First-ever conference on halal tourism

Spain to host ever international conference on halal tourismEurope is hosting the first-ever international conference on halal tourism to look at how the industry can capitalise on one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.
The Halal Tourism Conference, being held on September 22 and 23, 2014, will bring together the global travel industry to discuss ways of tapping into this niche market.

The event, being hosted in Andalucia, Spain, aims to equip delegates with market intelligence, industry forecasts and trends to understand how to market to the lucrative Muslim consumer and benefit commercially.

According to the latest figures, the halal tourism sector was worth $140 billion in 2013 representing around 13 per cent of global travel expenditures. This figure is expected to reach $192b by 2020.

Organiser Tasneem Mahmood, from CMM, said the conference hopes to have attendance and representation from every region of the world and presents great opportunities for countries like UAE.

"Every country and business needs to look at Halal tourism because it is growing so rapidly and the Muslim consumer is increasing spend on leisure holidays. For a country like UAE, with a deep Islamic heritage and so much to offer, it presents a real opportunity to attract visitors," she said.

"Our research has shown there are so many countries and travel operators who can benefit from halal tourism but are currently missing out. Within Europe alone, there so many Muslim travellers for UAE to target," she added.

Malaysia introduces Islamic Tourism course

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - Tourism Malaysia welcomed 24 senior government officers from 18 countries earlier this week for a course on Islamic Tourism.

Themed Understanding and Embracing the Opportunities for Sustainable Development the course was officially opened by the deputy director general of Tourism Malaysia Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin who also gave a presentation on the development of tourism in Malaysia.

Dato’ Haji Azizan said: “We understand the needs and requirements of Muslim travellers and they will undoubtedly find comfort and a peace of mind when they travel to Malaysia.”

The participants also had the opportunity to network with Tourism Malaysia officers and exchange ideas on the latest trend in tourism marketing and strategies.

Apart from visiting Tourism Malaysia’s head office at Putrajaya, the participants also visited Johor Bahru and Melaka, as well as the Islamic Arts Museum Kuala Lumpur and International Islamic University Malaysia.

Their program included lectures and presentations on Islamic Tourism by hoteliers, medical service providers, educational institutions and travel agencies.

The two-week training course was organised by the Islamic Tourism Centre for the 10th time under the Malaysian Technical Corporation Programme (MTCP).

The participants hailed from both the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries and non-Islamic countries comprising Indonesia, Gambia, Palestine, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Iran, Oman, Egypt, Morocco, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Cambodia, Laos, Malawi, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

The course helps participants to develop appropriate tour packages and marketing strategies that will fit the Islamic tourism source markets.

ADIB & Thomson Reuters announce global awards for ethical finance and Islamic banking innovation

UAE, 20 June 2014: Following the success of the inaugural Ethical Finance Innovation Challenge and Awards (EFICA) in 2013, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and Thomson Reuters have announced that the awards for the 2014 awards are now open for submission.

The awards fall into three categories, namely the Islamic Finance Industry Development Award, the Ethical Finance Initiative Award, and the Lifetime achievement award. They are designed to inspire real change in the financial services industry by recognizing and rewarding innovation that can be put into practice.

Entries are being accepted from any institution, research centre, or individual interested in shaping the finance industry within an ethical framework with prizes of up to $100,000 offered. The awards follow a rigorous and transparent selection process that features an advisory board, which includes scholars and financial experts.

Tirad Al Mahmoud, CEO of ADIB, said "There is a hunger for more ethical and straight-forward banking in diverse markets. Innovation will be a driving force to bring us closer to meeting this demand and develop sustainable financial solutions that make a positive difference in the world. The EFICA awards aim to inspire this kind of innovation and honour people who are thinking creatively and working hard to improve current practices, and therefore to encourage progress across the industry."

Dr. Sayed Farook, Global Head of Islamic Capital Markets at Thomson Reuters added: "With more than USD 200 trillion of assets, the financial system has a disproportionate impact on the real economy. As such, influencing the ethical direction of the financial services industry can have a significant multiplier effect on the challenges facing the world."

" Thomson Reuters is proud to be organising this key initiative with our partner ADIB. We believe that as a good corporate citizen, we have a duty to demonstrate and exemplify ethics not only in our own actions, but also promote such initiatives to our banking and financial services customers, clients and stakeholders," added Dr. Sayed.

The awards drew significant interest last year from hundreds of individuals and institutions in 55 countries. A crowd funding organisation in Egypt and a UK-based Islamic financial advisory were selected as winners by a judging panel and the votes of 1000 delegates who attended the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES) that took place in Dubai last November.

"We were pleased by the responses and the interest these awards aroused last year. We realized that the answers for a more ethical and sustainable banking environment are definitely out there if we look hard enough, and we urgently need to start putting them into practice," added Tirad Al Mahmoud.

The first category of the awards, the Islamic Finance Industry Development Award, offers a prize of $100,000 and aims to stimulate a tangible change in the development of the Islamic financial services industry that remains true to its ethical foundations. Three specific challenge areas are pre-defined by an advisory board and candidates will need to identify and propose actionable solutions to overcome these challenges.

The challenges are as follows:

1. Develop an Islamic credit card

2. Develop Finance solutions for start ups

3. Develop a case that shows why Islamic Finance is superior and more beneficial to customer and shareholders.

"The challenges reflect the requirements of the Islamic banking industry. It is time for the industry to focus on substance, rather than on form, and innovate to make products and services simple and straight forward. This will give us a universal appeal and drive future growth," said Tirad Al Mahmoud.

The second award, the Ethical Finance Initiative Award, offers a prize of $50,000 and aims to recognize previously implemented initiatives that demonstrate how the ethical application of financial services can deliver a sustainable positive impact on the society or the environment.

The final award is a Lifetime Achievement Award that will be conferred on an individual who has made a significant contribution and impact in the ethical practice of financial services.

Submissions for these three awards will be open from July 5 till August 5, 2014.

To learn more about the awards, guidelines for entry, executive board members and to download application forms, please visit http://updates.thomsonreuters.com/events/efica/

Islamic tourism: Malaysia shares experience with international counterparts

PUTRAJAYA - Tourism Malaysia welcomed 24 senior government officers from 18 countries who are in Malaysia from 8 to 20 June, attending a course on Islamic Tourism entitled Understanding and Embracing the Opportunities for Sustainable Development.

 

 The participants were welcomed by the Deputy Director General of Tourism Malaysia Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin who also gave a presentation on the development of tourism in Malaysia.

 

Dato’ Haji Azizan in his speech said that Malaysia was an ideal destination for Islamic tourism as the country had all the amenities and facilities for Muslim travelers from all around the world.

 

“We understand the needs and requirements of Muslim travelers and they will undoubtedly feel comfortable when they travel to Malaysia,” he added.

 

The participants also had the opportunity to network with Tourism Malaysia officers and exchange ideas on the latest trend in tourism marketing and strategies.

 

Apart from visiting Tourism Malaysia, the participants also visited Johor Bahru and Melaka, as well as the Islamic Arts Museum Kuala Lumpur and International Islamic University Malaysia. Their programme included lectures and presentations on Islamic Tourism by hoteliers, medical service providers, educational institutions and travel agencies. 

 

Short Course on Islamic Tourism entitled Understanding and Embracing the Opportunities for Sustainable Development 

 

This two-week training course is organised by the Islamic Tourism Centre for the tenth time under the Malaysian Technical Corporation Programme (MTCP).

 

The participants hailed from both the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries and non-Islamic countries comprising Indonesia, Gambia, Palestine, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Iran, Oman, Egypt, Morocco, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Cambodia, Laos, Malawi, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

 

The objectives of the course are:

 

i. To enable participants to understand the current global trends in travel and tourism and the emergence of Islamic travel and tourism;

 

ii. To help identify and understand the expectations of Muslim travelers;

 

iii. To explore the issues associated with the development, management and marketing of Islamic tourism.
 

iv. To help develop appropriate tour packages and marketing strategies for successful Muslim tourists arrivals to a destination; and

 

v. To share Malaysia’s best practice experiences for sustainable Islamic travel and tourism.
 

Malaysia Plans To Be A Pioneer of Islamic Wealth Management

CEphoto, Uwe Aranas

Dataran Kewangan Darul Takaful, housing Islamic Banking & Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) and Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA).

Malaysia hopes to be the first country in the world to introduce Islamic wealth management and champion new products under the Islamic financial system, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan.

According to him, Islamic wealth management is an attractive sub-sector and promises good returns in the financial services industry.

“We understand the concept of wealth management from the Shariah perspective that includes physical and spiritual wealth.

“This principle is contrary to conventional wealth management which focuses only on the physical or material wealth,” he told reporters after opening a conference on Islamic wealth management.

Datuk Ahmad said, having established themselves as a global leader in Islamic finance, Malaysia is currently the world’s third largest market for Shariah assets, namely takaful and sukuk, the products and services of Islamic banking.

Ahmad said, to boost Malaysia’s aspiration to be the center of intellectual excellence in Islamic finance, the government stepped up efforts in that direction.

“A few human resource development institutions, including the International Shariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA), the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) and the Asian Institute of Finance (AIF) have been established to achieve these intentions.

“I expect the Islamic wealth management will evolve to the next stage in the Islamic finance industry with the availability of infrastructure in terms of human resource development for the Islamic financial institutions and expertise that is existing today,” he said.

The two day conference was organised by the Malaysian Financial Planning Council and the Labuan International Business and Finance. It acts as a platform for networking and exchange of ideas and views on the internal operations of the Islamic financial industry.

More than 300 delegates consisting of policy-makers, research institutes, government agencies and academia participated in the conference.

This article was originally published on mStar and translated by Ezila Kamari with their kind permission.

Read more: Malaysia aims to be a pioneer in Islamic wealth management http://www.establishmentpost.com/malaysia-plans-pioneer-islamic-wealth-management/#ixzz34mOrByNX

Ukraine Keen to Expand Tourism Ties with Iran

With launch of Ukrainian international flight line to Iran, a firm step has been taken for expansion of relationship between the two countries… We have and will try to improve the process of visa issuance for Iranians significantly," Lisak said.

Iran and Ukraine launched direct flights in a bid to facilitate their trade and tourist ties.

The first direct flight from Kiev to Tehran landed at Imam Khomeini International Airport on June 4.

Iran has been seeking to bolster ties with Eastern Europe, specially Ukraine, in all the different industrial, political, economic and cultural spheres in the last few years.

After purchasing the production license for the Antonov-140 from Ukraine in 2000, Iran built its first Iran-140 passenger plane in 2003.

The first IRAN-140 aircraft was introduced by Iran in 2003. Five domestically-manufactured IRAN-140 planes were completed in October 2008 to increase the country's transportation capacity and upgrade the Iranian passenger fleet.

Development of Islamic tourism can help global green tourism growth

Sustaining the development of Islamic tourism, a new segment that is growing rapidly, can contribute to the growth of the tourism industry not only in Malaysia but also globally, said Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Director-General, Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab.

He said other countries' experiences showed that the sustainable factor was easier to incorporate earlier rather than later.

He noted that leaving sustainability unchecked could boost the industry quickly but the issue of sustenance would arise and pulling back (from the growth) was difficult.

"So it's better to start off with the sustainable factor included at the beginning. Some countries grew so quickly in the tourism industry but they couldn't sustain the development.

"As a result, those countries that started slow, can continue to grow and sustain it," he told a press conference after officiating a short course under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programe (MTCP), here today.

The course, themed 'Understanding and Embracing Opportunities for Sustainable Tourism', is organised by the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The course saw the participation of 24 government officials from 18 countries, 13 of which are the members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) including Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia, Oman and Morocco.

Earlier, the Director General in his speech had also said that the economic and other social benefits available in the sector at the moment need to be optimized without jeopardising similar benefits in the future.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Islamic Tourism Centre, Zulkifly Md Said in his welcoming remarks said that there has been a steady increase of Muslim tourist arrivals in Malaysia.

"There were only about 1.37 million Muslim visitors to Malaysia in 2000. The number however grew in 2010 to 4.7 million and in 2013, the estimated number of Muslim visitors to Malaysia was 5.22 million or 20.33 per cent of the total tourist arrivals in Malaysia," he said.

According to him, the majority of these Muslim tourists were from the Middle East countries, Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan and Turkey, who came for various purposes other than leisure such as attending conferences, medical tourism and shopping.

He also noted that Malaysia has been voted as the top Muslim-friendly holiday destination among OIC member states for four years in a row through an online survey conducted by Singapore-based travel consulting company, Crescentrating.

The ITC was set up in 2009 to facilitate the Ministry of Tourism then, as well as the stakeholders on market intelligence and capacity building in the areas of Muslim market segment.

Malaysia exploring scope for Islamic banking in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT (Turkmenistan), June 11:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Malaysia wants to explore new fields of collaboration in Turkmenistan, including in halal products and Islamic banking.

He said Malaysia is also interested in sharing its expertise in the mining, construction, chemicals, tourism and communication sectors.

Najib said he conveyed this to Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during their meeting at the Presidential Palace here on Tuesday after the ceremonial welcome was accorded on him.

The Prime Minister, who is on a two-day official visit beginning Monday to Turkmenistan, his second after 2011, also expressed his appreciation to Berdimuhamedov for granting Petronas a greater role in the country’s oil and gas (O&G) sector.

Petronas has been participating in Turkmenistan’s O&G exploration industry since 1996, operating in the Caspian Sea.

“I must thank the President for wishing to see a greater and enhanced role for Petronas in Turkmenistan.

“We are committed to continuing to provide technical training for your students through the collaboration,” he said at a joint press conference with Berdimuhamedov after they witnessed the signing of four documents between representatives from Malaysia and Turkmenistan.

The documents were a Cultural Cooperation Agreement between Malaysia and Turkmenistan; Agreed Minutes on the Terms of Reference for the Joint Committee on Trade between Malaysia and Turkmenistan; a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Education Cooperation; and a MoU on Long-term Cooperation between Petronas and the State Agency in Charge of Hydrocarbons.

Earlier, Najib, who is Finance Minister, and Berdimuhamedov signed a joint statement marking his official visit to the Central Asian republic.

The Prime Minister said he had a fruitful and warm meeting with Berdimuhamedov where they shared the same sentiments on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

“We both emphasised the importance of boosting the overall cooperation between Malaysia and Turkmenistan, which will contribute substantially to the strengthening of friendship and mutual understanding for the benefit of the people of our two countries.”

Meanwhile, Berdimuhamedov expressed his appreciation for Malaysia’s contributions to the country, saying collaborations would benefit both nations.

“I hope we can continue to cooperate to provide a firm foundation in expanding our bilateral relations for the benefit of our countries and the people.”

Malaysia and Turkmenistan have enjoyed close and warm relations since diplomatic relations were established in 1992. Turkmenistan is Malaysia’s third largest trading partner in the Central Asian region.

Total trade between the two countries in 2013 was recorded at US$33.13 million (RM106 million), compared with US$11.68 million in 2012 and US$24.27 million in 2011.

OIC member look to boost Islamic tourism

The member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are considering ways of boosting Islamic Tourism during the 1^st International Forum of the Organisation on Islamic Tourism in Jakarta. The forum is attended by representatives of 27 OIC member states, relevant institutions, private sector and civil society organisations.

OIC secretary-general, Iyad Ameen Madani in a message delivered on his behalf by OIC assistant secretary-general for economic affairs, ambassador Hameed Opeloyeru, traced the significance of the forum on Islamic Tourism to consolidation of gains made in area of Islamic Finance and establishment of OIC Halal standards.

He explained that a major component of Islamic Tourism was development of Shariah-compliant hotels and resorts, entertainment and sport facilities, in addition to visits to Islamic cultural sites, promotion of Halal food and drinks, and family dedicated swimming and spa areas, among others.

The secretary-general expressed hope that outcome of the forum would increase awareness on opportunities available in Islamic tourism sector. This would therefore scale-up attractiveness of heritage and cultural tourism for ever-increasing population of Muslim travellers.

Sustaining Islamic Tourism Good For Overall Growth Of Tourism Industry

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 (Bernama) -- Sustaining the development of Islamic tourism, a new segment that is growing rapidly, can contribute to the growth of the tourism industry not only in Malaysia but also globally, said Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Director-General, Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab.

He said other countries' experiences showed that the sustainable factor was easier to incorporate at the initial stages of tourism development.

He noted that leaving sustainability unchecked could boost the industry quickly but the issue of sustenance would arise and pulling back (from the growth) was difficult.

"So it's better to start off with the sustainable factor included at the beginning. Some countries grew so quickly in the tourism industry but they couldn't sustain the development.

"As a result, those countries that started slow, can continue to grow and sustain it," he told a press conference after officiating a short course under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programe (MTCP), here today.

The course, themed 'Understanding and Embracing Opportunities for Sustainable Tourism', is organised by the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The course which is being held from June 8 to 20 at the De Palma Hotel, Ampang here, sees the participation of 24 government officials from 18 countries, 13 of which are the members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) including Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia, Oman and Morocco.

Earlier, the Director General in his speech had also said that the economic and other social benefits available in the sector at the moment need to be optimized without jeopardising similar benefits in the future.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Islamic Tourism Centre, Zulkifly Md Said in his welcoming remarks said that there has been a steady increase of Muslim tourist arrivals in Malaysia.

"There were only about 1.37 million Muslim visitors to Malaysia in 2000. The number however grew in 2010 to 4.7 million and in 2013, the estimated number of Muslim visitors to Malaysia was 5.22 million or 20.33 per cent of the total tourist arrivals in Malaysia," he said.

According to him, the majority of these Muslim tourists were from the Middle East countries, Indonesia, Singapore, Pakistan and Turkey, who came for various purposes other than leisure such as attending conferences, medical tourism and shopping.

He also noted that Malaysia has been voted as the top Muslim-friendly holiday destination among OIC member states for four years in a row through an online survey conducted by Singapore-based travel consulting company, Crescentrating.

The ITC was set up in 2009 to facilitate the Ministry of Tourism then, as well as the stakeholders on market intelligence and capacity building in the areas of Muslim market segment.

-- BERNAMA

Phuket Andaman Halal Expo 2014

As part of the “Phuket Andaman Halal for Tourism 2014” event, the “Phuket Andaman Halal Expo 2014” was opened in Sapan Hin main stage on May 30th by Sheikhul Arsis Pitakkhumpol of the Sheikhul Islam Office. PPAO Chief Executive Advisor – Soratham Jinda, who acted on behalf of Chief Executive Paiboon Upattising, detailed the origin of the meeting while Governor Maitri Inthusut and Chair of Phuket Islamic Commission – Pol Sgt Maj Komol Dumlak gave welcoming speeches. The launch was attended by PPAO Council Members, members of the Thailand Central Islamic Commission, members of the Phuket Islamic Commission, a Halal delegation from 15 countries, religious leaders, consuls, and foreign dignitaries.

Mr Soratham said at the opening that the Phuket Andaman Halal for Tourism 2014 fair was divided into two distinct areas:

1) An international conference on Halal tourism which took place on May 29 at Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa in Patong. The conference was participated by representatives from Halal organizations, consuls and ambassadors in Thailand, government agencies, private companies, and nation-wide tour agents.

2) The Halal Expo, a two-day event which took place on May 30th – 31st and which comprised of exhibitions of Halal food and OTOP products, lectures by Islamic leaders, traditional Muslim musical performances (Anasid), sale of Halal products from Malaysia, among others.

Funded and organized by PPAO, both events have received support from the Sheikhul Islam Office, Thailand Central Islamic Commission, Phuket Islamic Commission, and other sectors both governmental and private.

PPAO said Mr Soratham is committed to promoting Halal tourism to prepare Phuket for increasing numbers of tourists of Muslim origin, both now and during the upcoming AEC. Sheikhul Arsis highlighted the teaching of Allah in relation to food consumption. According to Allah, nutrition must be healthy and hygienic and food cooking must follow strict Islamic rules. One in four people of the 7,000 million world’s population is Muslim. In Asia alone, Muslim counts for 60 per cent of the total population. For this reason, Halal has become an important model of economy for many countries but one that has to be carried out under correct Islamic laws. This is, he said, to observe the teachings of Allah with respect.

Sheikhul Arsis ended by thanking PPAO for its warm welcome towards the delegation. He also thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Agriculture and Cooperation Ministry, Tourism Authority of Thailand for giving support to this event, and the Phuket province for providing venue and manpower.

Jerusalem picked as 'Islamic Tourism Capital for 2016'

Jerusalem has been picked as the capital of Islamic tourism for 2016 by the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, a Palestinian minister said Thursday.

Mahmoud Habbash, the Palestinian Authority minister of religious affairs, said the decision was another step towards breaking Israel's siege of Islamic holy sites.

He accused Israel of hiding the Islamic identity of Jerusalem and said that "Jerusalem is the religious and political capital of Palestine," the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, consisting of 57 member states, held its first international summit on Islamic tourism in Indonesia earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Australia stated that it will no longer refer to East Jerusalem as occupied territory, a dramatic shift in Australian policy on Israel since 1967. Most of the international community does not recognize Israel's authority in East Jerusalem.

Jerusalem poses an especially thorny issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as both claim it for a capital, with the Old City and the Temple Mount at the center of the contention.

Jerusalem's Temple Mount, known in Arabic as Haram al-Sharif ("The Noble Sanctuary,") holy to both Muslims and Jews, has recorded rising tensions in recent months. Most incidents involve Jews attempting to access the area in order to pray or demonstrate a Jewish presence.

The growing strength of the Jewish Temple Movement and other organizations that seek to change the status quo on the Temple Mount has exacerbated these tensions, as has the crisis in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.