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HALAL FRIENDLY TRAVEL Media Information Pack
NOITCUDORTNI
The Muslim/halal travel industry is booming, yet it is often misunderstood, underestimated and under-reported in the media. The halal travel experts at Rihaala.com – the world’s first dynamic packaging website dedicated to Muslim travel content
–
and
its
sister
companies,
specialist
halal
tour
operators Serendipity Tailormade and Luxury Halal Travel, decided it was time to dispel a few myths, highlight the sector’s potential and outline its growing role in this exciting industry, which has huge growth potential.
WHAT IS HALAL TRAVEL? Halal
travel
is
a
term
commonly
used
for
Muslim-friendly
travel. Contrary to common perceptions it does not refer to travel
for
religious
or
pilgrimage
purposes,
but
rather
trips/journeys/holidays that take Muslim requirements/faithbased needs into consideration. For example:
· Halal-friendly dining experiences · The provision of prayer mats/facilities · Privacy enhancements · Family-friendly entertainment · Alcohol-free options/environments
WHY IS THE HALAL TRAVEL SECTOR SO IMPORTANT? There
are
more
than
1.8
billion
Muslims
globally
and
their
estimated spend across lifestyle sectors was US$2.1 trillion in 2017,
according
to
the State
of
the
Islamic
Economy
Report
2018-2019.
Travel
is
global
Islamic
US$274
one
of
of
fastest-growing
Economy,
billion
reflection
the
by
the
with
2023,
up
growing
industries
within
worldwide
spend
set
from
billion
in
$177
affluence
of
the
to
reach
2017
Muslim
the
–
a
middle
classes in Muslim and non-Muslim countries around the world, including
the
UK,
which
in
2018
was
home
to
Muslim citizens (Office for National Statistics).
3.373
million
56%
ÂŁ14bn
population travelled on
is the estimated value
holiday in 2017, that's
of the UK Muslim travel
about 1.6m people!
sector by 2030
of the UK Muslim
Women are often the main decision makers of the next holiday
29% of the global Muslim population will be aged between 15 & 29 by 2020 and will account for $100bn of halal travel spending
WHAT DOES HALAL TRAVEL ENTAIL? 72% of male and 56% of female Muslim travellers agree access to halal dietary requirements are a leading priority
73% of Muslim travellers want to experience new cultures, but at the same time be able to meet their pray requirements during their trip
97% of Muslim travellers state that privacy of accommodation is a 'must have' or 'nice to have'
Halal Traveller Definition :
look for alcohol-free rooms, compared to only 14% looking for alcohol-
Travellers who wish to maintain Muslim
4 out of 5 Muslim travellers
principles (e.g: prayer,
would avoid staying in a
food, cultural norms)
hotel or resort with a casino
while travelling (ATTO
or nightclub
Report 2016)
45% of Muslim travellers
free hotels
Source : Serendipity Tailormade Survey, April 2018
“I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all when it comes to halal travel.” NABEEL SHARIFF, FOUNDER OF SERENDIPITY TAILORMADE
THERE’S MORE TO HALAL TRAVEL THAN TURKEY! UK/European
media
coverage
to
date
has
focused on the so-called ‘halal resorts’ in Turkey and to a much lesser extent, the halal tourism offering in Indonesia. However, this represents a niche in what has essentially become a global mainstream market. While these Turkish resorts are
popular
and
UK
travellers
do
book
them,
many more Muslim and non-Muslim destinations around
the
world
are
offering
halal-friendly
holidays and it is not restricted to a resort, but spans the entire travel experience.
It is also important to note that like non-Muslim travellers, not all Muslim travellers are seeking the same type of holiday/trip/journey and what they demand in terms of their
faith-based
needs
will
also
vary.
However,
what
all
Muslim
travellers
do
generally desire is a travel experience and what they value mirrors general global traveller trends – from authenticity and adventure to local cultural experiences and responsible/ethical tourism.
Nabeel Shariff, Founder of Rihaala.com, Serendipity Tailormade and Luxury Halal Travel, explains the sector’s diversity: “Some Muslim travellers seek strict alcohol-free resorts, female-only swimming pools and a selection of itineraries with built-in break times for the five daily prayers. But that’s not for everyone. The majority of Muslim travellers share common values when it comes to consumption, but even then there are varying degrees, with some tourists comfortable with verbal assurances and other holidaymakers keen to see certification of any halal services. I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all when it comes to halal travel.”
ISN' T IT RELIGIOUS TRAVEL? Religious travel, while different to ‘halal’ travel, remains extremely
important
to
many
Muslims.
It
refers
to
travel
to Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s two Holy Cities, Mecca and Medina, to perform Umrah and/or Hajj.
Until recently, Hajj and Umrah travel had been relatively complicated regarding rapid
to
visas.
arrange
due
However,
transformation
to
with
and
rules
Saudi
and
Arabia
modernisation,
regulations undergoing
new
relaxed
visa rules are making it easier than ever to travel to the kingdom. enabling
At
the
religious
same
time,
travellers
online
and
pilgrims
specialists to
book
are
Umrah
and Hajj packages on their websites for the first time.
While travel,
Rihaala.com it
has
plans
is
focused
to
launch
on the
halal-friendly UK
market’s
leisure
first
one-
stop portal for Umrah travel to Saudi Arabia, responding to
growing
enabling
demand
travellers
to
for
a
book
and visa application online.
‘Do-it-yourself' their
flights,
Umrah,
and
accommodation
“Travel technology has moved on and so have Muslim travellers.” NABEEL SHARIFF, FOUNDER OF RIHAALA.COM
NABEEL SHARIFF A LEADING UK ENTREPRENEUR IN THE HALAL TRAVEL SPACE
A RESPECTED AUTHORITY ON THE GLOBAL HALAL TRAVEL SECTOR
FOUNDER OF THE WORLD’S FIRST DYNAMIC BOOKING PLATFORM FOR MUSLIM TRAVEL CONTENT
Nabeel Shariff is a UK-based travel industry professional with more than 15 years of experience and a pioneer in the global halal tourism sector. A marketing postgraduate of London University and a fervent traveller, he started his career with the Stella Travel Group/Travelscene American Express as Performance Manager for the Travelbag brand before moving onto Sri Lanka Tourism as Marketing Manager, UK & Ireland. In 2012, based on
his
vision
to
“bring
the
romance
of
travel
to
Muslims”
and
cater
to
the
vastly
underserved but fast-growing halal travel market, Nabeel established the UK’s first luxury tour operators for Muslim travellers - Serendipity Tailormade (B2C) and Luxury Halal Travel (B2C) – providing them with personalised and bespoke travel experiences.
BRIDGING THE GAP
Over the past nine years Nabeel has bridged the gap between Muslim travellers and major destinations around the world, creating tailormade packages that meet their travel aspirations and faith-based needs. Nabeel not only works closely with the industry to make sure his travel offering is halal-friendly, but has kept pace with what his customers want. This led to the 2019 launch of Rihaala.com, the first online booking platform dedicated to Muslim travellers, helping them to curate and book their own personalised journey. “As a company that seeks to be a pioneer in the halal travel space in the UK and globally,
launching
Rihaala
was
the
next
logical
step
in
our
growth
story,”
explains
Nabeel.“ Travel technology has moved on and so have Muslim travellers and we are listening to our customers about how they want to book and experience travel now, and in the future.”
ABOUT SERENDIPITY TAILORMADE
London-based Serendipity
Tailormade
prides
itself
on
being
the
only
Muslim
tour
operator to provide tailormade halal-friendly holidays. The B2B company specialises in luxury halal-friendly travel experiences, including honeymoons, private villas and luxury retreats, individual touring experiences and escorted group tours, to more than 30 countries worldwide. Halal holidaymakers can choose from hand-picked luxury hotels, private pool villas, beach-side cabanas and even private islands from the some of the world’s
leading
hoteliers,
all
customised
for
a
halal
lifestyle.
Its
sister
B2C
company, Luxury Halal Travel, focuses on high-end travel offering discerning Muslim travellers
a
range
of
bespoke
and
exclusive
experiences,
from
halal-friendly
honeymoons to secluded family retreats. Both Serendipity Tailormade and Luxury Halal Travel are ATOL and ABTOT protected.
ABOUT RIHAALA
Rihaala.com, the world’s first dynamic booking engine dedicated to Muslim travel content, was launched in April 2019. The new Online Travel Agency (OTA) targets tech-savvy Muslim travellers, particularly Millennials, who want the freedom to curate their
own
‘halal-friendly’
journey,
inspired
by
a
content-rich
experience
led
by
aspirational social feeds. Rihaala.com empowers them to hand-pick every aspect of their trip including flights, hotels, excursions and transfers, with a choice of more than 1,500 properties in 40-plus destinations worldwide, all carefully selected according to their
halal-friendly
booking
engine,
amenities
but
due
to
and
services.
demand,
The
OTA
introduced
a
initially
travel
launched
trade
portal
as for
a
B2C
select
partners soon after, enabling them to create Muslim-friendly travel packages for their clients.
KEY FEATURES OF RIHAALA
1,500+ Muslim-friendly
Dynamic packaging:
Lifestyle-led blogs: Span
Community forum: Online
properties in 40-plus
Travellers can search
multiple genres of interest to
discussions help travellers
destinations worldwide
for and book flights,
Muslim travellers consumers
find answers to specific
hotels, transfers and
questions they might not be
excursions that are
able to find out easily
halal-friendly
elsewhere, such as: "Can I wear a burkini at this hotel?"
Include halal
Visitors can use the site to
Visitors are guided by the
In-depth information on
dining/food/restaurants,
filter according to various
travel experiences of other
destinations and hotels to
privacy enhancements,
criteria - by hotels that have
Muslims through social
help travellers select products
alcohol-free environments,
a private swimming pool, for
channels posted on its ‘Wall
and services that suit their
prayer facilities and family-
example
of Inspiration’ in real-time,
modern Muslim lifestyle
friendly experiences
helping them to make informed purchasing decisions
THE SERENDIPITY FOUNDATION
The
Serendipity
Foundation
was
founded
by
Nabeel
Shariff
and
his
close
friend
Rukshan Warnacula in 2010. Another close friend, Ehsan Osmani, joined the effort in 2015. The foundation supports humanitarian projects in several countries around the world including Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and also in the UK where it is based. The foundation aims to make a difference to underprivileged communities and children, with
each
project
supported
bearing
personal
significance
to
one
of
its
three
founders. Projects range from donating gifts to orphanages in Sri Lanka to building and
supporting
schools
in
Indonesia
and
Thailand.
To
date,
the
foundation
has
supported seven projects through private donations. In addition, since Serendipity Tailormade donated
and
Luxury
Halal
Travel
were
established,
£5 to the foundation for each passenger booking.
both
companies
have
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