at Muslim families who adhere to Islamic law. Hotels in these locations feature separate swimming pools and spa facilities for men and women and don’t serve alcohol. These hotels offer both in-room and communal prayer spaces, and they only serve Halal meals. Trip agents adhere to Halal regulations while creating trip packages for this. In order to draw in more visitors, Malaysia, Turkey, and many other nations provide amenities that respect the religious convictions of Muslim tourists. For Halal tourism, there are currently no established international standards. The phrase first became well-known in 2010.

Alarming facts about this flourishing industry

According to the latest report published by Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2023, there has been significant growth in the area of Halal tourism.  In 2022 alone, 110 million Muslim international visitors accounted for 12 percent of all international arrivals. This number is only predicted to increase to 140 million in 2023 and 160 million in 2024.

Based on a report by Thomson Reuters, in 2014 Muslims from around the globe spent 142 billion dollars on travel (excluding Hajj and Umrah). In comparison, travellers from China spent 160 billion dollars on travel in 2014, while US travellers spent 143 billion dollars, placing the Muslim travel sector in third place in global travel spending and accounting for 11 percent of total global expenditures on travel.

Reasons behind its rising acceptance?

Rising Muslim population 

The Muslim population is growing faster than the global population, leading to more Muslim travellers seeking new experiences worldwide. The global Muslim population will reach 2.3 Billion by 2030, representing 27 percent of the global population.

Halal loyalty among Islamists 

Muslim tourists frequently exhibit brand loyalty and appreciate companies who are aware of and accommodate their religious and cultural needs. They openly endorse Halal, as do the members of their own religion who practise it. By offering services and facilities that satisfy these demands, such as Halal food alternatives and prayer facilities, businesses can build strong brand loyalty that encourages repeat business and favourable word-of-mouth recommendations.

Muslims have a high spending potential 

Research has revealed that Muslim travellers have been identified as having a relatively high spending capacity, particularly in travel, accommodation, and dining, as they generally tend to travel as families.

How does ‘Halal tourism’ come into being 

CrescentRating, the first online hotel reference service created specifically for Muslim guests, was introduced in 2008. CrescentRating is broken down into categories depending on the range of amenities and services each participating hotel provides Muslim visitors, including the availability of prayer carpets, the direction of the qibla, alcohol policies, and the availability of halal-certified food. The rating system ranges from 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest.

CrescentRating was the first to coin the term ‘Halal tourism’ and it gained popularity in 2010. Their website has a whole book where definitions for such terms are provided. The article says, “Faith is increasingly influencing the purchasing decisions of Muslim consumers. As such, a better understanding of the terms used such as Halal, wudhu etc. is needed to properly serve this segment. This book also covers some of the faith-related terms used to describe the needs and practices of Muslim travellers”.

Some of the terms relevant with this article and their definitions are listed below:

• Halal: The Arabic term for permissible. In Islamic terms, it means permissible according to the rules of Islam. It is most frequently referred to in regard to food, but it includes any type of action permissible in Islam.
• Haram: This refers to anything considered unlawful under Islamic teachings. It is often used in conjunction with Halal, often in regard to food, but can also refer to other unlawful acts in Islam such as stealing, corruption etc.
• Halal travel: Muslim travellers, who do not wish to compromise their faith-based needs while travelling for a purpose, which is permissible. or it can also be defined as Halal-conscious travellers, travelling for any purpose, which is Halal (permissible).
• Halal tourism: Halal travel is undertaken for tourism.

The list has many other terms such as Halal Airports, Halal Cruises, Halal hotels, Islam holidays and much more.

Notably, the shift towards ‘Halal tourism’ was made after Turkey, a Muslim country, was selected as the main destination for a new breed of holiday, one that targets Muslims who want the same things as everyone else on the beach, bar a few concessions, and minus the alcohol.

Under the slogan “Sun, sea and Halal!”, a handful of hotels in Turkey started offering what are being dubbed Halal holidays—beach holidays that adhere to Islamic values. That means no alcohol and no wearing a bikini in front of a man who is not your husband.

What changes are being made to become a ‘Halal’ certified hotel?

Hotels take special care of the needs of Muslims. Non-alcoholic places to eat and drink, mats for prayers as well as separate places, and even facilities like special non-alcoholic cocktails are being made available for drinking. Individual gate for entry, lift leading directly to the rooms to ensure privacy. The hotel is providing many facilities, like a separate room for dancing and singing, that can be kept separate for female and male guests.

Yes, it is a different matter that the price for all these is a bit high. It may seem surprising, but the people who are able to pay this price are also not less. Most Muslim countries dominate the 2023 Global Muslim Travel Index, with Asian countries like Indonesia and Muslim countries at the top. Among these non-Islam countries are Singapore at 11th place and Britain at 20th place. Hotels offering Halal holiday packages are also providing special training to their employees on Middle Eastern and other Muslim cultures.

Halal holidays are turning into a booming market. In fact, now it is being seen as Halal tourism. According to the Global Muslim Travel Index, the Halal travel business is expected to be worth 220 billion dollars in 2022. The number of halal tourists is also increasing in Maldives, where hotels are very famous, especially from the point of view of Western countries.

From Halal food to Halal tourism, the rising population and the rising popularity is a clear indication of where society is moving. Whether we acknowledge it or not. This indeed is an Islamisation of travel destinations.