Mastercard-CrescentRating Report · 2026

Muslim Women
in Travel 2026

Muslim women now account for 48% of all Muslim travelers globally — 90 million in 2025, up from 63 million in 2019 — and 56% are willing to pay a premium for Muslim-friendly accommodation.

Explore the findings

Published with

Mastercard

90M

Muslim women travelers in 2025

At a Glance · Muslim Women in Travel 2026

90M

Muslim women travelers in 2025

48%

Of global Muslim visitor arrivals

56%

Will pay premium for Muslim-friendly stays

$235B

Muslim travel market by 2030

Source: Mastercard-CrescentRating Muslim Women in Travel 2026

The Modern Female Muslim Traveler

Four personas behind the segment

Muslim women travelers play meaningful roles in trip decisions regardless of group setting. Most identify with more than one persona — adapting their needs to family, group, and solo trips.

Persona 01The trip architects

Faith-Centered Family Planners

Within a family trip, women take the lead on planning and budgeting — even more so for religious travel, which is typically done with family. Faith-aligned, family-friendly, educational experiences set the agenda.

Core Needs

→Clean, female-friendly prayer & wudu facilities
→Family-oriented accommodation
→Child-friendly amenities and activities
→Halal-verified dining within walking distance

Persona 02Autonomous, digital-native, safety-led

Independent Solo Explorers

Solo travelers prioritize autonomy and safety, leaning on digital tools and trusted signals to navigate unfamiliar destinations confidently. Self-growth and reflective journeys define the trip.

Core Needs

→Digital tools for planning & navigation
→General safety, clear Muslim-friendly signals
→AI-driven safety briefings and route planning
→Trusted reviews from fellow Muslim women travelers

Persona 03Women-only group bonding

Sisterhood Social Travelers

Female-only group travelers shape the experience around shared comfort, social connection, and women-friendly spaces. The decision is communal but the demand for women-only facilities is uncompromising.

Core Needs

→Women-only floors, spas, beaches, prayer spaces
→Social-friendly accommodation & shared activities
→Women-led tour operators and guides
→Group-suitable experiences (workshops, retreats)

Persona 04Adapts trip-by-trip

Hybrid Multi-Mode Travelers

Across solo, group, and family trips, these travelers adapt their roles — balancing planning, coordination, and decision-making depending on the travel context. Consistency across touchpoints matters more than any single feature.

Core Needs

→Digital booking, e-wallets, seamless mobility
→Consistent Muslim-friendly standards across touchpoints
→Flexible itineraries that work for solo and group
→Loyalty programs that recognize multiple travel modes

Key Findings

12 findings from the Muslim Women in Travel 2026

Filter by theme. Each finding is anchored in survey responses from 1,700+ Muslim women across 20+ source markets, paired with a decade of longitudinal benchmarks.

Finding 01 · Market Scale

The female share of Muslim travel has crossed 48% — and is still climbing.

+27M

Muslim women travelers added since 2019

Muslim women travelers grew from 63 million in 2019 to 90 million in 2025, a three-percentage-point lift in segment share. The driver is a confluence of digital information access, sustained social-media influence, and women's expanding role in trip planning and decision-making.

2019

63M

2025

90M

Source: Mastercard-CrescentRating Muslim Women in Travel 2026 2026

Destination Lookup

Where Muslim women are traveling — and why.

Compare the top destinations Muslim women travelers identify as safe, comfortable, and faith-inclusive. Surveyed scores for general safety and faith restrictions, alongside GMTI rank.

Sort by

12 of 12

#DestinationRegionScores

Source: Mastercard-CrescentRating Muslim Women in Travel 2026 2026. Scores reflect Muslim women travelers' surveyed perceptions of general safety and faith restrictions, on a 0–100 scale.

Popularity rank · #1

Malaysia

Southeast Asia · OIC member

Safety

Faith

100

GMTI Rank

Why it matters for Muslim women travelers

Sustained #1 position from the 2019 edition
Visible Halal certification across F&B and retail
Mature women-only hotel floor and spa offer

Methodology

How we measured this

The Muslim Women in Travel 2026 report is built on the responses of more than 1,700 Muslim women across 20+ source markets in Europe, Asia, MENA, and Oceania, paired with a decade of longitudinal benchmarks from over 30 Mastercard-CrescentRating reports and 10 editions of the Global Muslim Travel Index. CrescentRating's spatial intelligence from CR Maps adds on-the-ground signals from 150+ countries, while qualitative interviews with travelers, content creators, and industry executives ground the quantitative findings. The synthesized data is processed through three proprietary frameworks — RIDA (operator readiness), PAINS (traveler-side barriers), and the 3Es (motivations) — to translate insight into an operational roadmap for destinations and operators.

P.A.I.N.S

Traveler-side barriers

Privacy, Amenities, Identity, Networks, Safety — the five challenge areas Muslim women face.

3Es

Travel motivations

Explore, Energize, Empathize — what sustains Muslim women's travel motivations.

RIDA

Operator readiness

Responsible, Immersive, Digital, Assured — the destination-side roadmap to serve this segment.

Industry Views

Voices from tourism boards, operators, and the field.

“Muslim-friendly women travel is something very natural and necessary, not a niche or a trend. As Muslim women and solo female travelers ourselves, we don't try to market to this audience. We listen, because we ARE the audience.”

Myra Paz V. Abubakar

Undersecretary

Department of Tourism, Philippines

“Muslim-friendly women travel should be approached as a mainstream growth opportunity rather than a special category. In many cases, the gap is not the service itself but visibility, clarity, and consistency.”

Yamina Sofo

Director, Marketing & Sales Office, GCC

German National Tourist Board

“For businesses, success lies not in exclusivity, but in inclusive design — improving visibility of Halal options, offering women-friendly experiences, supporting female guides and entrepreneurs.”

Mdm Putrie Rozana Soraya

Deputy CEO

Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office, Singapore

“When prayer spaces, Halal food, and modesty considerations are thoughtfully integrated, Muslim women travel with greater ease and confidence. It's these details that allow them to fully engage with destinations rather than plan around limitations.”

Rifka Izzath

Director, Muslim Women Travel Experiences

Aventra Travels & Seylan Trails

“Muslim-friendly women travel is no longer a niche but a fast-growing and increasingly sophisticated market. It reflects a broader shift toward values-driven travel, where safety, dignity, privacy, and meaningful experiences are as important as price.”

Dinçer Özkaya

Founder & CEO

Salambooking

“Our ideas come from lived experience and from conversations with other women who tell us what they actually need. The opportunity lies in creating travel that goes beyond sightseeing toward purpose, networking, and connection.”

Samia Bwana

Founder & Director

Halal Safaris Africa Ltd.

Ready to dive deeper?

Get the full Muslim Women in Travel 2026.

The complete report — 12 findings, the full destination ranking, qualitative interviews with travelers and industry leaders, and the operational roadmap through PAINS, the 3Es, and RIDA.

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How we measured this

P.A.I.N.S

Traveler-side barriers

Privacy, Amenities, Identity, Networks, Safety — the five challenge areas Muslim women face.

3Es

Travel motivations

Explore, Energize, Empathize — what sustains Muslim women's travel motivations.

RIDA

Operator readiness

Responsible, Immersive, Digital, Assured — the destination-side roadmap to serve this segment.

Muslim Womenin Travel 2026