The Sultan Mosque in Singapore’s Kampong Glam during night time. Credit: 123rf
SINGAPORE has been ranked as one of the top three shopping destinations for Muslim tourists, according to the MasterCard-CrescentRating Muslim Shopping Travel Index 2015 (MTSI 2015).
The report also revealed that S$36 billion (US$25.3 billion) and S$26 billion were spent on shopping and dining respectively for the whole of last year.
Out of 40 cities listed in the MTSI 2015, Singapore came in third with a score of 71.6 , followed by Kuala Lumpur at second (73.3) and Dubai at the top spot (79.5).
The 40 international cities were scored against a set of metrics which included suitability as a shopping destination, Muslim-friendly services and facilities and ease of travel. Each criterion was then weighted to make up the overall index score.
In total, Asia-Pacific contributed 14 cities out of the 40.
Singapore was also named the top non-OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) travel destination in a list which includes major cities like London, Paris, New York and Barcelona.
MasterCard and CrescentRating also launched the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015 earlier this year, which showed that in 2014, the Muslim travel segment was worth S$145 billion with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10 per cent of the entire travel economy.
This is forecasted to increase to 150 million visitors by 2020 and represent 11 per cent of the market segment with its market value set to grow to S$200 billion.
