Travel Industry, News and Analytics

Turkey is a Leading Destination for Halal Tourism

Halal-friendly hotels and villas have become increasingly popular in recent years. Just like the rest of the hospitality industry, they were seriously hit by the pandemic but with the start of the vaccination programs in many countries, the hotel business might be soon recovering. A recent study asked Halal travelers about their plans, favorite destinations, and vacations in 2020. The results of the study are based on the answers of more than 2,000 people.

Surprisingly, a bit more than 50% of the surveyed people booked a Halal hotel and stayed in it at least once in 2020. German-speaking tourists were the most active travelers (64% of them were the most likely to have traveled), with Turkish tourists a bit lagging (58%). English- and French-speaking tourists were the third and fourth most active - 43% and 41% respectively.

It looks like hotels in Istanbul, Kemer or Antalya were among the most popular choices for Halal travelers. Turkey was the choice of as many as 74% of all tourists who traveled in 2020. The fast and clear actions of the Turkish government, their Safe Tourism Certification Programme, and open borders for tourists made this country a primary choice. By the way, the certification program is mandatory for all hotels with more than 30 rooms. It sets rules and standards for health and safety measures that protect both guests and hotel staff from the spread of COVID-19.

There were not many choices for a summer vacation in 2020, and so Turkey topped the safe travel lists in the UK, Germany, and other countries. In the opinion of Halal guests, Turkey was the safest destination during the pandemic and this was one of the major reasons why they picked this country. This led to the increased popularity of halal-friendly beach resorts. When asked about their plans in 2021, 62% of the respondents want to visit Turkey. Hotels in Dubai are the second-most-popular choice, followed by Morocco and the Maldives.

The respondents who didn’t travel in 2020 named restrictions and regulations the main obstacle (71% of the survey participants). Contrary to a popular opinion that people didn’t travel because of fear, quarantine requirements and other limitations were the main reasons for canceled bookings. As of January 2021, 10% of the respondents already booked a hotel for a vacation in 2021, and 65% haven’t booked yet because they are not sure about the limitations and uncertainly regarding possible travel restrictions.

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