World's first-ever halal travel glossary launched

A Halal travel ratings and accreditation consultancy has unveiled a glossary providing access to terminology used in the Halal travel market, one of the world’s fastest growing sectors.

CrescentRating said in a media statement yesterday that it has published a new guide which promotes accurate and consistent use of terms in the Halal travel market.

It noted that the glossary includes over 150 terms and concepts that have been validated, with regular updates planned as the market matures. The glossary includes terms which provide an overview of halal travel and its core values. Each of these has been defined in the context of lifestyle and travel it said.

Users can obtain a quick list of terms through the glossary which has been divided into sections for easy navigation. It has been published as a free downloadable e-book with plans to make it an online resource in the near future, the statement noted.

With halal travel now worth billions annually, the need to understand these terms is becoming more important as the industry aims to capitalise on a sector projected to be worth $200 billion by 2020.

CrescentRating said understanding these terms is imperative for all travel-related businesses looking to benefit from the growth of this market such as tourism boards, government agencies, hotels, restaurants,  attractions, airports, airlines, cruises and spas.

“Embracing the Halal travel phenomenon is now a key focus of growth across the industry for both OIC and non-OIC destinations,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating.

“With an increasing number of destinations and services looking to attract Muslim traveller, there is a need to better understand the terms used to describe the market needs and practices related to this segment.”

The e-book also covers faith-related terms used to describe the needs and practices of Muslim travellers, the statement said. The first edition of the glossary is now available in English with plans to publish it in other languages in the future.

The MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015 revealed that in 2014 that the Muslim travel market was worth $145 billion with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10 per cent of the entire travel economy.

This is forecasted to grow to 150 million visitors by 2020 and 11 per cent of the market segment with a market value projected to grow to $200 billion.

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