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Sector leaders at the recently concluded Halal In Travel Global Summit 2022 said that the current global Muslim travel market is driven by the influence of three key trends. Family travel, an appetite for real experiences, and gaps in addressing the affluent Muslim traveller.
Chee Chong Chan, CEO of GlobalTix says that whether large or small, there is an uptick in family travel. He briefed on the importance for businesses to pay attention and show efforts in the needs of young travellers, especially children, with activities that are usually not available at destinations.
Dr Nurhafhiz Noor of Curtin Singapore noted that this should not only entails meeting the standard for Muslim vacationers, but enable young travellers to enjoy age-appropriate attractions such as theme parks.
The demand for experiential tourism has been high in recent years . Head of marketing and communications, Mastercard at South East Asia , Mayank Dutt, says that the pandemic has created a shift from bucket-list destination to experience.
Travellers no longer make bookings based on the best deals, but look to create unique experiences, which urges destinations to market themselves creatively.
Chee Chong Chan, Dr Nurhafhiz Noor and Mayank Dutt have all agreed that a destination’s uniqueness is derived from small businesses that bring a different travel experience, who unfortunately were the most affected during the pandemic. As such, governments and tourism boards must advocate for their protection and sustainability in order to reinvigorate experiential tourism.
Segmentation is key to optimising the Muslim travel market. Dutt explains that “Halal” should not be a one-size-fits-all product but rather, one segment. that is underserved and is super affluent. He further goes to say that the muslim travellers remain neglected due to this reason, but have the wealth and just wish to travel in a different way.
Dutt shared that Mastercard’s Priceless platform has begun to curate “specific priceless Islamic experiences” targeted to this particular underserved market, and encouraged industry players to explore this lucrative niche.
Photo Credit: freepik
