-
Malaysia topped the list in the GMTI 2015 while Turkey, UAE, Saudi
Arabia and Qatar also made the top five.
-
Singapore topped the list for non-OIC countries which also included
Thailand, UK, South Africa and France.
-
In 2014, there were 108 million Muslim travellers spending $145
billion. This is expected to grow to 150 million travellers in 2020
spending $200 billion.
-
To tweet this news, copy and paste http://news.mstr.cd/18EnjZk
to your Twitter feed with the hashtags #GMTI2015
SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Malaysia has been named as the number one destination across the globe
in the Muslim travel market, according to the most comprehensive
research that has been released on the sector.
The “MasterCard-CrescentRating
Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015” saw Malaysia take the top spot
on the list, for the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
destinations, followed by Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Singapore came first for the non-OIC destinations, which also saw
Thailand, UK, South Africa and France make the top five.
The GMTI looks at in-depth data covering 100 destinations, creating an
overall index, based on a number of criteria. This is the first time
such thorough insights have been provided into one of the
fastest-growing tourism sectors in the world today.
It will provide travellers, governments, travel services and investors
comprehensive benchmarks across a number of important criteria enabling
them to track the health and growth of this travel segment.
The study also revealed that in 2014, this segment was worth $145
billion with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10 percent of
the entire travel economy.
This is forecasted to grow to 150 million visitors by 2020 and 11
percent of the market segment with a market value projected to grow to
$200 billion.
“The MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index has today set
a real precedent for the tourism industry,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of
CrescentRating & HalalTrip.
“Not only is it the most in-depth research that we have undertaken so
far on the fast-growing Muslim travel market, but has provided all
stakeholders with some invaluable insight into how the halal-friendly
tourism sector is growing and developing from a global perspective.”
“CrescentRating has seen a recent huge shift towards more destinations
targeting this sector like Japan and Taiwan, and it is a trend we expect
to continue,” he added.
“We are pleased to partner with CrescentRating to develop the Global
Muslim Travel Index as we see it as an extension of our efforts in
giving consumers peace of mind when travelling and using our payment
products. Travel continues to be a core passion for consumers and we are
confident the GMTI will prove to be a trusted resource for this
important, fast-growing traveller segment,” said Matthew Driver,
President, Southeast Asia, MasterCard.
Not surprisingly, Saudi Arabia saw the highest number of Muslim arrivals
into the country in 2014 with 10.2 million followed by Turkey at 8.1
million.
All 100 destinations in the GMTI were scored against a backdrop of
criteria which included suitability as a family holiday destination, the
level of services and facilities it provides, accommodation options,
marketing initiatives as well as visitor arrivals. Each criterion was
then weighted to make up the overall index score.
Malaysia scored an Index score of 83.8, followed by Turkey at 73.8 and
UAE at 72.1.
GMTI40, which will be updated quarterly around the year, will track the
average score of the top 20 OIC and non-OIC destinations and will form
the key index to monitor the performance of the Muslim travel segment.
The overall average score for 40 countries (GMTI40) currently stands at
56 while the overall average GMTI score for the complete 100
destinations is at 43.8. From a regional perspective, Asia Pacific
destinations lead with an average GMTI score of 54.
The Top 10 OIC destinations of GMTI 2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
|
Overall
GMTI 2015 Rank
|
|
Destination
|
|
Score
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Malaysia
|
|
83.8
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Turkey
|
|
73.8
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
3
|
|
United Arab Emirates
|
|
72.1
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
4
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
71.3
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
5
|
|
Qatar
|
|
68.2
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
Indonesia
|
|
67.5
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
7
|
|
Oman
|
|
66.7
|
|
|
|
8
|
|
8
|
|
Jordan
|
|
66.4
|
|
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
|
Morocco
|
|
64.4
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
Brunei
|
|
64.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Top 10 non-OIC destinations of GMTI 2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank
|
|
Overall
GMTI 2015
Rank
|
|
Destination
|
|
Score
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
9
|
|
Singapore
|
|
65.1
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
20
|
|
Thailand
|
|
59.2
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
25
|
|
United Kingdom
|
|
55.0
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
30
|
|
South Africa
|
|
51.1
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
31
|
|
France
|
|
48.2
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
32
|
|
Belgium
|
|
47.5
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
33
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
47.5
|
|
|
|
8
|
|
34
|
|
USA
|
|
47.3
|
|
|
|
9
|
|
35
|
|
Spain
|
|
46.5
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
36
|
|
Taiwan
|
|
46.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The full report is available here http://gmti.crescentrating.com/mastercard-crescentrating-global-muslim-travel-index-2015-gmti2015.html.
Editor’s Notes
About Crescentrating Pte Ltd
CrescentRating is the world’s leading authority on halal-friendly
travel. The company’s vision is to lead, innovate and drive this segment
through practical and deliverable solutions in what is regarded today as
one of the fastest growing segment in the tourism sector. The company
uses insight, industry intelligence. lifestyle, behaviour and research
on the needs of the Muslim traveller to deliver guidance on all aspects
of halal-friendly travel to organisations across the globe.
CrescentRating’s services now include rating & accreditation, research &
consultancy, workshops & training, ranking & indices, event
support/partnerships and content provisioning.
Website: http://www.crescentrating.com
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/crescentrating
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/crescentrating
About MasterCard
MasterCard (NYSE:MA), www.mastercard.com, is
a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the
world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers,
financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more
than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions
make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running
a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more
efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardAP
and @MasterCardNews, join
the discussion on the Beyond
the Transaction Blog and subscribe for
the latest news on the Engagement
Bureau.
Source: MasterCard Incorporated