Malaysia and Singapore take the top spots in the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2015
Kuala Lumpur, 4 March 2015 – Malaysia has been named as the number one destination across the globe in the Muslim travel market, according to the most comprehensive research that has been released on the sector.
The MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015 saw Malaysia taking the top spot on the list under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) category, followed by Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Singapore came first for the non-OIC destinations, which also saw Thailand, UK, South Africa and France making it to top five.
The GMTI looks at in-depth data covering 100 destinations, creating an overall index, based on a number of criteria. This is the first time such thorough insights have been provided onto one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors in the world today.
GMTI is able to provide to travellers, governments, travel services and investors with comprehensive benchmarks across a number of important criteria, enabling them to track the health and growth of this travel segment.
The study also revealed that in 2014, this segment was worth $145 billion with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10% of the entire travel economy.
This is forecasted to grow to 150 million visitors by 2020 and 11% of the market segment with a market value projected to grow to $200 billion.
“The MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index has today set a real precedent for the tourism industry,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating & HalalTrip.
“Not only is it the most in-depth research that we have undertaken so far on the fast-growing Muslim travel market, but has provided all stakeholders with some invaluable insight into how the halal-friendly tourism sector is growing and developing from a global perspective.”
“CrescentRating has seen a recent huge shift towards more destinations targeting this sector like Japan and Taiwan, and it is a trend we expect to continue,” he added.
“With the Global Muslim Travel Index, we are able to better understand what a Muslim traveller looks for when choosing a travel destination. We are proud that Malaysia is the top Muslim travel destination and with this Index, we are now able to equip partners in the travel sector to tailor their products and services to the needs of this unique traveller segment,” said Safdar Khan, Group Country Manager for Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei cum Group Head, Islamic Payments, Southeast Asia, MasterCard.
Not surprisingly, Saudi Arabia saw the highest number of Muslim arrivals into the country in 2014 with 10.2 million followed by Turkey at 8.1 million.
All 100 destinations in the GMTI were scored against a backdrop of criteria that include suitability as a family holiday destination, the level of services and facilities it provides, accommodation options, marketing initiatives and visitor arrivals. Each criterion was then weighted to make up the overall index score.
Malaysia scored an Index score of 83.8, followed by Turkey at 73.8 and UAE at 72.1.
GMTI40, which will be updated quarterly around the year, will track the average score of the top 20 OIC and non-OIC destinations and will form the key index to monitor the performance of the Muslim travel segment.
The overall average score for 40 destinations (GMTI40) currently stands at 56 while the overall average GMTI score for the complete 100 destinations is at 43.8. From a regional perspective, Asia Pacific destinations lead with an average GMTI score of 54.
The Top 10 OIC destinations of GMTI 2015
| Rank | OverallGMTI 2015 Rank | Destination | Score |
| 1 | 1 | Malaysia | 83.8 |
| 2 | 2 | Turkey | 73.8 |
| 3 | 3 | United Arab Emirates | 72.1 |
| 4 | 4 | Saudi Arabia | 71.3 |
| 5 | 5 | Qatar | 68.2 |
| 6 | 6 | Indonesia | 67.5 |
| 7 | 7 | Oman | 66.7 |
| 8 | 8 | Jordan | 66.4 |
| 9 | 10 | Morocco | 64.4 |
| 10 | 11 | Brunei | 64.3 |
- Malaysia topped the list in the GMTI 2015 while Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar also made the top five.
The Top 10 non-OIC destinations of GMTI 2015
| Rank | OverallGMTI 2015 Rank | Destination | Score |
| 1 | 9 | Singapore | 65.1 |
| 2 | 20 | Thailand | 59.2 |
| 3 | 25 | United Kingdom | 55.0 |
| 4 | 30 | South Africa | 51.1 |
| 5 | 31 | France | 48.2 |
| 6 | 32 | Belgium | 47.5 |
| 7 | 33 | Hong Kong | 47.5 |
| 8 | 34 | USA | 47.3 |
| 9 | 35 | Spain | 46.5 |
| 10 | 36 | Taiwan | 46.2 |
- Singapore topped the list for non-OIC countries which also included Thailand, UK, South Africa and France.
- In 2014, there were 108 million Muslim travellers spending $145 billion. This is expected to grow to 150 million travellers in 2020 spending $200 billion.
The full report is available here:
About The Author
Juhan Kamaruddin has spent years sharing and editing stories that inspire people to explore the world with greater curiosity and purpose. Passionate about travel, culture, and meaningful connections, he works closely with tourism stakeholders, media partners, and industry leaders to showcase the best of Malaysia and beyond through storytelling, strategic content, and collaborative partnerships.
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