STRENGTHENING PERAK’S ISLAMIC TOURISM TO ATTRACT THE MUSLIM TOURIST MARKET

Promoting Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality in Perak to prepare industry players for the upswing of Muslim Tourists

TAMBUN, PERAK, MALAYSIA, 06 JUNE 2023: The first leg of the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) roadshow is in the books. The Islamic Tourism Entrepreneurship and Leadership Seminar (ITELS) and the Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition (MFAR) programme took place in Perak’s Sunway Lost World Hotel, Tambun, on 29 and 30 May 2023 respectively.

The two programmes aimed to connect industry players with relevant agencies to sharpen their understanding of Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) and help their businesses thrive in the Muslim market. “Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) is being recognised on a global scale. Therefore, industry players in Perak need to immerse themselves and capitalise on the MFTH sector,” said Marina Muhamad, ITC’s Industry Development director.

In attendance was Perak’s State Executive Council YB Mr Loh Sze Yee. He expressed his gratitude towards ITC for developing the tourism industry in Perak and shared his hopes and ideas for the Perak tourism fraternity to expand their offerings. He added: “Perak is rich in natural resources, tradition and culture, full of interesting tourist attractions. Undoubtedly, this state has great potential to be known as an international Muslim-friendly destination. I urge industry players and local entrepreneurs to take this opportunity to elevate your business through the added value of Islamic Tourism with ITC.”

The two synergistic programmes gathered over 100 participants including tourist accommodations, spa and wellness operators and other tourism-related businesses, reflecting the earnest interest from industry players towards the Muslim market. The seminar unravelled the topics of entrepreneurship development, financial planning and management, entrepreneurship fund assistance, leadership in the Islamic industry, and the success story of MFAR-recognised businesses.

Marina said: “ITC and our strategic partners namely Tourism Perak, MARA, Bank Islam, PERNAS, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysia Association of Wellness Trainer and Glamping Park Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd are very serious about sharing the information and expertise available to help existing entrepreneurs, new start-ups businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), young entrepreneurs or even college and university graduates penetrate the growing Islamic Tourism sector.”

The sharing session saw ITC present its MFAR programme, designed to guide industry players in gaining the added value and marketability advantage to attract Muslim tourists. Participants were informed about the newly developed guidelines for the following sectors, i.e. accommodations, spas, theme parks, medical facilities, and shopping malls, which drew robust discussions from participants.

Norhaini Sulaiman from River and Glamp said: “During the seminar, ITC shared many of their Muslim-friendly guidelines. Although my business has obtained Muslim-friendly recognition, after joining today’s MFAR programme there are lots of improvements that I want to make so that we can better cater to our customer’s needs.”

Besides delivering a better understanding of the MFTH sector to industry players, the programme also provided networking opportunities for all. Syed Kamarul Sufian, a tourist product entrepreneur in Ban Pecah Tanjung Pinang, Perak said: “I enjoyed meeting many agencies and learning about the financial assistance they provide for local entrepreneurs like myself to develop Islamic Tourism here in Perak”.

The participants also felt that the programme could benefit the younger generation to tap into the MFTH space. “The young ones who are interested in getting into the industry should attend the networking experience to meet agencies and corporate players who can assist them either in terms of finance, knowledge and mapping out the path in the industry,” said SA Peter, a member of the Tourism Perak Association.

Also in attendance to show support for the programme was Dato’ Mohamed Kamil bin Dato’ Shafie, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tourism Perak Management Berhad.

A viable outcome was achieved in this year’s first ITC roadshow in Perak. The roadshow will now continue to several states in Malaysia. For more information, follow us on Facebook at Islamic Tourism Centre to stay up to date on our programmes.

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Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) is an entity under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia tasked to develop the Islamic tourism segment for Malaysia. It advocates for Muslim-friendly tourism (MFT) by offering research and market intelligence, training, industry development consultation, Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) services standards and recognition, and information exchange.

Malaysia was named the top country in the region in the MFTH sector by the State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) Report 2022. The country also retained the top-ranked destination in the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023, a position it has defended since the launch of the Index in 2015. In the same year, Malaysia was recognised as the Top Muslim-Friendly Destination of the Year (OIC) and Best Muslim-Women-Friendly Destination of the Year in Halal in Travel Awards 2023.

In addition, ITC was named the recipient of the Strategic Business Alliance Award at The BrandLaureate World Halal Best Brand E-Branding Awards 2021. It is a recognition of ITC’s efforts and endeavours in formulating new strategies to meet the new normal of the business environment to ensure business continuity and sustainability, notwithstanding its role to develop and grow the Islamic tourism segment in Malaysia.

These recognitions are an added motivation for ITC to continue to strengthen its efforts in being a prime mover and leading institution to ensure Malaysia is at the forefront of MFTH.

For further details, kindly contact:
Islamic Tourism Centre
(Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia)
Level 13, No. 2 Tower 1, Jalan P5/6,
Precinct 5, 62200 Putrajaya, Malaysia
Tel: 03-8891 7177 or via email itc@mymuslimtrip.com/v2

For media-related matters, contact the Corporate Communications team:

Anis, Manager, +6012 321 9137, anis@mymuslimtrip.com/v2
Nadhirah, Sr. Executive, +6019 356 0530, nadhirah@mymuslimtrip.com/v2
Ainaa Izzati, Asst. Executive, +6010 266 2535, ainaa@mymuslimtrip.com/v2

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