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A recent study launched by Pear Anderson and Wego has revealed that South East Asian Muslim Travelers prioritize safety and value-for-money as the key factors which influence their post-pandemic destination choice, rather than the availability of halal food and Muslim-friendly amenities.
The report which researched Malaysian and Indonesian travelers’ needs and travel readiness reveals that 100 percent of Malaysian Muslims though value-for-money was important while 100 percent of Indonesian Muslims thought safety was primarily important when choosing a destination. A major decision factor is the 100% rated health and safety protocols exercised at the destination choice.
Moreover, the importance of the availability of halal food to choose a destination was 91.1% (Indonesia) and 92.5% (Malaysia). It further showcased that SE travelers preferred to travel in multi-generational family groups.
“These results challenge the concept that attracting Muslim travellers is difficult,” Hannah Pearson, director of Pear Anderson, said. “In the ‘new normal’ travel, destinations and accommodation will be selected based on hygiene protocols, safety and value for money, and this is no different for Muslim tourists. However, Muslim friendly amenities and halal certified restaurants are still important – and are a valuable way to stand out from the crowd. For instance, 89.5% of Indonesian Muslims and 95.2% of Malaysian Muslims said that they would be more interested in an attraction if they knew it had Muslim friendly facilities, so this definitely represents an opportunity for travel stakeholders.”
Nina Kubik-Cheng, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Wego, said: “Muslim travel is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry, and a rapidly increasing number of Muslim Millennial travelers in Indonesia and Malaysia are looking forward to exploring new destinations when travel is possible again. Muslim travel represents great potential to travel industry providers who choose to seize the opportunity and adapt to the specific needs that make Muslim travelers feel welcome and comfortable to travel.”
Read the full report here.
