There is an innate desire in nearly all human beings to explore the unknown.  In contrast we see this same feeling showcased in the lives of travellers. By Maj Hussain

In the case of Halal travel in recent years there has been a large rise in demand for this type of service catering for the needs of Muslim travelers.

The State of the Global Islamic Economy Report was recently released by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with DinarStandard and supported by Dubai Capital of Islamic Economy. The report showcased the estimated Muslim spend in 2017 which was $2.1 trillion and which continues to grow.

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in 2018 there were over 3.3 million Muslims in the UK. This is in comparison to a 1.8 billion Muslim population worldwide according to a 2015 Pew Research Centre report. As the Muslim community continues to expand in the UK and around the globe there is also an increase in demand for Halal travel according to this demographic trend.

British Muslims are now more educated than ever before and are earning more than previous generations did.

As disposable income has increased so has the appetite for the millennial Muslim traveller to experience new horizons through travel. Travel agencies all around the UK’s towns and cities such as Blackburn, Bradford, Leicester, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham & London have recognised these opportunities.   

Luxury Halal travel companies as well as bespoke Halal travel businesses have identified this gap in the marketplace. Halal Booking based in London has seen exponential growth due to the demand for Halal travel packages. Popular destinations include countries such as Turkey.

Many Muslim families are often searching for accommodation and hotels which are alcohol free, serve Halal food, provide segregated facilities such as women only spas or have single sex beaches close by.

Other examples of British Halal travel companies include Serendipity Travel founded by Nabeel Shariff and Birmingham based award winning My Pure Trip whose Director is Amir Mahmood. 

The Halal travel sector is now expanding at an unparallel rate with Halal travel expected to shoot up to US$300B by 2026.

According to “Halal Travel Frontier 2018”, an industry report published by Crescent Rating in conjunction with MasterCard, the size of the Halal travel industry is expected to skyrocket with more millennials entering the workforce and pocketing greater disposable incomes. A large chunk of this growth is fuelled by millennial Muslim travellers in the fast-growing economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Gulf countries.

With the rise of popular social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook more millennial travellers are able to upload there holiday snaps and videos enticing their peers to also consider visiting those holiday destinations. The age of the social media influencer has propelled forward individuals who have created businesses by the simple use of tools such as the Smartphone. Tech apps such as CollabDeen are creating spaces for content producers in the global Islamic economy to curate content for followers.

The CollabDeen app allows for mosques, businesses and brands to build their following online and share content such as travel pictures for their global audiences.

Around the world Indonesia for example has also gained recognition as a destination for Halal travel, as well as a Muslim tourist market after successfully gaining several awards from the World Halal Tourism Awards held in 2016.

One city in West Sumatra, Padang, has developed its potential by building infrastructure to support the development of world-class Halal tourism ecosystems that will help attract tourists from all over the world to visit East Asian countries.

Other popular Halal tourist destinations include countries such as Malaysia, the UAE, Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Qatar and the South of Spain according to Condè Nast Traveller.

The Halal Travel sector will continue to grow year on year creating vast opportunities for entrepreneurs and savvy business owners in the UK and around the globe.

Maj Hussain is the Director of Halal Incorp based in the UK, an Islamic economy consultant and entrepreneur. He can be contacted at info@halalincorp.co.uk