The Muslim MICE market is growing. The momentum to cater for it is rising, Raini Hamdi reports
Kuoni Group Travel Experts (GTE) now moves as many as 150 Muslim-only tour groups a year from key Asian markets to European destinations and, increasingly, destinations in the Middle East and the US. These are small families, government groups or large MICE movements with up to 1,000 travellers. Kuoni GTE’s head of MICE Sales Asia, Reto Kaufmann, estimates that annual growth could be as high as 30 per cent, with the MICE market increasing fastest.
Last year, the company saw double-digit increases in roomnights booked by group travellers from Indonesia and India, while those from Bangladesh quadrupled. China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand also offer significant numbers of potential Muslim travellers. China, with a Muslim population of 23 million, recorded a six per cent rise in roomnights booked with Kuoni GTE last year.
According to a Pew Research Centre forum, 72 countries today have a million or more Muslim inhabitants and 60 per cent of them live in Asia-Pacific. Catering to Muslim travellers beyond haj and umrah pilgrims seems a no-brainer, with rising disposable income and a younger demographic among them. But that it’s still a novelty shows how fraught it is with challenges.
One of the fundamental challenges lies in a lack of understanding that pork-free is not necessarily halal. “(Muslim) travellers who could accept no-pork meals would go to non-Muslim countries, but those who could not will not,” said Garuda Indonesia Holidays COO, Widjaya Hadinukerto.
Finding halal restaurants and Muslim-friendly facilities remain the fundamental challenge – even in countries such as India, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China which have recognised the importance of Muslim travellers, “only parts of the programme comply with Islamic rules”, said Dannie Soesilo, commissioner of an Indonesian agency, Sakinah Nurhidayah.
Not all countries have halal certification bodies and in fact rely on travel experts to develop halal products, added Widjaya. Accreditation of agencies is therefore becoming important, Widjaya said.
But being halal, like eating organic, can be expensive, and agency heads like Adam Kamal, general manager of Rakyat Travel Malaysia, expressed angst over operators who keep costs down by taking clients to pork-free restaurants whereas his agency uses only certified-halal ones. “Meals at these restaurants are more expensive and may be out of the popular tourist spots. Thus there is additional transportation cost incurred,” Adam said.
Finding halal restaurants that can cater to big groups is a struggle, said Cooper Huang, CEO, Harmony Tours & Travel, Malaysia, who sometimes work with hotel ballrooms but outsource the cooking to chefs from halal restaurants.
Wide open space
The space to cater for Muslim groups is therefore wide open. Last December Kuoni GTE tied up with Crescentrating, a Singapore-based company barely five years old, whose primary business is to help the travel industry cater to Muslim clients through consulting, workshops and market research. It also rates hotels’ halal-friendliness and is now moving to accredit more than 100 travel agencies over the next 12 months. Most of these agencies will be from South-east Asia, the initial target market for the first eight curated Muslim tour packages which the partnership launched in February. The tours cover five European cities, Paris, London, Rome, Berlin and Geneva, and are aimed at Muslim MICE and family groups from Asia and Europe.
“Our rating enables travellers to understand clearly to what degree their needs will be met with respect to availability of halal food, prayer facilities, service during Ramadan and level of non-halal activities and amenities in the hotel (for example, alcohol served in the hotel, separate pool and spa facilities, etc),” said COO, Dany Bolduc.
Asked what criteria it uses to accredit travel agencies, Bolduc said: “Three main criteria: They are an accredited travel agency with the local authority, preferably with IATA membership; have staff who have participated in our training workshop and understand the needs of the Muslim travellers; and sell Muslim travellers only packages that comply with Crescentrating criteria for packages.”
Although Crescentrating has its own portal with booking engine, halaltrip.com, Bolduc said this till now serves individual and small group travel. Over 50 per cent of Muslims travel in family and/or multi-generational groups, which is why it needs Kuoni, he said. “Offering tour packages requires expertise in the logistics of transporting and managing large groups of people; a channel of DMCs who are experts in local sights and attractions, deep relationships with hotels and restaurants that can offer great quality at an affordable price. Kuoni is a world leader in tour packages,” Bolduc explained.
Kuoni in turn needs Crescentrating’s expertise on and commitment to halal travel to further bolster its credibility and value-add among Muslim clients. Added Kaufmann: “Part of it is helping to educate Europe’s travel trade about halal food expectations, family-friendly environments, making allowances for religious practices and gender-related nuances, and that an increasing demand exists.
“We are sourcing hotels and restaurants that can not only meet the needs of large groups of people, but are also willing to go the extra mile and offer added value. European suppliers know that if Kuoni is investing in Muslim-specific tours, we’ve done our homework and there’s a definite market here. We are confident more hotels and restaurants will join the initiative in coming months, so that we have a small number of partners in each of the cities that Asian and Muslim visitors most want to visit.”
Going the extra mile
Kuoni itself goes the extra mile by ensuring, say, itineraries are carefully planned to allow for the regular prayer times that many Muslims continue to observe while away from home. It even works with local Muslim communities to arrange joint prayer sessions or exchanges that can enhance the destination experience.
Asked what he’d wish destinations, airports and other tourism providers would do for halal travel, Bolduc said: “The availability of halal food is critical. Airports need to have halal-certified concessions. Restaurants and food suppliers in destinations would also be well-advised to offer more halal food choices in their establishments.
“Prayer facilities are also important while travelling. Governments have a role to play by raising the awareness of this untapped market to the tourism service sector and encouraging local business to cater to the unique requirements of Muslim travellers.”
In its rankings, Malaysia has consistently ranked as the most Muslim-friendly travel destination under the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Co-operation) category. Kuala Lumpur International Airport was also ranked as the top airport in 2013. For non-OIC countries, Singapore and Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport were ranked as the top destination and airport, respectively, in 2013.
“This year’s ranking of destinations should be very interesting as a number of countries are recognising the potential of the halal travel sector and making significant in-roads in developing infrastructure and services to attract Muslim travellers,” said Bolduc.
Japan, for instance, is seeking to create more user-friendly airports for Muslims, with prayer rooms, ablution facilities, halal food, etc, in the lead up to the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Meanwhile, a US$170 million resort built on Islamic principles will open in the Maldives in October. A joint venture between Maldives’ ADK Group and Turkey’s Capris Gold Group, it will offer Muslim-friendly services such as a separate beach for ladies only, certified halal buffet in all restaurants, family-friendly facilities.
Needless to say, no alcohol or pork is sold in this resort.
– See how Kuoni GTE caters to a 600 pax Muslim MICE group to Switzerland in Case Studies: Muslim incentive to Switzerland
