Halal tourism on the rise; UAE nationals highest spenders followed by Saudis, Kuwaitis

News Network
September 5, 2018

Amidst the growing the Muslim population, the rise of middle class in Muslim-majority countries and improved access to travel information and the increasing availability of Muslim-friendly travel services, Halal tourism is now gaining tremendous traction across the world. A considerable number of Muslim travellers are focusing more on the “halalness” of the trip.

The Muslim travel market was worth $169 billion in 2016 and is growing by $10 billion a year since 2014, at nearly double the rate of the global travel market, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy 2017/18 report produced by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with DinarStandard. Muslim spend on outbound travel is expected to grow by 9 percent per year to reach $283 billion by 2022.

A new study has revealed that UAE residents are the world's highest spenders of halal tourism outside the country, spending Dh64.6 billion ($17.6 billion) last year.

According to the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry analysis based on recent data from Mastercard and the World Travel & Tourism Council, Saudi Arabian travellers were ranked second with Dh59 billion spend followed by Kuwaiti travellers at Dh38.17 billion during the same year.

The study's findings revealed that the global Muslim travel segment is currently valued at an estimated Dh660.6 billion and is forecast to reach Dh807.4 billion by 2020. The number of Muslim travellers globally is expected to increase from the current 131 million to 156 million by the same year.

During 2017, Muslim travellers spent an estimated average of Dh5,042 per person and this figure is projected to increase to Dh5,174.7 by 2020.

Majid Saif Al Ghurair, chairman, Dubai Chamber and board member of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC), said halal tourism is one of the main pillars supporting the continued growth of the global Islamic economy.

Jairaj Gorsia, general manager, Gevora Hotel, the world's tallest and dry hotel located on Sheikh Zayed Road, says Muslims tourists, especially from Saudi Arabia, continue to grow. The hotel receives a large number of guests, especially families, from Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries because it is a Shariah-compliant property.

"Families prefer to stay in non-alcoholic hotels because of their religious beliefs and where they can enjoy activities without being exposed. Halal tourism is a big market in the region and it's going pretty strong. Plus, halal hotels' pricing is also right and attractive for customers," said Gorsia.

In order to cash in on the growing halal market, Dubai will host the Global Islamic Economy Summit 2018 on October 30 and 31. In addition, Dubai also hosts the Halal Expo.

The UAE was recently named as a destination of choice for Muslim travellers due to several key factors, including its competitive business environment, wide variety of travel and tourism activities, advanced ICT readiness and world-class airport infrastructure.

 

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News Network
March 16,2024

Mangaluru: In the wake of complaints regarding middlemen menace, sleuths of Lokayukta on Friday, March 15, conducted a raid at the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority. 

The Lokayukta team found unaccounted money and several files, which were not disposed of for a long period.

Lokayukta SP CA Simon said that the Lokayukta has received complaints that middlemen have been interfering in the MUDA office, and files pertaining to the public are not being cleared on time.

A raid that commenced in the evening on March 13, lasted for 18 hours. During the raid, Lokayukta officials found cash in a bag in MUDA office, and also with officials and others. MUDA officials could not inform the source of money found in their office, the SP said.

Further, he said that many people gathered at the MUDA office during the Lokayukta raid, and have raised complaints about the harassment at the urban development authority. “We have gathered evidence for MUDA officials carrying out file disposal processes through brokers on phone calls. The investigation on the MUDA network will be continued,” he said.

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News Network
March 21,2024

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Mangaluru: A man from Dakshina Kannada was duped of Rs 2.5 lakh after he was promised a Poland visa.

In a complaint, a resident of Belthangady, stated that the accused, Manoj, had promised a job for his son in Poland. 

Between May 22 of last year and March 19, he handed over Rs 2.2 lakh in various phases, citing different reasons.

However, since the accused failed to provide a visa or return the money, a case was registered at the Dharmasthala police station under IPC sections 417 and 420.

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Mangaluru: The Mangalore International Airport (MIA) will connect to a new domestic destination with the introduction of a non-stop flight to Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu. 

The non-stop service, once-a-week, will operate on Wednesday (from TIA) and Thursday (from MIA), starting April 3. Air India Express will operate the flight.

The flight is expected to help those taking up a pilgrimage to Vailankani shrine.

Sources from the AIE said that the airline carrier decided to fly non-stop between the two southern Indian cities as a flight to Jeddah, which will start from April 3, arrives from Tiruchirappalli International Airport. 

“It is a ferry or positional flight from TIA to MIA. Instead of flying empty, the management has decided to run it as a commercial flight. This will help both passengers and the airline. The airline will deploy Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a 186-seater all-economy configuration on this route. 

The same flight, after landing in MIA, will further fly to Jeddah,” a source said. 

The flight IX 1498 will depart every Thursday at 5am from MIA to TIA. The TIA-MIA flight IX 1499 departs at 12.50pm. It is a one-hour nonstop flight. The same flights will also operate nonstop between Jeddah and MIA. 

The non-stop flight IX 499 will depart MIA at 2.50pm and reach King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah at 6.25pm. The IX498, will depart from Jeddah at 7.25pm and reach MIA early at 3.40am.

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