Ethical/Religious
Faith Tourism – Big Business
Pilgrimages, missionary, volunteer vacations or special camps – all of these are part of a booming industry – religious tourism. New hotels focused only on tourists of certain faith, special tours offering the perfect
spiritual experience for the given group of believers – tourism centered on faith is developing fast and over
the years has become an $18 million industry. What is the future though?
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RELIGIOUS TOURISM: A NEW
ERA, A DYNAMIC INDUSTRY
(18-34, 35-54, and 55+) expressing interest in taking such
a vacation. And according to some reports, more than
50,000 churches and religious organizations host travel
programs. Few other travel industry segments can boast
such impressive numbers.
But that’s not all. In the past three decades, people of
faith have changed their spending habits and today purchase first-class products and services. Just think of it as
this: first-class travel is in, budget travel is out.
And now, possibly the biggest story of all. Religious tourism in the 21st century no longer constitutes only pilgrimage and missionary travel; rather, in the modern-world it
embraces the following twelve vacation segments:
• Pilgrimages
• Missionary
• Cruises
• Leisure/getaways
• Conferences/conventions
• Destinations/attractions
• Retreats/guesthouses
• Christian camps
• Adventure/active
• Volunteer vacations
• Student/youth
• Family/intergenerational
When did all this Sudden Growth Begin?
Religious tourism has experienced unprecedented
growth in the past thirty years. However, the sharpest and
greatest increase has taken place during the 1990s and
especially since the turn of the century.
Take the religious conventions and meetings business.
According to the Religious Conference Management Association, this segment of the faith tourism industry ex-
W
hat comes to mind when you hear the phrase “religious travel?” If you’re like most of us, four thoughts
probably come to the forefront: niche market, budget travel, pilgrimages, and seniors.
If you hold the above four perceptions of religious tourism, you would be considered “cutting edge” of this industry… in 1975. Yes – that’s right. If you think of religious
travel as a niche market of budget pilgrimages for seniors,
you are thirty years behind the curve.
Now, let me bring you up to date. Today religious travel,
tourism, and hospitality is a dynamic $18-billion global industry with 300 million travelers. In North America alone,
it is estimated at $10 billion. The Travel Industry Association of America reported that one in four travelers are currently interested in “spiritual vacations.” The appeal spans
the ages with approximately one-third of each age group
W hat i s r e l ig iou s t r av e l ?
Religious travel is defined as any of the following:
Travel to a religious destination site (example: trip
to the Holy Land).
Travel with a spiritual intent (example: Christian
conference).
Leisure travel with a fellowship intent (example:
Faith-based cruise).
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perienced an increase from 4.4 million attendees to 14.7
million attendees at religious meetings between 1994 and
2006.
Pilgrimages also witnessed a dramatic increase around
the world with, for example, the Vatican nearly doubling
its visitors in the past 10 years to an all-time high in 2006
of 4.2 million visitors. The vast majority of other famous
shrines and sites have also experienced similar substantial growth including Lourdes, Fatima, San Giovanni Rotondo, Assisi, Canterbury Cathedral, Geneva, Germany
Reformation sites, and biblical sites along the route of
Apostle Paul in Greece and Turkey. Holy Land destinations such as Jordan and Israel have also enjoyed record
numbers in the new millennium.
The world of faith-based cruising has evolved from a
relatively unknown segment into a mainstream choice for
the religious traveler. Twenty years ago, virtually no faithbased cruise charter took place; today more than a dozen
operate carrying about 2,000 to 3,000 people each. In
addition, hundreds of faith-based groups now take to the
seas each year on Christian music cruises and the like.
Short-term missionary travel itself has grown from about
25,000 participants in 1979 to today’s staggering 1.6
million participants. And 55 million Americans have embarked on volunteer vacations with many churches, religious groups, and people of faith leading the charge.
Lastly, Christian attractions are in the midst of a growth
and visitor boom as well. In the past seven years, North
America has witnessed the birth of numerous top quality faith-based attractions beginning with the debut of the
biblical park Holy Land Experience in 2001 to the recent
launch of the Billy Graham Library and Creation Museum.
Each of these attractions currently welcome or are projected to welcome approximately 250,000 visitors annually.
become top national sellers and even household names.
And not to be forgotten,
Christian music itself has climbed to the top of the
charts and today outsells even Classical and Jazz combined.
What does this all mean? With the combination of more
Americans traveling, larger faith-based populations, and a
definitive trend towards people purchasing products and
services related to their beliefs, we see the reason why
religious tourism has experienced such a spectacular increase in recent years – and especially in the past decade.
Why all the Growth?
There are three primary reasons behind the explosive
growth in religious tourism. For one, there is an increase
in the overall number of Americans traveling and vacationing. To be exact, in the past ten years alone Americans
traveling overseas has grown by almost 50%.
Secondly, there are more people of faith. Although the
percentage of North Americans claiming or belonging to
a faith hasn’t necessarily increased in the past ten years,
the overall “faith population” has expanded. For example,
the Christian population size has increased by about ten
million during the past decade.
Third, people of faith are now finding ways to integrate
their beliefs into their everyday lives. We’ve seen this in
the past five years with the astounding success of faithbased movies, books, and music. Do titles like The Passion of the Christ, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Purpose-Driven Life ring a bell? These faith-based tales have
A Passing Fad?
Now with all this recent and vast growth, I think it’s fair
to ask if religious tourism is just a passing fad. If you call
three thousand years of history a fad, then I guess “yes” –
religious tourism is just that. Actually, religious travel is
one of the oldest, if not the oldest, forms of tourism. Mass
tourism as we know it today arguably dates to the Egyptian Empire when out-of-towners streamed into the city
to attend religious festivals. Businesses sprang up to accommodate the Egyptian spiritual visitors’ needs including
food, transportation, and lodging.
A millennium or two later, things were no different. The
Middle Ages are virtually synonymous with pilgrimage.
Rome, Santiago de Compostela, Canterbury (Cathedral),
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size and economic power of the faith travel market. Some
organizations and professionals still cling to the outdated
paradigm that faith tourism represents at best the “crumbs”
of the travel market. However, for those companies that
realized the clout of the religious traveler several years
ago, they are now reaping the rewards with new faithbased travel programs.
Taken together, religious travel is poised to grow dramatically both now and in the near future. With many of
the world’s largest travel companies entering the foray of
faith-based travel, tens of thousands of travel agents now
selling to the religious market, and tourist boards from
around the world launching new, major religious travel
market initiatives, it will not take much time for the global
industry to double or triple in size.
All of this translates into one thing: opportunity. For the
group travel planner, never before has faith tourism offered so many vacation opportunities and choices. For the
travel company and supplier, never before has faith tourism offered so much economic opportunity. Both of these
opportunities represent a telltale sign that we’ve entered a
new era of faith-based travel. A new, dynamic era of faithbased travel, that is. I would like to be the first to welcome
you to this new era – and to discover all its new possibilities and opportunities.
and Jerusalem all became top travel destinations of this
era for their religious connections.
Now fast-forward to the 19th century when the famed
Thomas Cooke literally invented escorted group travel.
How and why did he launch this trend? Although few realize this, Thomas Cooke was a Methodist minister and
like any good “man of the cloth,” he sought to increase
the number of people who would listen to him by organizing group trips to his revival meetings – thus, the birth
of modern-day escorted travel. So what’s the main point?
Religious travel lies at the root of mass tourism. It is not a
“flash in the pan” market and you can rest assured that it
will always remain a key segment and choice of travel.
Niche or Industry?
Religious tourism is often described as a niche. In many
ways this is correct, especially if one applies the traditional
definition of niche as a “distinct segment of a market.” In
this case, it is appropriate to state that religious tourism is
a “niche” of the (worldwide) travel market.
However, religious tourism has also grown into an industry of its own, comprising its own multi-billion-dollar
“niches.” Although few like to think of missionary travel in
terms of “dollars,” missionary travel is today a multi-billion
dollar market. With almost two million missionaries and an
average trip cost of approximately $1,500 (airfare, transportation, lodging, food, etc.), you can see the obvious
economic impact. Pilgrimage travel alone is also a multibillion dollar market. Religious meetings and conventions
is another multibillion dollar market. And Christian conferences and camps is yet another multi-billion dollar market.
I think you get the point.
The purpose of pointing out religious tourism as not only
a niche but also an industry, is to demonstrate the vast
By Kevin Wright (President of the World Religious Travel Association)
http://www.religioustravelassociation.com
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FAITH TRAVEL: BUSINESS
IN A TROUBLED WORLD
A key speaker at the Expo was Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace,
tourism minister of the Bahamas
which has a full-time religious travel department in North
America.
“We hope through our association with the WRTA that
faith meetings, conventions and retreats will increase substantially,” he said of the Bahamas whose capital, Nassau,
is a major port-call for faith-based Caribbean cruises.
Other Expo speakers included a panel of officials from
the Holy Land – Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt – participating as a unit in order to develop and promote religious tourism in the region. The Middle East with its rich
spiritual heritage is well advantaged for faith travel with
many countries building on this sector.
NEHRA (the National Egyptian Heritage Revival Association) in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture & Antiquities has spearheaded the restoration of churches and
sacred sites associated with the travels of the Holy Family
in Egypt.
“Long-range plans aim to develop a sustainable infrastructure to support religious tourism in some 25 places
along the 1000 mile route followed by the Holy Family,”`
says NEHRA board member Mr. Samir Gayed.
Equally ambitious is the “Abraham Path Initiative” a long
distance walking trail retracing the journey through the
Middle East made by the patriarch Abraham, some 4000
years ago. Starting in Urfa, his birthplace in southern Turkey and culminating in Hebron, where he died, the route
passes through some of the finest landscapes and most
historic places in the region. A section of the path in Jordan is finished and a network of trails and rest-houses is
scheduled for the near future.
Syria, a participant in the “Abraham Path Initiative”
counts many travel agents specializing in Christian heritage tours. Mr. Osama al-Nouri of Trans Asia Travel &
Tourism, an exhibitor at the recent London World Travel
Market, considers the project will foster harmony and inter-religious understanding quicker than any political exchange.
Cyprus was among several Mediterranean countries
promoting faith travel holidays at the WTM too. A free illustrated book “Cyprus Island of Saints” details Christian
sites of which several appear on the World Heritage List. A
spokesman from Cyprus Rural Tourism said there is considerable Russian response due to links with the Orthodox
Church. With Malta, Greece and Turkey, Cyprus has also
F
aith travel is as old as time, but from a niche market
based on elderly church groups, it has grown into a
dynamic industry. Along with adventure tourism and ecotourism, religious tourism has become big business, worth
an estimated $18 billion worldwide.
The enormous potential of faith travel was underlined by
the World Religious Travel Expo held Oct. 29-Nov 1st in
Florida when exhibitors from 30 countries gathered to promote their products to the American market of which 25%
is estimated to be interested in a spiritual vacation.
“The tremendous response from global tourism organisations demonstrates a commitment to developing
meaningful products and services that meet the needs of
faith-based travellers,” said Mr. Kevin. J. Wright, founder
and President of the World Religious Travel Association
WRTA.
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Cultural tourism enjoys a symbiotic relationship with religious tourism where places of worship have special artistic
or historic merit. Chartres Cathedral, the Golden Temple
in Amritsar and the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca are
all major visitor attractions. London`s Westminster Abbey
receives 31,000 visitors a week during the peak season,
each paying a £12 admission fee.
Religious festivals and “special occasions” are also being marketed by national tourist boards and travel agents.
World Youth Day, held in Sydney last July and presided
over by the Pope, attracted 223,000 registered pilgrims
from 58 countries. Many went on to visit other destinations
with the resultant economic spin-off.
The word is “if you`ve got it, flog it” for there has never
been a more opportune moment for religious tourism to
serve as an integrated economic and spiritual pillar in a
troubled world.
Emphasising its importance, even the World Religious
Travel Association has announced that 2009 will be “The
Year of Faith Travel”.
developed a programme around the `footsteps of Saint
Paul` highlighting places where the Apostle preached.
UK faith tourism specialist PAX Travel also includes St
Paul’s journey in their pilgrimage programme. Other PAX
tours to wide-ranging destinations include the Shrine of
Our Lady of Guadalupe, central to faith sites promoted by
the Mexican Tourist Board.
Muslim countries are also engaged in developing their
religious assets. Iran as well as Turkmenistan and the
Central Asian republics tailor tour programmes around
their spectacular Islamic heritage.
By Christine Osborne
http://www.worldreligions.co.uk
http://www.religious-tourism.com
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BIBLE PARKS SET TO CO-EXIST
IN TENNESSEE
The plans have been
met with a high level of
skepticism by a number
of experts who have almost all suggested that
the parks will simply not
make money, as history also suggests. Indeed, no religion-based
theme park has ever
enjoyed a healthy degree of success on American soil.
Furthermore, the area of Nashville is faced with the unenviable prospect of having two Christian theme parks
in an area where the locals do not even want one. It has
similarly been suggested that the plans could turn sour if
the parks are met by further criticism from other religious
groups. Because of harsh opposition the developers of
the Bible Park have picked the city of Lebanon as their
second choice for the park and are trying to work out a
funding deal with officials there to help pay for the park's
construction.
Despite the negativity, the TBN is determined to pursue
its plans for the parks. It claims that religious tourism is
an industry which earns around $8 billion per year in the
United States alone in revenue, and thus there is no need
whatsoever for such pessimism. However, it has been
stressed by the organisation that money is not the only
motivation for opening both attractions.
It seems the current Holy Land Experience shall cease
to have the status as the nation’s only Bible Park.
USA
has always been famous for its theme parks:
the most famous of which even moved to Europe in the shape of Disneyland. However, the current
theme park drama, which is unfolding in Tennessee, has
absolutely nothing to do with Mickey Mouse.
Indeed, attention has been focused on Bible Park, a
Christian owned theme park aimed at touching the visitor’s soul. To make the drama even more intense, the Trinity Broadcasting Network wishes for two Bible Parks to be
situated right next to each other.
Today Christian travel is an industry comprised of
150 to 200 million travelers. Modern-day Christian
travel comprises much more than just pilgrimages.
Christian travel, also commonly referred to as faith
tourism, features short-term missions, crusades and
conferences, cruises, retreats, adventure trips, religious attractions, Christian camps, monastic gueststays, and much more. In fact, most Christian trips
and vacations today often include a combination of
these travel experiences.
http://www.tourism-review.com
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THE RELIGIOUS OR NOT
SO RELIGIOUS TOURIST IN 2030
of existing religions, nearly 75% of the planet's population
belongs to the five most influential religions in terms of
global impact: Christianity (2.1 billion), Islam (1.3 billion),
Hinduism (900 million), Buddhism (370 million) and Judaism (18 million).
Christianity and Islam are found in more regions than
all other religions. Together they encompass more than
half the world's population. Add Hinduism, and two out
of every three people belong to one of only three faiths.
Clearly, religion is one of the major driving forces of the
future. Looking at the trends in detail, it is noted that Islam
is the fastest-growing major religion in the world and the
number of practicing Muslims is forecasted to overtake
the practicing Christians by 2040 in the United Kingdom.
Britain's churches could be redundant by 2040, with just
over 2% of the population attending Sunday services.
By 2040, there will be nearly twice as many Muslims at
prayer on a Friday compared with Christians on a Sunday.
Professor Thomas McFaul, writing in The Futurist, believes that most probably the direction of religion in the
future is greater Exclusiveness and Pluralism. Between
now and 2025, Exclusiveness will increase, whereas between 2025 and 2050 Pluralism will gradually replace it.
Exclusivist based on a global village is integrating into
an uncompromising clash of ‘I'm right and you're wrong';
much of the blame for this is placed at the door of religion.
Christianity and Islam will turn their backs on the quest
for a common ground, which would transcend their differences, and this will create barriers between religions
and block co-operation, whereas Pluralism will mean living together despite the differences. With the sprawling
electronic communications, homogenous regions will become more heterogeneous which will drive the religious
Pluralism to such an extent that religion and spirituality will
become blurred.
The
World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has reported that the number of tourism arrivals in the
Middle East and the Asia Pacific region has increased at
a much faster rate over the last decade than in the rest of
the world. The average annual increase in the Asia Pacific
region was some 13%, whilst it was 10% in the Middle
East. There are several factors behind this growth, including affordable flights and the increased focus on tourism.
Religious tourism has played its part, especially when one
considers that Buddhists and Hindus regard India as the
most spiritual country on earth, that Saudi Arabia is home
to the two holiest sites in Islam and that Israel and Palestine comprise the Holy Land, a destination of immense
importance to Christians, Jews and Muslims throughout
the world.
World Tourism and Religion
The Changing Face of World Religions
According to the UN World Tourism Organisation, there
were 39.1 million international arrivals to the Middle East
in 2005, this according to Dr Ian Yeoman is forecasted to
rise to 158.9 million by 2030. The region of the world associated with religious tourism is the Middle East because
this is the centre of pilgrimage for Islam, Christianity and
Judaism. Tourism in the Middle East earned more than
US $26 billion from international tourism in 2005. Egypt is
the biggest earner in the region, with US $6.9 billion from
The centre of any civilisation is its culture and the core of
culture is religion. More than any other factor, religion infuses a culture with a perception of reality in the broadest
sense of the term by offering explanations for the origins
of the universe and giving a deeper meaning to historical
events, as well as to humanity's place within history.
At present, no single religion dominates among the
6.5 billion million people on earth. Despite the hundreds
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international tourism, followed by Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Leisure, recreation and holidays appear to be the most
common purpose of travel. The second most important
category of purpose of travel is visiting friends and relatives (VFR), or for religion, health or other purposes–
currently accounting for 34% of arrivals. In 2004, 43%
of international arrivals to Saudi Arabia were for pilgrimage or religious reasons, making pilgrimage the numberone reason for visits. Saudi Arabia is clearly out in front
compared to other countries; even in Israel pilgrimage
accounts for only 10% of international arrivals. As a result of the problems of collecting statistics in Palestine,
year-on-year figures are not comparable. However, in
2000 there were 1 million international arrivals, 66% of
which were for pilgrimage and religion. This number was
reduced to 9453 in 2002 because of the ongoing geopolitical situation.
Mecca is important to Muslims because they believe it
is the place where Mohammed was born, where he established Islam and where he received from Allah the
messages recorded in the Quran. The Quran requires all
Muslims, to visit Mecca once in their lifetime during the
Hajj–if they can afford it and if their health allows it. According to the UK governments 2001 census there were
1.6 million Muslims in the United Kingdom, with 25% actively practicing their faith. In 2005, 2.56 million Muslims
took part in the Hajj, an 8848% increase since 1930 or a
33% increase since 2004. Between 20,000 and 40,000
UK pilgrims travel to the Hajj every year.
Outside the Middle East–where statistics are available–
the main reason for visits attributed to pilgrimage and religion as a percentage of all visitations was as follows:
Bangladesh – 0.01%
Bolivia – 0.01%
Burkina Faso – 0.014%
Ireland – 0.0005%
Micronesia – 0.03%
Nepal – 11.8%
Poland – 0.007%
Pakistan – 0.01%
Turkey – 0.004%
Clearly, outside the Middle East, pilgrimage and religion are not the main reasons for visitation. However, in
advanced western destinations churches do play an important role in a range of tourism products, such as weddings, Christmas, genealogy, interest in architecture or
simple curiosity.
western world. This, combined with the fact that one in five
people do not assign to themselves any religion according
to research by the Future Foundation, leads us to ask why
is then there an interest in religious tourism per se.
Religion is defined as a group of beliefs or attitudes concerning an object, person or system of thought considered
to be supernatural, sacred or divine, whereas spirituality
is a ‘sense of connection to a much greater whole which
includes an emotional experience of religious awe and
reverence'.
There is a growth in the number of people who wish that
their lives had more spiritual content, more of a sense of
higher purpose. We need to look only at the appearance
of the word ‘spirituality' in practically every area of selfhelp, inspirational literature and advertisements for many
products, from deodorants to jewellery, fashion to holidays
to see how the yearning for some kind of ‘spirituality' has
become ubiquitous.
Spirituality appears to be less about attending formal
ceremonies and services associated with religion and
more about incorporating a generalized sense of belief
into daily life. Spirituality is best exemplified in the Chicken Soup series of books which promote greater time for
contemplation, whether an exploration of who you are,
what goals you can achieve or how you ‘connect' to other
people.
Spirituality manifests itself in terms of self-fulfillment,
arguably the search for the quintessential authenticity in
modern society and well-being, in which spirituality is an
extension of our concern for longevity and health and fitness.
From a tourism perspective, spirituality manifests itself
as the desire to get away from daily life, and holidays provide the avenue and the environment for mediated experiences. The appetite for ‘getting away from it all' or ‘getting
in touch with one's true self ' is strong and is growing.
Holidays certainly seem to provide the right environment
for these kinds of ‘unmediated' experiences, the idea that
‘It's just me and the mountain' and, of course, for some
people, the great outdoors has a strong spiritual dimen-
Why Spirituality Not Religion
Is the Future for Western Consumers
Religion is playing an increasingly less important role
in people's lives especially the younger generation in the
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accessible and niche products emerge, an interest in the
rich culture which surrounds religion can be viewed only
in a positive manner.
Religion manifests itself at many stages of life, from birth
to death, from marriage to times of tragedy, so it is very
likely to be present in the tourism landscape for generations to come. At present, pilgrimage per se is not a core
driver for travel; this is evident in many countries such as
Poland or Ireland where less than 0.001% of visits are
made for purely religious reasons. However, places of
worship or the function of religion in tourism activities, that
is, weddings, means that religion is an important part of
the product.
Outside religion, the consumers' demand for a more authentic, spiritual and cultural experience will result in an
increased number of itineraries, including religious sites
and places of worship; these will become places of escapism, relaxation, meditation and well-being. Spirituality is
just one element of the religious experience outside faith
itself. Religion and spirituality have a part to play in future.
That is only natural.
sion and satisfies some inner yearning. Hence the growing desire to find authenticity within ourselves, through
rejecting fake destinations and attractions.
The search for one's inner self is about self-actualization
which focuses on the altruistic and self-development experiences. Volunteers can gain these experiences when
working on projects. For example, the Church of Scotland
supports a number of projects in several countries such as
Malawi and Scotland. In these projects people volunteer
their time and skills to help those who are less fortunate.
Spirituality is also connected to our participation in a cultured society driven by rising disposal income, which is
illustrated by the consumer taking more short breaks and
trying out new experiences. People in today's society participate in a wide variety of leisure activities, including a
search for non-material, inner experiences, learning new
skills or even going back to traditional activities and putting a modern, techno friendly twist on them. This means
that spirituality is becoming an important motive for travel
and many destinations are promoted in connection with
spiritual motivations.
Concluding Thoughts...
(text shortened)
The outlook for religious tourism is good, especially for
Islamic sites, given the strength of faith in that religion.
Countries like Saudi Arabia will see considerable growth.
On the downside, the geopolitical environment in the Middle East is a barrier for development, especially for countries like Israel and Palestine. Religion whether we like it
or not, is a consumer product. As the world becomes more
By PhD. Ian Yeoman
http://www.tomorrowstourist.com
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FULFILLED PROPHECY:
HALAL TOURISM
cantly in 2008 with several operators jumping at the
opportunity to reach out to this segment. Dubai based
Allmulla Hospitality announced the development of a
hotel chain that complies with Islamic law. The development will include 10 hotels by 2012 in the Middle
East and Asia.
Dubai based Landmark Hotel Group announced in July
2008 the addition of 10 hotels. According to Arabianbusiness.com, “All the properties will operate on Islamic principles, and will be entirely alcohol-free, serve Halal food,
and donate a percentage of their profit to charity.” In addition, unmarried couples would not be allowed to room
together.
Euromonitor International forecasts the number of inbound tourists to the Middle East will grow by 66% to
reach 55 million between 2006 and 2011. A large proportion of them will be intra-regional travellers, boosted by increased connectivity between cities and better infrastructure catering to Halal tourism.
Halal tourism is a new product in the tourism industry. The industry provides holiday destinations
for Muslim families. The packages comply with the
Sharia rules which the Muslim families abide by. The
hotels in destinations do not serve alcohol and will
have separate swimming pools and spa facilities for
men and women. Malaysia, Turkey and many more
countries are trying to attract Muslim tourists from
all over the world offering facilities in accordance
with the religious beliefs of Muslim tourists. The Halal tourism industry also provides flights where no
alcohol or pork products are served, prayer timings
are announced, and religious programs are broadcasted as part of entertainment offered on board.
“In the attempt to emulate Dubai's success, Middle
Eastern countries are turning to tourism as an alternative
revenue source, according to the last years’ WTM Global
Trends Report produced by market analysts Euromonitor
International.
The report identified little differentiation between Middle
Eastern tourism services targeted at Muslims and nonMuslims, though these groups have vastly different needs.
This according to the authors represents untapped potential and opportunity for Halal tourism, a form of religious
tourism defined as activities permissible under Islamic
law.
Did Halal tourism really become a trend in 2008?
Catering to Muslims with Halal tourism jumped signifi-
Ms Parita Chitakasem, Asia Pacific and Australasia
Travel and Tourism Manager for Euromonitor International, explains, “tourism infrastructure clearly needs domestic development before international inbound tourism can
occur. Therefore, it is crucial that Middle Eastern countries take concrete steps to develop Halal tourism internally. One successful example with regional tourists is the
Dubai Ice Bar which was developed according to western
concepts but still suitable for Halal Tourism as it does not
serve alcohol. Simple steps such as having prayer rooms
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at tourism sites and making religious sites more Muslim
tourist-friendly also will go a long way.”
Ms Chitakasem continues, “as witnessed by the continued number of religious tourists visiting Iraq, Halal tourism
has the potential to develop into one of the most resilient
forms of tourism. Tourism revenue in the Middle East is
expected to grow by 108% to almost US$51 billion and
domestic tourism by 82% to reach US$24 billion in 2011.
Most of this growth stems from Middle Eastern travellers,
underlining the need for tailored Halal tourism products
and services that are developed within the region and cater to this dynamic local market.”
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/
http://www.wtmlondon.com
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