The most halal-friendly countries for travel; From Iran to Thailand!

Among the top halal-friendly countries for Muslim tourists, Malaysia is at the top of the list. Thailand and Singapore, as non-Muslim countries, have established their position in the list of top “halal travel” destinations for several years, while Iran is ranked fifth in this list.

According to Isna, “halal destinations” are ranked every year based on the index of special services that countries provide to Muslims. Based on this, Malaysia is a country that has maintained its position at the top of the list of top halal destinations for travel and tourism since 2015. Now, Saudi Arabia is fast approaching the top of this table, this country has won the second place in the latest list of top halal destinations and stands next to Turkey and Indonesia.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has gained a high score by focusing more on the “Halal” sign in restaurants and creating suitable facilities in airports, making available prayer rooms and implementing special programs (other than Hajj and Umrah) for Muslim tourists.

The third place in this ranking belongs to the UAE; A country that has taken the title of the most accessible destination for Muslim tourists due to the development of transportation infrastructure and the ease of visa issuance conditions for more citizens of the world.

Qatar ranks fourth in this ranking and it is expected that this country’s position in the ranking of halal destinations will be upgraded due to the access it has provided in transportation and visa in recent years and what will happen during the World Cup.

The fifth rank of this ranking, which was made by Crescent Rating, is jointly assigned to Iran and Jordan. In 2022, Jordan has been able to improve its position in the list of the top halal countries, and by climbing three places, it will jointly rank fifth with Iran.

Iran has been holding conferences and gatherings for the “Halal” brand for more than a decade, and even an international organization has been formed for this purpose, which issues “Halal” badges and certificates, but ISNA’s investigations indicate that the performance of those numerous conferences With the issue of halal tourism, despite the way of life that is going on in the country, so far it has not been such that Iran’s name is established among the top halal tourism destinations; A further review of the suggested lists about halal destinations or international reports that have been prepared and published in this regard leads to the conclusion that Iran is mentioned in the list of the top “halal destinations” and Crescent Rating is one of the few classifications that place It has identified Iran among the halal destinations for tourism and travel.

This year, more than 138 countries have been rated by Crescent Rating based on the “Halal” index. Scoring countries is based on factors that help Muslim tourists travel worry-free. These points are given based on accessibility and communication, environment, security and stability, halal services in restaurants and hotels, and most importantly, unique experiences for Muslim tourists.

In the continuation of this ranking, the names of Bahrain, Singapore and Uzbekistan can be seen, which jointly occupy the sixth place. In this year’s ranking, Uzbekistan has made the most progress, climbing seven places since 2019 and reaching sixth place in the list.

Oman, Brunei, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon and Maldives are among the countries that are mentioned among the top 20 halal destinations.

The classification of halal destinations is mostly in the hands of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Apart from that, non-Muslim countries and non-members of the OIC are also ranked based on the halal index every year.

Despite being a predominantly Buddhist country, albeit with a significant Muslim population in the south, Thailand has proven to be a popular destination for Muslims, mainly from Indonesia, looking for budget holidays and Thai cuisine.

England is one of the other non-Muslim countries that has improved its position in this ranking and is among the top 10 non-Muslim countries that are attractive destinations for Muslim tourists. Spain is also one of the countries that has emerged as one of the most promising halal travel destinations.

Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, France, Germany, the Philippines, the United States of America, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, South Korea, the Netherlands, Canada, Tanzania, and Russia are some of the other countries that, despite having a small Muslim population, can take measures. They pay attention to attract and welcome Muslim tourists.

Statistics show that in 2019, the population of Muslim tourists reached 160 million people, while with the reopening of many countries since the Corona epidemic, it is predicted that the population of Muslim tourists will reach 140 million people in 2023 and in 2024. The population will return to pre-Covid statistics and the halal tourism market is expected to reach 230 million travelers by 2028.

It is also predicted that Millennials (Generation Y or those born between 1980 and 1994), Generation Z (Generation born between 1995 and 2010) and female travelers account for 70% of the two billion Muslims worldwide, who are under the age of 40. have the greatest influence among the traveling Muslim population. Female travelers are one of the fastest growing segments, accounting for 45 percent of travelers in 2019, or about 72 million travelers.

Halal tourism or travel is a subset of tourism that is designed for Muslim families who follow the laws of Islam. Hotels in such destinations do not serve alcohol, have separate swimming pools and spa facilities for men and women, serve halal food and have prayer rooms. The halal tourism industry also offers flights where no alcohol or non-halal food is served. In some countries, including Turkey, recently “Halal holidays” have also been designed, where there are halal restaurants in hotels, including separate or family pools, and villas with high walls have been built.

Studies show that currently there is no internationally recognized single standard about halal tourism, but halal means permitted according to Islamic teachings, in which drinking alcohol, eating pork, nudity and gambling are prohibited.

Reuters reported in 2014 that the world’s Muslims spent $142 billion on travel (not including Hajj and Umrah), which was the third highest-paid tourist after Chinese and American tourists. According to the Crescent Rating Global Index, Muslim travel contributed more than $156 billion to global GDP in 2016.