01Teaching
USI Università della Svizzera italiana
We delivered a credit-bearing module within International Tourism, part of the Master of Tourism programme, across one semester.
→One-semester credit-bearing module
Universities & Academia
Where Academic Rigour Meets Muslim Travel Evidence.
Muslim international arrivals are projected to reach 262M by 2030, with $310B in annual expenditure. CrescentRating works with universities to bring 17 years of industry data and practice into teaching, research and student development.
17+Years
150Destinations
CrescentRating
262M
Arrivals by 2030
196M
Arrivals 2025
We work with universities and polytechnics — here is how we typically collaborate. Every collaboration is shaped around your programme.
Teaching & Curriculum
Bring current industry practice into the classroom, from a single guest lecture to a full credit-bearing module.
- Credit-bearing modules within a subject
- Guest lectures for students and faculty
- Course content grounded in current industry practice
Collaborating With
USI Università della Svizzera italianaInternational Islamic University MalaysiaNHI Bandung Tourism PolytechnicINCEIF
Market IntelligenceA fast-growing segment.
A fast-growing segment.
A fast-growing field of study.
$310B
Muslim travel spending projected by 2030
Annual expenditure opportunity
196M
International Muslim arrivals in 2025
+11.3% year-on-year growth
262M
Projected Muslim arrivals by 2030
Up from 208M projected for 2026
150
Destinations evaluated in GMTI 2026
The world's most comprehensive Muslim travel index
Source: Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2026
The Challenge
Why academia and industry need each other.
Muslim travel is a fast-growing field of study and practice. Four gaps explain why closer collaboration matters.
“The best teaching and research stays close to the people and the data shaping the market.”
— CrescentRating Strategic Advisory
01
A fast-moving segment
Muslim travel is changing quickly. Curricula and research agendas struggle to keep pace with the market, the traveller and the destinations responding to them.
02
Limited industry data
Students and researchers often lack reliable, current data on Muslim traveller demand and destination readiness to build their work on.
03
A theory-to-practice gap
Graduates benefit most when they work directly with an industry partner on real questions, not only on case studies from the past.
04
Siloed programmes
Tourism, hospitality, business and Islamic finance programmes all intersect with this segment, but rarely share one evidence base.
Our CollaborationsWorking with universities
Working with universities
and polytechnics.
From credit-bearing modules to joint research and applied learning, our collaborations take different forms to fit each institution.
02Research & Students
International Islamic University Malaysia
A joint programme covering research, guest lectures and student internships, with both organisations taking part in each other's events.
→Research, lectures, internships and events
03Index Partnership
NHI Bandung Tourism Polytechnic
A partner on the Indonesia Muslim Travel Index in 2025 and 2026, the benchmark of Indonesian provinces against the ACES framework.
→Indonesia Muslim Travel Index 2025 and 2026
04Applied Learning
INCEIF
CrescentRating took part as an industry partner in INCEIF's Action-Based Learning programme, an experiential approach that bridges theory and practice.
→Industry partner, Action-Based Learning
UN TourismAffiliate member
PATABoard member
12 yearsPartnership with Mastercard
11Editions of the GMTI
25+Destinations served
Partner With Us
Let's shape a collaboration around your programme.
Book a call with our team.
Book a Call
Speak with our team about your programme and the collaboration that would fit it best.
Download the GMTI 2026
The Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index: the definitive report on 150 destinations and the trends shaping Muslim travel to 2030.
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