The Muslim travel market is one of the fastest growing travel markets in the world and comprises a significant percentage of the entire travel market. Therefore it is of great importance that the Muslim market segment is taken into consideration when devising destination marketing strategies.
With destination marketing it is possible to communicate with potential visitors and ultimately influence their preferences when it comes to choosing destinations, their travel intentions and finally, their choice of destination and products. With properly implemented destination marketing strategies, it is possible to increase the number of visitors received by a particular town, city, region or country. Convention sales, tourism marketing and services all form an important aspect of destination marketing.
When implementing destination marketing strategies, several market segments should be taken into consideration. The Muslim travel market is such a segment.
In order to cater to the Muslim market, it is important to understand their needs and specific requirements. Such requirements play a major influential role when it comes to decision-making and final destination choices often tend to change based on which destination can better cater to these needs. By understanding Muslim travellers, it is possible to reach out to them and realise what exactly needs to be done in order to better serve them.
The Muslim travel market can also be further divided onto smaller niche groups, each group having their own preferences. By identifying these niche groups and taking steps to implement a strategic destination marketing plan, it will be possible to serve the Muslim travel market even better.
Taking several measures to cater to the specific needs of Muslim travellers will lead to the development of a "Muslim-friendly" brand image for the destination, further strengthening its reach to Muslim visitors and travellers. Promotional and advertising campaigns can also be carried out to reach out to a wider audience and to influence their perception of the destination.
Various measures are being implemented by destinations around the world with the intention of better serving the Muslim travel market. Australia’s Gold Coast offers Muslim travellers a Gold Coast Ramadan Lounge, while Thailand has introduced Muslim-friendly spa outlets specifically for Muslim travellers and India is taking steps to strengthen its Halal certification in the field of medicine.
Studies have estimated that the Muslim market is worth as much as $126 billion, with the figure estimated to grow at nearly 5% per year. It is also expected to expand to around $190 Billion over the course of the next few years to comprise over 13% of total global expenditure, making it the highest spending tourist market in the world.
