Malaysia first to introduce Muslim-friendly tourism

Fitri Shahminan
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

MALAYSIA has become the first Muslim nation to introduce and adopt an Islamic Tourism standard in recognising Islamic tourism as a new booming sector of the tourism industry.

A statement sent by Tourism Malaysia in Brunei yesterday said the ‘MS2610:2015 Muslim Friendly Hospitality Services Standards’ for Muslim-friendly hospitality services was initiated in 2012.

Public feedback on the standard was gathered from August to September last year, before it was approved and published by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry earlier this year.

Together with the standard, Malaysia also launched the Islamic Tourism Masterclass during an event held at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Using the standard as a guide, the Masterclass focused on sharing knowledge and technical know-how in setting up a systematic assurance system to preserve the integrity of Islamic Tourism Products and Services in three categories – accommodation, tour packages and tourist guides.

The guidelines were developed by the Department of Standards Malaysia in collaboration with the Islamic Tourism Centre to ensure that products and services designed for Muslim travelers, adhered to Syariah principles.

The statement said Malaysia recognises Islamic Tourism is a new booming sector of the tourism industry, recording US$140 billion ($197 billion) in global sales last year, excluding the annual haj and umrah pilgrimage.

The sector is expected to reach US$233 billion in 2020.

Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, YB Datuk Mas Ermieyati binti Samsudin said Malaysia had been frequently recognised as a leading country for the Islamic Tourism Sector.

“For five consecutive years, we were named the No 1 destination for Muslim travellers through studies conducted by international bodies such as Thomson Reuters, Mastercard and Crescentrating,” the statement quoted her as saying after officiating the standard and Masterclass.

YB Datuk Mas Ermieyati said Malaysia’s strength in the Islamic Tourism sector was attributed to its developed Islamic economy ecosystem.

“We have been able to create and sustain our Islamic values through upwards economic mobility beyond traditional religious values and ethnic diversity,” she said, adding that Malaysia would remain resilient in the highly vulnerable tourism industry.

Malaysia’s lead in the Islamic Tourism industry has also attracted other countries, such as Morocco.

Standard Malaysia Director-General Datuk Fadilah Bahrin said Malaysia also led the world in Halal Standards, developing the first World Halal Standard, MS1500, in 2004, and currently had 13 Halal Standards on various aspects, such as portable water treatment and pharmaceutical.

“All of these standards will be linked to international standards to facilitate international market penetration and enhance global acceptance, in line with our national agenda RMK-11,”she said.


Sumber - The Brunei Times