The rise of the affluent Muslim traveller

[lastlid]

"Muslims are predicted to make up almost one in three of the world's population by 2025, and increasing numbers of well-heeled, well-educated Muslims are already seeking out goods and services that meet their needs - not only at home, but also when they travel.

An early morning call from Malaysia. It's an old friend enquiring about London's best halal hotel.

Enthused by the coverage of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics and Mo Farah's double gold wins, he has decided to visit London with his family as soon as Ramadan finishes this month.

He would like to stay in a Muslim-friendly hotel, do I have any suggestions?

I ask a few friends and search some Muslim websites - only to draw a blank. The closest London can offer is a vegetarian-friendly hotel. But it's not just the assurance of halal food that my friend is hoping for.

He'd like to go somewhere which is considerate of his family's other needs as Muslims, such as guidance on finding the direction of Mecca inside the hotel room for prayer times, alcohol-free dining areas, perhaps separate spa facilities for men and women.

My friend is part of a growing worldwide trend. Global urban Muslims, highly educated, well-travelled, often with families spread across different continents, they are increasingly seeking out goods and services that respect and reflect their needs as Muslims.

And this is no narrow niche - the worldwide Muslim population of around 1.8 billion is growing rapidly and is predicted to reach 30% of the global population by 2025."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19295861

[RickyR]

Interesting business opportunities.

[lastlid]

Interesting business opportunities.

Yes. Exactly.

[grahamw48]

True.

Maybe we can sell them some soap....and explosives ?

Perhaps a supply of handy-sized rocks.

[CBM]

There was a very interesting BBC radio programme about a week ago on the "halal" certification. Most of us assume that "Halal" refers to a method of slaughter, but, like "kosher", the concept has been expanded. In the case of "halal", the expansion is thanks to the Malaysian Government spotting a business opportunity - it seems that the "gold standard" of halal certificstion is set by Malaysian Government scheme, which attracts all sorts of products and services to apply for it.

So no surprise that the original enquiry came from Malaysia.

Well worth catching - here is the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m0pq2