Muslim travellers the next boom
July 30, 2012 by AFP
Filed under Hospitality, Middle east, News
Singapore, 30 July 2012: From halal spas to prayer rooms at airport terminals, the global tourism industry is gearing up for a projected boom in Muslim travel over the next decade, experts say.
Their growing number and affluence means Muslims — especially from the oil-rich Middle East — are travelling like never before, and it is a trend that looks set to gather pace.
Spending by Muslim tourists is growing faster than the global rate and is forecast to reach US$192 billion a year by 2020, up from US$126 billion in 2011, according to a study by two companies specialising in the market.
Jailed for loud speaker atttack
PRAYA, 16 December 2010 – An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced a foreign guest house owner, who promoted tourism on Lombok Island, to five months in jail for blasphemy for pulling the plug on a mosque’s loudspeaker during a prayer reading.
The August 22 incident during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in retired Californian engineer Gregory Luke, 64, needing a police escort from his home on Lombok island as a mob tore it to pieces around him.
Australia adopts Ramadan lounges
SYDNEY, 17 August 2010 – After a series of tourism campaigns focusing on bikinis and beaches, Australia is taking a new tack with a “Ramadan lounge” concept designed to appeal to travelling Muslims.
With Queensland’s sunny winters increasingly luring Middle Eastern tourists escaping the oppressive heat of their summer months, local officials decided to open a venue designed for Muslims observing the Ramadan month of fasting.
Tourism Queensland regional director Paul Buggy said while some hotels, shopping centres and theme parks in the state already offered Muslim prayer rooms, officials wanted to go “one step further”.
Egypt challenges a tradition
CAIRO, 8 August 8 2010 ― With its cooler temperatures but more sizzling entertainment, Egypt has long been a prime destination for rich Arab tourists, especially from the Gulf states.
This year, however, the authorities fear that the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts this Wednesday at the height of the annual tourist season, will mean that many potential visitors will stay at home instead.
In a bid to avert a slump in its lucrative tourist industry, particularly during boom-time August, Egypt has launched a major campaign aimed at luring visitors, with the promise of fireworks, concerts, folkloric shows and displays by whirling dervishes.
