ISLAMIC TOURISM IN THE OIC COUNTRIES PROSPECTS AND

ISLAMIC TOURISM IN THE OIC COUNTRIES PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES 2 nd International Halal Tourism Conference, Konya, Turkey Maedeh Bon mbon@sesric. org Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC)

SESRIC Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries • Subsidiary organ of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) • Focal point for Strengthening Technical Cooperation among the OIC Member Countries Main Mandates: “Statistics, Research and Training”

SESRIC COOPERATION MODALITIES Policy Dialogue Strategic Vision Networking Capacity Building Skill Development Transferring Know-how and Knowledge

Policy Dialogue in the domain of Tourism SESRIC Regular Reports: “International Tourism in the OIC Countries: Prospects and Challenges” ü 2015 report: special section on “Islamic Tourism in the OIC Countries” Outlines • • Islamic Tourism and its Components State of Islamic Tourism in the OIC Countries Challenges and Opportunities for Islamic Tourism Concluding Remarks and Policy Recommendations Available at: http: //www. sesrtcic. org/publications-detail. php? id=358

Major Source Markets for Islamic Tourism ü With estimated tourism expenditures of over $100 billion, OIC Member Countries account for around 82 per cent of the total Muslim travel expenditures in 2013 -2014 Top-20 Muslim Tourist Source Markets, 2013/14 Rank Country 1 2 Saudi Arabia Iran United Arab Emirates Qatar Kuwait Indonesia Malaysia Russia Turkey Nigeria 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Size (US $ Billion) 17. 8 14. 3 Rank Country 11 12 Germany Egypt Size (US $ Billion) 3. 6 2. 8 11. 2 13 Azerbaijan 2. 4 7. 8 7. 7 7. 5 5. 7 5. 4 4. 5 4. 4 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 United Kingdom Singapore France Iraq United States Morocco Lebanon 2. 4 2. 3 2. 2 2 2 1. 9 Source: Thomson Reuters and Dinar Standard

Major Islamic Tourism Destinations Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI): Top 10 OIC and Non-OIC Islamic Tourism Destinations 0 100 Malaysia 83, 8 100 50 65, 1 0. . . 59, 2 . . . Turkey 73, 8 UAE 72, 1 55 . . . Saudi Arabia 71, 3 51, 1 . . . Qatar 68, 2 48, 2 . . . Indonesia 67, 5 47, 5 . . . Oman 66, 7 47, 5 . . . Jordan 66, 4 47, 3 . . . Morocco 64, 4 46, 5 . . . Brunei 64, 3 46, 2 . . . Source: Master. Card and Crescent Rating, 2015

On-going Challenges Lack of unified and global standards and certification Financial Constraints for the Islamic tourism industry Gender related issues: female employment in tourism sector Differences in the understanding of Islamic values and beliefs

Opportunities Social media platform Potential for economic growth Innovative tourism products

Policy Recommendations: At the National and the OIC Cooperation Level • Harmonization of policies and guidelines • Sharing of expertise and experiences • Cooperation for making a positive image • Organizing Islamic tourism events • Utilizing the media • Designing long-term strategies and master plans for the development of Islamic tourism market At the Industry Level • Ensuring Halal • Training the staff • Facilitating the access • Paying attention to diversity • Proper accommodation management • Information about halal food • Offering gender specific facilities • Appropriate dress code for the staff • Suitable marketing strategies

OIC Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tr-Ca. B) § SESRIC aims at assessing training needs and capacities of the OIC Countries to effectively plan and implement training programmes through matching needs and capacities of the related institutions of the OIC Countries. § Currently SESRIC is implementing 28 Capacity building programmes in many sectors including Tourism VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMME OIC Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tr-Ca. B) Ø In order to enhance the sector and share experience regarding tourism and the challenges involved, SESRIC initiates training courses related to tourism ü Three implemented activities in 2015 v Five ongoing activities for 2016 More information and questionnaires are available at: http: //www. oicvet. org/oic-tourism-cap. php

Strategic Vision on Islamic Tourism OIC Islamic Tourism Strategic Plan (OIC- ITSP) ü First Expert Group Meeting on Designing Strategic Plan of Halal Tourism in OIC Member Countries to be held in Konya, Turkey in 2016

ﺷﻜﺮﺍ Thank you Merci Teşekkürler Maedeh Bon mbon@sesric. org