THE UNION OF COMOROS SEEKS TO ADOPT MUSLIM-FRIENDLY TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY PRACTICES FROM MALAYSIA

PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA, 22 MARCH 2021: Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) has marked yet another significant milestone in its role as a Centre for Excellence in Muslim-friendly Tourism and Hospitality, as the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) has commissioned ITC to conduct a one-week virtual training course for the National Tourism Office of the Union of Comoros from 22-26 March 2021.

The training course entitled “Halal Tourism and Muslim-friendly Hospitality Services”, is organised within the framework of SESRIC’s Tourism Capacity Building Programme (Tourism-CaB).

During the launch of the training course, Mr. Nebil Dabur, Director General of SESRIC, emphasised on the need to cater to the growing Muslim tourist market and that the way forward was through collaborations. He said: “Since an increasing number of Muslims across the world prefer using tourism facilities that are Sharia’h compliant and provide services in line with the Islamic principles, there is an increasing demand for halal tourism services globally and within the OIC member countries.”

He added: “There is a need for raising awareness and collaboration among all public and private tourism stakeholders working in the domain of tourism, including tour operators, hotel managements, relevant ministries, religious authorities and academicians. Therefore, this topic has become an important issue at the OIC agenda in the domain of tourism cooperation.”

“I believe that this training course, which aims at providing insights on the new trends, the opportunities and challenges in developing and marketing Halal tourism, will make a positive impact and add value to the work and experience of all the participants,” he said.

ITC Director General, Dato’ Dr. Mohmed Razip Hasan said that though the pandemic had impacted many industries, it presented opportunities for industry players to restrategise their efforts and give priority to training.

He said, “Despite the challenges faced during Covid-19, which have hit the tourism industry especially hard, we must chin up and take this as an opportunity to upskill ourselves and prepare for the future of travel beyond Covid. For this, I congratulate the National Tourism Office of Comoros for taking this proactive step forward.”

He added: “As an agency that champions Islamic tourism and Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH), ITC always welcomes the opportunity to promote Muslim-Friendly practices to the rest of the world, especially countries that have shown interest in this segment. With its unique nature attractions ranging from rare wildlife and fascinating culture to beautiful beaches, Comoros is undoubtedly a destination that Muslim tourists would love to visit once the world can travel again.”

Mr. Mohamed Rachidi, Executive Director, National Tourism Office of Comoros was grateful for the opportunity to learn from Islamic Tourism Centre and Malaysia’s own experiences in developing the Islamic tourism ecosystem. He said, “Today’s training on Halal Tourism and Muslim-Friendly Hospitality Services is made possible by an organisation known for the quality of its services. Moreover, the training is fully in line with the mission of the National Tourism Office of Comoros. We are convinced that it will add value to promote Comoros as a destination.”

He continued, “This training will further strengthen the capacities aimed at building a true relationship with consumers in order to better understand them, and to anticipate their needs and expectations.”

The “Halal Tourism and Muslim-friendly Hospitality Services” training gives a basic introduction on the concept of Muslim-friendly tourism and how governments can play a role in developing a robust Islamic tourism ecosystem for the destination. ITC’s experienced speakers will also share current trends in Islamic tourism and how to leverage on digital marketing for promotions.

SESRIC is a subsidiary organ of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which has collaborated with ITC in organising capacity-building programmes in the past as well as featured ITC representatives as guest speakers in several training courses, seminars and conferences in Bangladesh, Gambia, Mozambique, and Turkey.

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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 by offering research and market intelligence, training, industry development consultation, Muslim-friendly tourism and hospitality services standards and certification, and information exchange.

For further details, kindly contact:

Islamic Tourism Centre, Level 13, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia
No. 2 Tower 1, Jalan P5/6, Precinct 5, 62200 Putrajaya, Malaysia

Tel: 03-8891 7177 or via email itc@mymuslimtrip.com/v2