Halal Tourism News

By Muhtar Emirguliyev

Nippon Express begins a Halal Air Cargo Network in Japan

Nippon Express - is a Japanese global logistics services company based in Tokyo, and its halal air cargo service, which started on March 8, will be linked to the company’s Express Hi-Speed domestic air cargo transport service and serve Japan’s roughly 200,000 Muslims. The company expects that market to expand once borders reopen and the country begins to welcome tourists from around the world.

The logistics company has discovered a secondary market for halal-certified goods: an increasing community of customers drawn to halal’s strict sanitation and hygiene enforcement - perhaps due to concerns about Covid - 19 - despite not adhering to the religious requirements.

For Nippon Express, this is not the first foray into halal logistics. The company’s subsidiary, PT NEX Logistics Indonesia, recently secured halal certification for a second halal compliant logistics center in Indonesia from the LLPOM-MUI, Indonesia’s governing body for halal certification. In Indonesia, Islam is the most commonly practiced faith, with more than 85 percent of the population identifying as Muslim.

Valued at $286.96 billion in 2019, Grand View Research forecasts the halal logistics market to expand by a compounding annual growth rate of 8.4% until 2027. The rise in the spending power of the Muslim communities and the fact that more young people actively practice their religion compared to other major global religions have allowed the Halal category to grow significantly.

Qantas launches mystery flights

Qantas has become synonymous with innovations in the travel sector. First, they began operating “flights to nowhere,” and now they are starting ‘mystery flights’ that take Australians to an unspecified domestic location.

To prevent the “border blues,” Australia’s national carrier decided to launch flights to unspecified domestic destinations. This announcement came a day after government authorities reported the country’s worldwide border closure would extend till June.

Travelers on mystery flights will be about two hours away from the departure airports in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.

The trips will include a day’s worth of activities on the ground, in addition to “low-level scenic flybys of key landmarks en route.” The airline last offered mystery flights in the 1990s, and other airlines in Australia and Germany have run similar excursions before. However, the new option, which includes one trip each in March, April, and May, has a coronavirus twist since Australians are mostly not allowed to leave the country — and have also faced domestic travel bans.

According to the airline, the flights also intend to encourage tourism in parts of Australia that have seen a significant drop in visitors since last year.

Saudi Arabia to Allow Immunized Pilgrims to Perform Umrah

As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, many Muslims from all around the world have one question in mind: Will I be able to perform Umrah this Ramadan?

Alhamdulillah, good news came this week from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. The ministry officials shared a statement that only “immunized people” will be granted permits to perform Umrah.

Who is considered immunized? Well, if you are in one of the three categories below, you might be able to perform Umrah. However, it is still unclear if this would also apply to the annual Hajj pilgrimage later this year.

People who can perform Umrah this Ramadan and after are as follows:

1) Individuals who have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. 2) Individuals who have received one dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before performing the pilgrimage. 3) Individuals who have previously recovered from the virus.

May Allah swt keep those who plan to perform Umrah safe and grant them a healthy return back home insha’Allah.