Malaysia was ranked first in the Global Muslim Travel Index last year. For the first time, Indonesia shares the top spot with Malaysia in the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2019.
The Muslim travel market is one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors in the world. By 2026, the Halal travel sector’s contribution to the global economy is expected to jump 35% to $300 billion, up from $220 billion in 2020. By that time, Muslim visitors globally are forecast to grow to 230 million visitors, to represent more than 10% of tourists worldwide.
Following the launch of the Visit Malaysia 2020 the number of tourist arrivals is expected to increase, according to the recently released Economic Outlook 2020 report by the Ministry of Finance. For this year, 28.1 million tourist arrivals and total receipts of RM92.2 billion are estimated.
In Malaysia, cruise tourism around Langkawi, Melaka and Penang looks thriving and can be home ports for international cruises. It will also help to develop the Islamic tourism including the first in the world Muslim Friendly Hospitality Services standard which recognises Syariah-compliant accommodation.
Health tourism industry in Malaysia is also growing rapidly. To establish Malaysia as a leading global destination for healthcare, the Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel 2020 campaign was launched and the government is also aiming total revenue of RM2.2 billion in 2020.
The Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2019 also includes 130 destinations globally, within and outside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Singapore continues to be the top Muslim-friendly travel destination among non-OIC destinations, followed by Thailand, the United Kingdom, Japan and Taiwan.
The GMTI tracks the health and growth of Muslim-friendly travel destinations in four strategic areas – access, communications, environment and services. The GMTI is now the leading study providing insights and data to help countries, the travel industry and investors gauge the development of travel sectors while benchmarking a country’s progress in catering to Muslim travellers.
Source: Travel News Digest
shahizam.f@mhtc.org.my
Muhammad Rasydan Ma’at
Asst. Manager, Communications
+603 8776 6168
rasydan.m@mhtc.org.my
Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), established in 2009 under the purview of the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia, is entrusted with developing and nurturing the “Malaysia Healthcare” brand. MHTC enhances, coordinates, and promotes Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry by fostering industry collaborations and building valuable public-private partnerships both domestically and internationally. With 80 member hospitals nationwide, MHTC continues to elevate the healthcare travel ecosystem through strong branding, seamless patient experiences, and strategic market initiatives. In line with these efforts, MHTC is spearheading the Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism (MYMT) 2026, the nation’s first dedicated year to celebrate and advance healthcare travel. MYMT 2026 serves as a milestone initiative to showcase Malaysia’s world-class healthcare offerings, strengthen its position as the premier global healthcare destination, and highlight the industry’s significant contribution to the national economy. More information can be found at https://www.mhtc.org.my/.
