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Travel Habits of Muslim Travelers Revealed
ITB Berlin together with IPK International revealed their study about Muslim travelers and their preferences. Muslims are currently the fastest-growing religious group in the world and by 2030 a quarter of all people on the planet will belong to it. Moreover, the middle class is growing at a fast pace in many Muslim countries, so people can afford to travel more frequently. Naturally, as Muslim travelers become quite a force, it is important to know their habits and preferences.
Muslim travelers share much in common with other groups, but they are not deprived of some differences. For example, Muslims prefer city breaks over beach holidays and would more likely go shopping rather than to a museum. When away from their home country, these travelers still want to be able to follow their religious customs with comfort. As some hospitality institutions might not be ready for that, they can experience certain challenges with this group of travelers.
Halal is a very important word for every Muslim. While many may think that this is a way of cooking food, the concept is, actually, much broader and covers different aspects of life. Hotels wishing to fulfill the faith-related needs of Muslim travelers must be ready to prepare halal food, offer adapted food during Ramadan, have prayer facilities, and provide guests with separate swimming pools for men and women. People from Arab countries, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Turkey are the most interested in halal travel. The demand for international halal travel has been growing 40% faster than the market average in the past 5 years.
When choosing a vacation to a foreign country, Muslim travelers are primarily interested in city breaks. Tour holidays is the second most popular category, followed by sun and beach holidays. That said, international holidays are less important for Muslims, but they are more interested in business trips, visitors to friends and relatives. Pilgrimage travel also plays a very important role.
What countries do Muslim travelers like to visit? Hotels in Dubai and Jeddah are definitely looking forward to greeting more Muslim guests as the UAE is still the #1 choice. Germany is the second most popular destination, followed by Saudi Arabia. In Asia Pacific, Malaysia and Singapore are the most popular choices. Muslim travelers are usually younger than average – almost three-quarters of all Muslim travelers are aged between 25 and 44. The percent of people with high education is also higher than average.
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