PETALING JAYA: Khairul Firdaus Akbar KhaThe Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture stated, “It is therefore timely to consider some key questions about the new tourism landscape,” yesterday during the 4th World Islamic Tourism Conference (WITC) media launch. He said that the WITC, which will take place at the Sunway Resort Hotel on September 12 and 13, is appropriate since it would give regional and global tourism industry participants a forum to share insights on how to capitalize on the expanding market.
He pointed out that only Malaysia has pioneered standards and service recognition initiatives created especially for the market.
He mentioned the Muslim-Friendly Tourist Guide and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition programs as two of them. n said that to capitalize on the projected RM1 trillion in spending by Muslim tourists over the next four years, the country’s tourism industry needs to get ready.
“The demand for Muslim-friendly goods and services is rising as the Muslim tourist market grows into a significant force in both the global tourism and Islamic economies, particularly because there were two billion Muslims globally as of last year.
According to him, WITC will also assist in introducing possible investors to the country’s growth strategies, such as the Umrah Transit Hub project.
Khairul Firdaus asserts that Islamic tourism is inclusive and does not want to restrict traditional travellers from experiencing a particular location to the fullest.
“It merely offers Muslim-Friendly Tourism Hospitality (MFTH) choices to enhance the comfort and satisfaction of Muslims’ travel experiences.”He went on to say that anyone working in the tourism sector can implement MFTH principles to provide options that will assist both Muslim and non-Muslim visitors to the nation.
In the meantime, of all foreign tourists arriving in the nation each year, roughly 20% are Muslim, according to Nizran Noordin, director-general of the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC).
We have ranked first among Muslim-friendly travel destinations in the Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index for the last nine years running.
When questioned following the event, he stated, “This is a strong validation of Malaysia as a friendly destination when it comes to attracting Muslim tourists.”He pointed out that since its founding in 2009, ITC has created several standards and recognized initiatives to help local tourism sector members standardize and more effectively market their offerings to Muslim travellers.
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