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Halal tourism is a type of tourism in which all decisions and actions are made per Islamic Sharia.
Halal tourism can be defined as a branch of religious tourism in which measures are organized in such a way that they are suitable for Muslim families who follow Islamic laws.
This type of tourism has grown in popularity in recent years as investors have recognized the industry’s potential and made investments to improve the quality of Muslim-friendly destinations.
Halal tourism destinations have certain characteristics. Serving alcoholic beverages or pork, for example, is prohibited, and they are equipped with suitable prayer areas.
According to studies, the number of Muslim tourists has increased significantly in recent years, and some experts believe that many countries around the world will take steps to meet their needs.
IQNA contacted Nihad Biganovic, sales manager of “Mersi Doo,” a travel agency in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, to learn more about the situation.
According to the manager, the agency was founded in 2008 and offers a variety of services to foreign tourists, including making reservations and organizing tours.
According to him, the majority of Muslim tourists visiting Bosnia come from the Persian Gulf countries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman.
The agency does not focus on visitors’ religion, he said, but it makes every effort to meet Muslim tourists’ needs, such as booking a hotel that does not serve alcoholic beverages.
People tend to think of Bosnia as a Muslim country where they can easily find halal products, but he claims that there aren’t many tourists looking for halal hotels and restaurants.
Biganovic added that if tourists request a halal version, their request will be met.
“The most important barrier to tourism in the European country is lack of tourism infrastructure such as hotels in some regions,” he said.
Since the arrival of tourists from the Persian Gulf countries in Bosnia, hotels have gradually reduced the availability of alcoholic beverages and created an environment that makes Muslim women feel as if they are in an Islamic country, according to the expert.
He wished for the development of halal tourism in Islamic countries such as Turkey and Indonesia.
Asked whether the government had offered any plan to boost halal tourism, Biganovic said that “There are no plans and projects at the governmental level and even the society does not have a good understanding of the issue but we can say that this idea has been increasingly put forward in the past couple of years.”
He believes the industry requires more funding and infrastructure.
Responding to a question about the status of Bosnia’s tourism industry, he said the number of tourists is on the rise. “We feel that people from many countries are willing to travel to Bosnia. Bosnian people, regardless of their religion, welcome foreign tourists hospitably.”
He mentioned that the country has a variety of Islamic destinations, including mosques dating back 500 years in Sarajevo.
“We feel that Muslim tourists do not just travel to Bosnia to see its Islamic monuments, rather, they make this trip to enjoy waterfalls, cool weather, and the nature of the country.”
He also said that the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on their business in the last two years, as it had on other tourism-related businesses, and that he hoped the disease would be eradicated in the coming year.
