SINGAPORE, 6 June 2023: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warns that an increase in countries blocking the repatriation of airline revenue threatens airline connectivity in the affected markets.
The industry’s blocked funds have increased by 47% to USD2.27 billion in April 2023 from USD1.55 billion in April 2022.
“Airlines cannot continue to offer services in markets where they cannot repatriate the revenues arising from their commercial activities in those markets. Governments need to work with industry to resolve this situation so airlines can continue to provide the connectivity vital to driving economic activity and job creation,” said IATA’s director-general Willie Walsh
IATA names the main culprits, five countries accounting for 68.0% of all blocked funds worldwide
Nigeria (USD812.2 million)
Bangladesh (USD214.1 million)
Algeria (USD196.3 million)
Pakistan (USD188.2 million)
Lebanon (USD141.2 million)
IATA urged governments to abide by international agreements and treaty obligations to enable airlines to repatriate funds earned from the sale of tickets, cargo space, and other activities.
YANGON, 6 June 2023: Myanmar Airways International (8M) and SriLankan Airlines (UL) have announced a codeshare agreement for flights to Colombo from Bangkok and Singapore.
It will also mean that SriLankan passengers can book flights conveniently onward from Bangkok and Singapore to Yangon and Mandalay using MAI services.
In the meantime, MAI has increased services to Singapore from Yangon to 12 weekly flights with one-way fares starting at USD139. The airline added flights on Monday and Wednesday to Singapore, effective 29 May.
MAI will fly to Bangkok DMZ five times weekly on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday starting 15 June. The routes are Yangon – Bangkok DMZ – MandalayandMandalay – Bangkok DMZ – Yangon. The airline already flies daily to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Flight 8M362 will depart Mandalay at 1450 and arrive in Bangkok Don Mueang Airport at 1710. The return flight (8M363) departs DMZ at 1810 and arrives in Yangon at 1900.
8M360 departs Yangon at 0940 and arrives in Bangkok Don Mueang Airport at 1130. The return flight 8M361 departs Bangkok DMZ 1220 and arrives in Mandalay at 1340.
BANGKOK, 6 June 2023: Thai Vietjet is flying a daily roundtrip between Bangkok and Yangon on behalf of Myanmar National Airlines until 20 June.
The daily charter flight VZ8700 departs from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport at 1030 and arrives in Yangon at 1135. The return flight VZ8701 departs Yangon at 1220 and arrives at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport at 1410.
Myanmar National Airlines announced the temporary arrangement on 1 June on its website, saying it involved the airline’s scheduled service from Yangon – Bangkok (UB-019) and Bangkok – Yangon (UB-020), which would be substituted with Thai Vietjet flights VZ-8701 and VZ-8700 respectively from 1 to 20 June. The average flight time from Bangkok to Yangon is 58 minutes for a flight distance of just 611 km using an Airbus A320.
Myanmar National Airlines made its maiden flight in 1948 as UBA – Union of Burma Airways. It was one of the oldest airlines in Asia. In 2014 it rebranded Myanmar National Airlines, first flying domestic services and later opening international flights to capital cities in Southeast Asia to compete with Myanmar Airways International.
BANGKOK, 2 June 2023: Thailand is on the cusp of a new era of tourism prosperity in 2025, the Tourism Authority of Thailand confidently predicted in its latest forecast delivered at the country’s annual travel trade show TTM+ on Thursday.
Based on the country’s tourism performance since 2022, after Covid-19 travel restrictions eased, TAT predicts full tourism recovery will be achieved by the end of 2024. The benchmark remains 2019’s tourist arrivals that closed at 39.92 million, the last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down global travel in March 2020. Thailand is now forecast to reach around 40 million tourist arrivals by the close of 2024, but the country will have lost four years to the pandemic, losses that cannot be recouped.
Market plan
TAT is currently fine-tuning its 2024 marketing plan for release to the travel industry at the close of its weeklong MAP2024 marketing activity plan meeting in June. The comprehensive marketing strategy aims to shatter the 2019 record in visitor arrivals and tourism receipts to declare business is back on track but with some differences. TAT’s marketing plan will focus on sustainability, high-value tourism, and meaningful travel.
Eye on a new government
As the country is going through a government transition following the elections in May, TAT stated that its plan would need to be flexible and adaptable to align with the new administration’s policies.
Despite the lack of a clear direction from a political standpoint, TAT deputy governor for international marketing – Asia and the South Pacific, Tanes Petsuwan, affirms the authority has made preparations and stands ready to address the tourism situation and engage in discussions regarding the future direction with the incoming Cabinet.
Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya.
“With 63 years of establishment, the TAT has worked with administrations from various political parties. Professionally, the organisation has been following a strategic direction and has accomplished goals with the resources allocated.”
In the meantime, Tanes added that the TAT was closely monitoring the formation of the new government, acknowledging that at least two key points in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the eight coalition parties align with the authority’s focus on sustainability and revenue distribution.
TTR Weekly asked TAT deputy governor for marketing communications, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, during the TTM’s opening media briefing what would be the key areas that the authority would stress are critical to success as the country’s new administration prepares to take the helm.
He replied: “Tourism is already a crucial part of the economy, so the agency (TAT) needs reaffirmation from the new government that it will continue to support the tourism industry across all areas, including marketing, brand building, and tourism development, placing the tourism industry high up as possible on the economy.”
TTM+ took place from 31 May to 2 June.
TTM+ revives confidence
TAT directors updated the progress of the Thai tourism industry during the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+), which took place from 31 May to 2 June at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre for the first time since the complex underwent a major remake.
TTM+ attracted 374 international buyers from 50 countries, of which 42% were new buyers. This year’s buyer count reflects an increase of 35.5% compared to the 276 buyers who attended the event in Phuket last year.
In addition to the sellers, TAT also extended invitations to more than 20 trade visitors from Saudi Arabia, providing them with a firsthand experience of Thai tourism products and services, the first opportunity since the two countries restored full diplomatic and trade ties earlier this year.
TTM seller turnout
On the supply side, TTM+ delivered 435 sellers, mainly in the hotel and resort categories. This year’s sellers also included Cambodia and Myanmar’s national tourism organisations. The count marks an increase of 60.7% compared to the 264 sellers present last year. TAT noted that the B2B platform would generate 11,760 buyer/seller appointments as part of the effort to drive the recovery of tourism to achieve 80% of the revenue from the international market recorded during the pre-pandemic, or a target of THB1.5 trillion by the end of this year.
Festival time: ‘Visit Thailand Year 2023: Amazing New Chapters.’
Post-pandemic path
In the post-pandemic period, TAT set its targets to recover 50% in 2022, 80% in 2023 and 100% in 2024. The recovery of the flight capacity is one of the critical factors. According to TAT, the overall percentage of flight resumption to Thailand is 70% compared to the year before the pandemic. From China alone, flights in June reached 90% compared to 2019.
This year, TAT targets a possible ‘base case scenario’ of 25 million visitor arrivals. From 1 January to 27 May, Thailand welcomed 10,378,457 international arrivals generating THB428 billion. The top five tourism markets were Malaysia (1,606,373), China (1,098,604), Russia (734,995), South Korea (627,760), and India (583,319).
To achieve the year-end target, TAT will continue implementing activities aligned with the ‘Visit Thailand Year 2023: Amazing New Chapters’ communication theme. The TTM+ is expected to serve as a platform to enhance performance in the year’s second half. This year’s edition of TTM+ continues to showcase and emphasise the ongoing efforts of the Thai tourism industry in promoting meaningful travel experiences.
Satellite activities
TAT organised satellite activities alongside the TTM+ for the first time. These activities included a domestic travel fair promoting travel across various regions. It also introduced Amazing Thailand Culinary City to enhance gastronomy tourism by bringing together food tourism suppliers to showcase their products and services to international buyers and consumers.
Chattan said, “TAT is illustrating Thailand as offering meaningful-driven travel to improve visitors’ experience. Encompassing discovery, transformation, fulfilment, and engagement between people, cultures, and nature, this underscores TAT’s direction to make a destination for protecting the country’s vast natural and scenic beauty and instigating a range of environmental initiatives.”
SINGAPORE, 2 June 2023: Around 31.5 million people are expected to go on a cruise this year*, and with cruise demand finally back, new research identifies the top 10 cruise destinations experiencing the biggest increase in popularity.
Two Asian destinations, Vietnam and Japan, are among the top 10 cruise destinations with the biggest increase in Google search volume. Vietnam placed 4th in the chart registering a 174% year-on-year change in Google searches 2022-2023, and Japan, in sixth place, scored 174%.
The team atSlingo have analysed Google search data, Tiktok views, Instagram posts and cruise reviews to reveal the most popular cruise destinations. The research has also revealed the most and least expensive cruise lines.
The Atlantic Islands have been crowned the cruise destination with the biggest increase in popularity, with Google searches surging 250% between 2022-2023. The Atlantic is home to a vast array of gorgeous island destinations – and a cruise is a perfect way to sample many of them in a single outing.
Following in second place is the Norwegian Fjords, with searches for the destination increasing by 235%. This is a popular option for those wishing to glimpse the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and experience unique landscapes.
The cruise destination with the third highest increase in popularity is the Italian Riviera, with Google searches having nearly doubled in the last year. The crescent-shaped stretch of the Mediterranean has breathtaking cliff views, shimmering turquoise coves, quaint fishing villages, and some resort areas.
Research highlights
Tiktok’s most popular cruise destination is the Caribbean, with 63.6 million views as of May 2023. The Caribbean has also been crowned Instagram’s most popular cruise destination, with 147,976 posts on the app.
Ponant Cruises is the most expensive cruise line, costing an average of UKP9,063 per person. The second-most expensive cruise line is Scenic Ocean Cruises, costing UKP8,989 per person, whilst the Silversea Cruises’ average cost of UKP8,645 per person makes it the third-most expensive cruise line.
Princess Cruises is the most affordable cruise line, with the average cost of their cruises around UKP1,204 per person. This is over UKP100 cheaper than the second most affordable cruise line, Celestyal Cruises, with an average cruise cost of UKP1,336.
AmaWaterways is the cruise line with the highest average rating, scoring 4.6 out of 5. They are known for their short excursion heavy cruises and wine-themed cruises. While activities vary from ship to ship, they offer around12 activities.
The top 10 cruise destinations with the biggest increase in Google search volume:
BANGKOK, 2 June 2023: Centara Hotels & Resorts is marking this year’s World Environment Day (5 June) and Ocean Day (8 June) events with the revival of its highly successful 2019 ‘Plastics Only, Please’ (P-O-P) campaign to raise awareness and take action against plastic waste.
As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, all Centara’s properties will feature POP sculptures – wire sea life creations – that serve as bins for plastic waste found on or around the beach from 5 to 30 June 2023.
This initiative encourages guests and staff to collect plastic refuse and “feed” it to the hungry P-O-P creatures. At the end of each week, Centara’s waste management teams will remove the contents, weigh the trash, and prepare it for sorting and delivery to local recycling facilities. In 2019, these ‘plastic-eating’ sculptures collected over 400 kilograms of plastic waste, reducing the plastic burden in local landfills and ensuring reusable plastic materials were recycled and reused properly rather than thrown away.
“At Centara, we are deeply committed to sustainability and believe in doing our part to raise awareness about environmental issues and put those ideas into action. After the success of our ‘Plastics Only, Please’ campaign in 2019, we are looking forward to achieving even greater results this year with a new range of P-O-P sculptures to be featured at our incredible beachfront properties. We encourage guests, staff and anyone who happens upon plastic waste to help support our initiative and #BeatPlasticPollution together,” said Centara Hotels & Resorts EVP hotel operations David Good.
World Environment Day: Solutions to Plastic Pollution #BeatPlasticPollution and World Ocean Day campaigns are part of the growing worldwide plastic reduction movement that has gained significant traction recently. By 2025, Centara aims to have 100% of its properties certified as sustainable by accredited certification bodies as a key element of the organisation’s long-term sustainability objectives and eliminate single-use plastic items, including drinking straws, laundry bags, takeaway food containers, fitness centre and poolside plastic bottles, and plastic guest room amenities, to minimise environmental impact across the entire guest journey.
SINGAPORE, 2 June 2023: Travellers flying to and from Singapore can now enjoy the luxurious and meticulously customised Premium Economy experience on Emirates, the world’s largest international airline.
The product officially launched in Singapore Thursday with one of Emirates’ upgraded four-class A380 aircraft, deployed on flights EK354 and EK355 between Singapore and Dubai.
Flight Number
Departure
Local Time (hrs)
Arrival
Local Time (hrs)
EK0354
Dubai
0305
Singapore
1500
EK0355
Singapore
2140
Dubai
0050
Emirates’ country manager in Singapore & Brunei Rashid Al Ardha said: “We are excited to introduce our travellers from Singapore to our industry-leading Premium Economy offering, a signature experience that will enable them to keep flying better with Emirates. The deployment of our newest product marks a significant milestone for our operations in Singapore, as it solidifies our strong commitment to providing customer-centric and future-forward inflight experiences for travellers. We’re confident that our new cabin will cater to the requirements of both corporate and leisure travellers, offering them a world-class product that’s exceptional.”
Since Emirates launched its Premium Economy Class last year, customer response has been overwhelmingly positive, with demand exceeding expectations. The product is deployed in seven destinations worldwide, including London Heathrow, New York JFK, and Houston.
On a four-class Emirates A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. In the cabin, every inch of space anticipates customer needs with a generous seat pitch and width for working and relaxing and customised features that offer function and convenience, like in-seat charging points and a side cocktail table. The experience is rounded off with expertly curated in-flight amenities, an inventive menu, and extensive beverage options.
Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, the Emirates App, at Emirates sales offices, and via online and offline travel agents. Travellers must also check the Emirates website for the latest travel requirements.
Key features Premium Economy
Dedicated airport experience: Customers can look forward to a dedicated check-in area for Premium Economy at Dubai International Airport or utilise one of the many convenient self-service check-in kiosks in the hall to avoid queues.
Luxurious seats: Once onboard, customers will immediately notice the quiet luxury in the Emirates Premium Economy cabin. A wood panel finish similar to Business Class sets the cabin’s mood, and each seat is designed to provide optimal comfort and support with 6-way adjustable headrests.
The cream-coloured leather seats have a generous pitch of up to 40 inches, are 19.5 inches wide, and recline 8 inches into a comfortable cradle position with ample room to stretch out. Calf rests and footrests for additional comfort, as well as many other thoughtful touches such as easily accessible in-seat charging points and a side cocktail table, make the journey all the more pleasant.
Comfort: Customers can get comfortable under soft, sustainable blankets made from recycled plastic bottles and snuggle into the generously sized pillow, designed specifically for Premium Economy. They can refresh themselves with the complimentary amenity kits, which come in reusable, sustainable bags, and contain items made with recycled or sustainable materials.
Dining experience: Incorporating elements inspired by Business Class, customers will be welcomed onboard with a welcome drink in fine glassware. During meal service, generous meals made with seasonal ingredients and regional influences will be served on chinaware, accompanied by stainless steel cutlery wrapped in linen napkins. The drinks menu will include a selection of beverages, including premium wines and a sparkling Chandon wine exclusive to Emirates Premium Economy customers. There are also liqueurs available after meals, with chocolates.
Unmatched entertainment at 40,000 feet: Each seat has a 13.3” screen, one of the largest in its class, to enjoy the unmatched array of up to 6,500 channels of music, movies, TV, news, and other content on Emirates’ award-winning ice.
Global exclusive – Chandon Vintage Brut 2016.
In addition to luxurious seats, generous legroom, sophisticated cabin design, and world-class inflight entertainment, Emirates Premium Economy offers passengers an elevated food and beverage experience. As part of a robust beverage selection, the airline has procured an outstanding Australian sparkling wine, the Chandon Vintage Brut 2016, as a global exclusive.
The Chandon Vintage Brut 2016 is a premium sparkling wine with vibrant flavours and subtle complexity, made via traditional methods for elegance and depth. From the pristine Strathbogie and King Valley vineyards in the Victorian Mountains, the grapes are grown in rich loamy soils and flourish in the mild summer weather. The wine is then crafted with precision by experienced winemakers, who focus on climate and fruit potential to achieve the perfect acidity and freshness with a distinctive style that reflects the locale in which it is made. The result is a remarkable sparkling wine effervescent with freshness and energy, aged six years on lees which adds a touch of refinement – and a luxurious wine completely exclusive to Emirates Premium Economy passengers.
SINGAPORE, 2 June 2023: Locals and visitors will be in for a treat at this year’s Wellness Festival Singapore (WFS), 17 June to 9 July, as the second edition will run for three weeks, up from 10 days last year.
There are also over 180 activities across 10 precincts islandwide, promoting physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. This is an increase from the more than 130 activities offered in 2022.
Zentosa LiveWELL Festival.
Organised by the Singapore Tourism Board in collaboration with Enterprise Singapore (Enterprise SG), Health Promotion Board, National Arts Council, Sentosa Development Corporation and Sport Singapore (SportSG), the festival will feature key programmes as well as several large-scale activations in popular locations.
Festival highlights
· The Wellness Experience Space: The anchor event for WFS 2023 is a multi-sensory pop-up at the Marina Bay Sands’ Event Plaza, with six different zones offering fun, innovative public installations, masterclasses, and food and beverage. These include the ASMR Wonderland, where participants can create relaxing sounds by interacting with floating cubes of textured materials, and the Mirror Scent Trail, where visitors can go on a journey along a reimagined “urban jungle”, accompanied by unique scents representing the ebb and flow of daily life. Visitors can also participate at the Active Arena by swinging across an obstacle course, balancing on a slackline or simply letting out their feelings with punching bags. Other activities include sound bath jamming (a wellness practice that combines sound baths with music jamming), an array of masterclasses, and healthy snacks and drinks for a healthier mind and body.
The Mirror Scent Trail
· Where Mind and Body Connect at Marina Bay Sands: Marina Bay Sands will invite visitors to embark on an ultimate journey of self-care through ‘Where Mind and Body Connect’ – the integrated resort’s celebration of wellness and wellbeing from 17 June to 19 July. In support of WFS 2023, Marina Bay Sands has lined up 30-weekend workshops across six different activities that explore new holistic ways of experiencing unique spaces such as the Rain Oculus at ArtScience Museum, Digital Light Canvas at The Shoppes and the iconic SkyPark Observation Deck.
· Zentosa LiveWELL Festival: The Zentosa LiveWELL Festival is returning to Sentosa for its second edition with over 250 activities covering five holistic pillars of wellness: physical wellness (PlayWELL), relationship building (BondWELL), mind and soul nurturing (FeelWELL), healthy eating (EatWELL) and mindful resting (RestWELL). A festival highlight will be an immersive mental and emotional wellness zone, FeelWELL at Fort Siloso, that will showcase art installations and poetry created by local artists Kult Studio & Gallery and Charlene Shepherdson, in collaboration with the National Arts Council and National Heritage Board.
· Gallery Wellness Festival 2023: Th Gallery Wellness Festival, presented by the National Gallery Singapore, returns with an expanded line-up of more than 20 art-inspired wellness experiences from 17 June to 9 July 2023. This year’s festival is themed “Art Connects” focusing on human connections.
· Wellness Offerings at Jewel: Jewel Changi Airport will host free fitness classes around HSBC Rain Vortex. These include Bounce, Zumba and Barre, all of which will be set against the backdrop of Shiseido Forest Valley.
· Wellness Open Innovation Challenge: Companies and solution providers in the wellness economy can participate in EnterpriseSG’s inaugural Wellness Open Innovation Challenge.
For the updated listing and details of WFS programming, visit the WFS website at www.wellnessfest.sg.
ABU DHABI UAE, 2 June 2023: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has been named Environmental Airline of the Year 2023 for the second year running by the Airline Ratings awards.
The award recognised Etihad for its commitment to sustainable aviation through innovation and collaboration and its dedication to driving change and results from Abu Dhabi and the world.
Photo credit: Etihad Airways.
As well as being crowned Environmental Airline of the Year, Etihad took third in Airline Ratings’ ‘Top 10 Airlines’ award, which critiques airlines on comfort, innovation, value and safety across Economy, Business and First Class.
In its most recent sustainability report released in May 2023, Etihad announced it had achieved a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions per Revenue Tonne Kilometre (RTK). This achievement is underpinned by Etihad’s flagship sustainability initiatives, including the Greenliner programme, which uses the airline’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners as flying test beds and the Sustainable50 A350-1000.
Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer Antonoaldo Neves said:
“We take great pride in reducing our CO2 RTK by 26%. I am also very proud of our overall achievements, which go beyond delivering direct Co2 reductions but explore innovative solutions to the broader challenges facing aviation sustainability, as you can see in our annual report.”
Etihad’s 2023 sustainability achievements
26% reduction in CO2 emissions per Revenue Tonne Kilometre (RTK). Five A350 aircraft joined the Etihad fleet. Planted 68,916 Mangrove trees as part of the Etihad Mangroves Forest project. Recycled over 29,000 plastic bottles by employees with DGrade. Saved 770,000+ litres of water from waterless bus washing. 3,700+ tonnes of CO2 offset by guests. Operating over 40 ecoFlights in 2022.Operated the first Etihad NetZero* flight powered entirely by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Book & Claim.
SINGAPORE, 2 June 2023: Indonesia and Malaysia have emerged as the top two destinations globally for Muslim travellers in the newly released Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023.
The annual report, now in its eighth year, analyses data across nearly 140 countries to offer comprehensive insights into which destinations best meet the needs of the increasingly influential Halal travel segment.
The Halal travel demographic is a sizeable market segment globally. According to the GMTI, Muslim international arrivals hit 110 million in 2022 and are forecast to reach 140 million this year. By 2028, Muslim arrivals are expected to hit 230 million, with a projected expenditure of USD225 billion.
Currently, Asia leads the way for arrivals, with more than 31% of all travellers to this region identifying as Muslim.
Indonesia and Malaysia, which scored equally in the index this year, have long been popular destinations for Muslim tourists; Indonesia had previously topped the ranking in the 2019 report, while Malaysia has consistently been at the forefront of the GMTI since 2015. Singapore ranked 12th, making it only one of two countries (along with the United Kingdom) outside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to rank in the top 20.
The index assesses destinations across four key criteria: Access, Communications, Environment, and Services (ACES). Southeast Asian destinations ranked among the top 10 on all four of these criteria, while in the aggregate, Indonesia and Malaysia both scored 73 (out of a possible 100), Singapore scored 64, Thailand achieved a score of 52, and the Philippines 46.
The report also found that global travel behaviours are impacting trends among Muslim travellers, with the demographic increasingly: incorporating sustainability into their travel; opting for destinations and activities to improve their health and wellness; finding opportunities for immersive experiences and authenticity; incorporating personal development into their travel plans.
“While by no means a monolith, Muslim travellers are often looking for their travel plans to align with certain faith-oriented criteria, such as availability of Halal foods, rooms for prayer, and encouraging communications and messaging from destinations,” said CrescentRating founder and CEO Fazal Bahardeen.
“Over the years we’ve conducted this research, we’ve consistently seen markets that prioritise these requirements perform well among Muslim travellers, and so it is our hope that the 2023 edition offers insights that will allow destinations to garner more understanding, more inclusivity, and ultimately, a closer relationship with this demographic.”
Mastercard division president, Southeast Asia Safdar Khan said: “Mastercard is a longstanding partner of CrescentRating, with both organisations sharing the same commitment in using data and insights to create more relevant solutions and unearth new economic opportunities. With the travel industry already exceeding pre-pandemic levels of growth, the GMTI shows how faith-based travellers have evolved in their needs and how these needs can be better met to create more resilient tourism offerings. Mastercard is confident that the GMTI will help to bolster the ongoing recovery and lay the foundations for future growth in the Muslim travel sector.”
The GMTI has grown considerably since its first iteration in 2011, when it was initially known as the Crescentrating Annual Ranking and assessed only the top 10 Muslim-friendly destinations. Now, the report encompasses 138 destinations globally and offers comprehensive insights into everything from travel document requirements to faith-aligned sustainability practices.
The latest edition of GMTI offers four new tools that offer insights and recommendations regarding this demographic:
Muslim Travel Intent Tracker (MTIT): This metric considers various time frames, from immediate travel plans to those planned over a year in advance, to capture the dynamic and evolving preferences of the Muslim traveller market.
Muslim Traveler Responsible Tourism Framework: Offers a holistic approach to help Muslim travellers make mindful choices that promote sociocultural, socio-economic, and environmental sustainability while upholding the values of the faith.
GMTI Performance Matrix (GPM): By incorporating the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) scores and the percentage of Muslim visitors to overall visitors, the GPM provides a comprehensive overview of destinations’ ability to cater to Muslim travellers and their success in attracting this growing market segment.
Muslim Women Friendly Destinations: Features destinations worldwide that provide a welcoming and comfortable experience for Muslim women travellers, considering factors such as safety, faith restrictions and sustainability within the Environment criteria of the ACES model.
About CrescentRating
CrescentRating is the leading authority on Halal travel and tourism. The company uses insights, industry intelligence, lifestyle, behaviour and research on the needs of the Muslim traveller to deliver authoritative guidance on all aspects of Halal travel to organisations across the globe. Founded in 2008, CrescentRating services are used by every tier of the tourism industry, from government bodies and tourism agencies to hospitality service providers, to serve the needs of the Muslim traveller better.
