While Morocco is the most suitable tourist destination for the needs of Muslim travelers in Africa, according to the 2017 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) published on 3 May by CrescentRating and the US supplier Of payment solutions, MasterCard, Tunisia occupies the third place just after Egypt.

Three main criteria have been used to classify “muslim friendly” destinations: the security, the quality of holidays for tourists coming with the family, the quality of halal services and reception at destination (ease of access to places Prayers, accommodation and catering options, etc.). Communication and marketing around halal tourism are also taken into account.

Of the 130 tourism destinations surveyed, Malaysia ranked first on the podium, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In Africa, Morocco obtained a score of 68.1 points on a scale of 100 points in the GMTI 2017 and reached number 7 on all the destinations. Egypt (14th out of the 130 destinations surveyed) ranks second on the African scale. Tunisia is 61.1 points ahead of Algeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Djibouti and the Comoros and Gambia.


According to the GMTI 2017 report, the halal tourism market is growing. The number of “Muslim” tourists reached 121 million in 2016 against 117 million in 2015. This figure is expected to reach 156 million in 2020. The halal tourism market was worth 155 billion dollars in 2016. It is expected to be around 220 billion dollars by 2020 and approaching $ 300 billion by 2026.

For further information: http://www.ecofinagency.com/public-management/0905-36830-top-30-preferred-destinations-in-africa-for-muslim-tourists-in-2017-according-to-mastercard-and-crescentrating

Photo Credit: ONTT

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