While the global Muslim travel market has made remarkable strides in expanding physical infrastructure, Halal certifications, and digital booking platforms, a critical bottleneck remains in the human element. The frontline professionals and hospitality managers who interact with guests every day often lack the education required to deliver a truly inclusive service.
At the Halal in Travel Global Summit (HITGS) 2026, an expert academic panel titled “Raising the Bar: Education’s Role in Advancing Muslim-Friendly Hospitality” tackled this systemic challenge. The session brought together three distinguished leaders from global tourism academia:
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Professor Claudio Visentin (Professor at Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland)
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Dr. Siti Salwa Md Sawari (Assistant Professor Doctor, Department of Sustainable Tourism and Contemporary Languages, International Islamic University Malaysia - IIUM)
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Professor Catherine Cheung (Associate Professor and Associate Dean, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University - PolyU)
Together, the panelists provided an honest assessment of current hospitality curricula, explored the real-world cost of operational ignorance, and outlined a roadmap for embedding faith-compatible competencies into global education standards.
The Honest Assessment: A Systematic Gap in Global Curricula
The panel opened with a direct question: If a student enrolls in a top-tier global hospitality program today, how likely are they to graduate with a meaningful understanding of Muslim-friendly travel?
The Blind Spot of Traditional Education
Professor Claudio Visentin noted that while Halal tourism is an expanding, high-yield sector, it remains largely absent from European and Western academic curricula.
“Halal tourism is rarely part of an academic curriculum. It appears occasionally, but traditional academia simply fails to see its scale clearly.”
He emphasized that this exclusion is not intentional or malicious, but rather stems from traditional academic inertia. Educational institutions often fail to recognize new tourism models, treating faith-conscious hospitality as a peripheral niche rather than an essential global competency.
Over-Reliance on Informal Workplace Learning
Professor Catherine Cheung explained that in Hong Kong, students are supported with practical internships to gain hands-on experience. At PolyU’s teaching hotel, Hotel ICON, students learn directly in a real-world setting to accommodate guests with diverse dietary and cultural requirements, including Muslim travelers.
“Students learn practical elements, such as Halal dietary requirements, prayer facility needs, and cultural communication sensitivity. Serving Muslim travelers is not about "special treatment"; it is about inclusive hospitality and ensuring religious and cultural needs are met.”
Surface-Level Awareness vs. Professional Competency
Dr. Siti Salwa pointed out that even in a Muslim-majority country like Malaysia, a significant gap exists between informal cultural familiarity and structured, professional competency.
“If a student graduates from a top hospitality program, the likelihood that they have been systematically and formally trained in Muslim-friendly hospitality still varies widely.”
Many graduates possess a basic awareness—such as knowing Muslims pray daily and refrain from consuming pork or alcohol—but lack the deeper operational training required to manage compliance, regulatory nuances, and guest communication effectively.
The Cost of Operational Ignorance: Missed Opportunities and Erosion of Trust
When frontline staff lack cultural literacy, the cost extends far beyond a minor service slip—it results in lost commercial revenue and damages destination trust:
Destination Missed Opportunities
Prof. Visentin shared an example from Ticino, Switzerland, where high-spending travelers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were eager to explore the region’s scenic landscapes. However, because local hospitality providers and the broader community were unprepared to accommodate their specific cultural and faith needs, the region struggled to retain this high-value demographic. He stressed that operational unreadiness leads to a loss on every level, forfeiting economic resources, human connection, and cultural exchange.
Ambiguity, "Halal Washing," and "No Pork, No Lard" Confusion
Dr. Salwa highlighted a persistent issue within the hospitality sector: the widespread use of unaccredited claims like "No Pork, No Lard" or informal "Muslim-Friendly" labels in place of recognized Halal certifications.
When frontline staff cannot explain supply chain integrity or clarify dietary standards beyond basic ingredients, it creates uncertainty for travelers. In response, discerning guests frequently choose to dine elsewhere, directly impacting F&B revenues.
Frontline Embarrassment
Prof. Cheung noted that when frontline staff cannot confidently recommend Halal-certified dining options or explain prayer facilities, it creates embarrassing situations for both the employee and the guest.
In response, organizations like the Hong Kong Tourism Board partnered with CrescentRating to deliver specialized frontline workshops, demonstrating how targeted training can quickly shift employee behavior from passive hesitation to proactive and welcoming hospitality.
Moving Beyond the Checklist: Developing a Cultural Mindset
A central theme of the HITGS 2026 panel was that Muslim-friendly hospitality cannot be reduced to a mechanical box-ticking exercise.
Prof. Visentin introduced a vivid metaphor to describe the industry's approach:
"Muslim-friendly service is not a checklist; it is a mindset. It is not merely about whether you feed the fish or do not feed the fish with pork; it is about providing the water for the fish to swim in—creating a welcoming, safe overall environment."
He further highlighted a common cultural paradox: while European observers sometimes misperceive Islam through a security lens, Muslim travelers—especially solo female travelers—view personal safety and freedom from harassment as their number one priority when selecting a destination. Education plays a vital role in dismantling these mutual misconceptions.
Strategic Solutions: How Academia and Industry Must Collaborate
To elevate hospitality standards globally, the panel outlined four strategic imperatives:
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Make Muslim-Friendly Hospitality a Core Accreditation Standard: Faith-compatible hospitality should be integrated into global hospitality accreditation standards as a core competency rather than offered as an optional elective.
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Move to Experiential and Role-Specific Learning: Curriculum design must go beyond basic lectures. Academic programs should incorporate real-world case studies, scenario simulations, and role-specific training tailored for chefs, front desk agents, revenue managers, and concierges.
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Establish Regional Training Consistency: Greater standardization and cross-institutional collaboration globally. While short, one-hour cultural sensitivity workshops provide a helpful starting point, structured certificate programs (ranging from 6-hour modules to 12-week courses) help standardize service quality across regions.
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Active Mindset Shift to Eliminate Stereotypes: Educational institutions bear a direct responsibility to dispel cultural stereotypes and foster empathy, helping future hospitality leaders view faith-conscious guests through a lens of inclusive service.
Investing in People to Drive Sustainable Growth
The clear consensus from the academic panel is that scaling sustainable, faith-friendly tourism requires investing directly in people. While physical infrastructure and digital platforms provide essential foundations, travel remains an inherently human-to-human experience.
By transforming Muslim-friendly hospitality from an informal afterthought into a standardized academic discipline, global education leaders can equip the next generation of hospitality professionals to build inclusive, welcoming travel ecosystems.
Learn more from the experts here.
