Natalie Jet-setting Muslims are driving a new trend for luxury halal holidays like skiing and cruising, and Turkey, one of the top preferred countries is set to cash in. Ufuk Secgin, CMO of halalbooking.com, the number one travel website for Muslims made the comments published in the Arabian Business Magazine.
Reflecting earlier reports by Turkish newspapers that halal tourism in on the rise in Turkey, Ufuk added that the budget and luxury halal tourism industries are still in their infancies and there is a lot of room for growth.
Ufuk told Arabian Business Magazine “We’ve seen a rising demand for halal ski resorts in Turkey, Bosnia and Switzerland.” He said “At the moment, we work with cruise liners in Turkey that travel around the islands. On board the ships there is no alcohol, all the food is halal, the pools are segregated, and the entertainment is family orientated.”
Luxury Halal Tourism in Turkey
Halalbooking.com, a UK based firm founded in 2009 says Turkey is its most popular inbound destination and accounted for 80% of their bookings in 2017. Crediting the high number of beaches in the country, they also say they are among some best.
Beaches are not the only type of holiday they sell because their website prominently features the ski resort of Uludag. Promising a hotel with halal food, no alcohol and a spa centre with 100% privacy for women, customers also find many similarities in culture and tradition in Bursa.
Serendipity, another UK based agent, specialising in halal-friendly tourism hand pick friendly beach resorts, of which many are all-inclusive. They market hotels such as the Adin, a five-star all-inclusive resort with restricted beach and pools areas for men, women and families. Further along the coastline, the 5-star Wome resort also offers female-only swimming pools and a woman-only beach.
The Global Muslim travel index says Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Turkey rank as the most popular destination for halal travellers. Also noting that Muslim travel is a developing industry, they estimate by 2026, the industry will be worth 300 billion USD, of which luxury halal tourism will play a significant role.
Further Reading
Halal Tourism in Turkey: The country has plans to increase their global share from 2% to 10%, amid a range of incentives to promote 100% authentic hotels and companies.
