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.