ITC CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH ANIS RAMLI

International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. In conjunction with that, Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) would like to honour the women we’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout our journey in advancing the Islamic Tourism space in Malaysia. We’ve worked with many great women in our time, and though we can’t feature them all here, know that we support them wholeheartedly towards their professional and personal goals. 

To further inspire us all on this journey of life, we’ve invited some of these women to share their success stories with us. Here, they reveal the highs of their lives and what motivates them to keep going through tough times. We hope that this spotlight on the women we’ve worked with – and whom we have utmost respect for – will inspire us all on our journey forward!

For this IWD blog series, we’re excited to speak with Ms. Anis Ramli, who explores and creates luxury experiences for the Muslim tourist market through her wellness and journaling retreats and her Halaluxe platform. Her passion in writing and international speaking engagements supports us in raising awareness about Islamic Tourism. 

Anis Ramli
Founder and editor of Halaluxe

ITC: Can you introduce yourself to our readers? Tell us a little bit about yourself – personal, family and business-wise?

Anis Ramli: My background is in journalism, though I graduated with a Psychology degree from Indiana, USA. Yeah – Go Hoosier! I founded Halaluxe after leaving my post as Editor of Muhibah, the award-winning in-flight magazine of Royal Brunei Airlines. I was there for 10 years, developing content and fusing a halal-oriented focus for the airline’s guests. This, and my consulting work with Japan Halal Foundation (JHF), has helped me advocate halal in collaboration with high-end hospitality brands to tap the niche Muslim luxury travel market, which is the focus of Halaluxe.

In my spare time, I draw upon my Psych degree to teach writing and journalling. I also volunteer at Al Khaadem, an NGO in Petaling Jaya, supporting and mentoring New Muslims and those interested to learn about the faith. I’m also a full-time PANK (Professional Aunt, No Kids) – perhaps the role I’m most proud of.

ITC: What’s your most recent accomplishment in your personal life that you’ve been most proud of? Why was this achievement special to you?

Anis Ramli: Being able to finally do ONE kipping pull up after 6 years of Crossfit!  For anyone familiar with Crossfit, they’ll tell you that this is one of the more challenging movements. You really need upper body strength. That and strong back muscles, especially the lats. The men usually can ace this in a short period of time; at least through my unprofessional observation. We women, and I guess because, you know, we are more endowed – it can take some time. Of course, some succeed in a few weeks. Mine just took a lot longer. 

ITC: What’s your most recent accomplishment, career/business-wise, that you’ve been most proud of? What was this achievement special to you?

Anis Ramli: Definitely organising Halaluxe’s first retreat in January 2022. This was amid the floods, monsoon and Covid! Nerve-wracking probably summed up the whole experience, but you just have to put your trust in Allah. And SubhanAllah, He really made everything easy. We had sunny skies throughout, the resort’s team were beyond helpful and accommodating, and everything ran like clockwork. 

When I designed the retreat, it was important that this wasn’t just about a nice getaway. I wanted my guests to have an immersive experience seen from the lens of the eeman. When a guest thanks you later because the journal session helped them make that hijrah to prioritise being a dad over making music, or when they start to emulate the Prophet (PBUH) in drinking and eating with the right hand – then I know I’ve achieved what I had set out to do. Alhamdulillah.  

ITC: What are the values you hold on to that has helped you to be where you are today – values that have helped to see you through the good and bad times? 

Anis Ramli: To do everything sincerely and purely for the sake of Allah, and do my level best in everything. And the best in the sight of Allah is when we do everything following the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). It’s only then you will be happy and contented, and insyaAllah, have a good ending. 

The rest, as they say, is just confetti.

ITC: What’s your project/ ambition/ goals that you wish to achieve next (personal and career/business-wise)?

Anis Ramli: I’ve a terribly sweet tooth. I’m working to cut sugar from my diet. It’s still in the planning stage. Maybe check in with me in 3 months to see how I’m doing. 

On work, I’m busy researching resorts/hotels that can be a good fit for Halaluxe’s next retreat in July, insyaAllah. I’m also waiting to safely travel to continue working with luxury resorts and properties and restart the halal conversation. Even during the travel pause, there have been some interesting launches that I’m eager to check out for Halaluxe: Elang Private Residence, Banyan Tree Krabi, and Buahan, which is a Banyan Tree Escape. So that’s definitely the plan.

ITC: Could you share with us your experience of working with ITC and what you value about this relationship?

Anis Ramli: I’ve worked with ITC since my days at Muhibah. We worked on developing content for the magazine. Then later with Halaluxe, ITC provided me the platform to introduce the concept of experiential halal luxury to its audience.

One of the things I truly appreciate about ITC is their ceaseless advocating of Islamic tourism. I’ve been blessed to have been invited by tourism boards of various countries that were inspired by the model put forth by ITC. And because of the work that they do and setting the stage right, it has given me the opportunity to have dialogues not just on halal, but Islam as a whole, including its beautiful message and universal values.