A total of nine ASEAN countries were analyzed by GMTI 2016 – Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Read on for more details on how these ASEAN destinations performed on the Index and how well they cater to Muslim travelers.

The nine ASEAN destinations were analyzed by GMTI 2016 and were ranked based on an overall GMTI score - which took several factors into consideration, such as visitor arrivals, availability of Halal food and prayer space access. Malaysia was awarded the number one position on the index, making it the best Muslim-friendly destination for Muslim travelers for the second consecutive year.

The ASEAN destinations were ranked as follows:

Similar to the previous year, five of the nine ASEAN destinations were ranked amongst the top 20 countries – amongst both OIC and non-OIC destinations. Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore were ranked amongst the top 10 Muslim-friendly destinations and were placed 1^st, 4^th and 8^th respectively.

While Malaysia retained its top spot, both Indonesia and Singapore have improved their ranks this year – Indonesia by two spots and Singapore by one. Brunei and Philippines fell one spot this year while Thailand maintained its ranking of 20^th in 2016 as well. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos fell several spots in 2016 – Vietnam falling 17 spots, Cambodia falling 19 spots and Laos falling 13 spots.

With Malaysia topping the ranks for OIC countries and Singapore topping the ranks for non-OIC countries, ASEAN countries in general are performing well on the Index. Many countries in the region such as Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand have been taking active steps to upgrade their services and facilities in order to better cater to Muslim travelers.

For a full analysis and to access the complete Global Muslim Travel Index 2016, please visit:https://www.crescentrating.com/mastercard-crescentrating-global-muslim-travel-index-gmti-2016.html