KUONI Group Travel Experts and Crescentrating, which promotes Muslim travel through its rating system, have announced a partnership in which the travel provider will market halal-friendly group travel arrangements and packages for Muslim families, leisure and MICE groups.
The partnership was launched at the Global Islamic Economy Summit in Dubai from November 25 to 26.
Besides launching their first brochure – aimed at businesses selling travel to Muslim clients – in Asia next month, Kuoni and Crescentrating will also co-develop new group travel products and enhanced travel booking and management services for the Muslim travel market.
Dany Bolduc, COO of Crescentrating, said: “Crescentrating, together with Kuoni Group Travel Experts, is committed to establishing a leadership position in Muslim group travel, a huge and underserved market worth US$130 billion in 2013.”
Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have the largest Muslim populations, according to the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project.
Reto Kaufmann, Kuoni Group Travel Experts Head of MICE Sales Asia, said: “Last year, we saw room nights booked by group travellers from these four countries rise, particularly Indonesia and India which enjoyed double-digit increases, while Bangladesh quadrupled. And it’s not just leisure travel, more and more of Asia’s businesses…have large numbers of Muslim delegates with specific halal or religious requirements.”
In Asia, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand also offer significant numbers of potential Muslim travellers. For example China, with a Muslim population numbering 23 million, saw room nights booked with Kuoni rise six per cent last year.
