It’s been over 50 years since tourism as an activity began in the Maldives. What started out a single tourist resort that had welcomed a group of hippie backpackers from Italy, has grown into becoming a near-trillion dollar industry which has been recognized as a leading destination at a global scale for five consecutive years.
The current Maldivian tourism scene boasts of over 150 operational tourist resorts and close to 900 guesthouses. There is a mixture of various other segments that contribute towards a combined total of more than 60,000 tourist beds as per the most recent numbers published by the Ministry of Tourism.
While the tourist resorts – operating on the one-island, one-resort concept – attract the more affluent and high-end traveler-clientele the guesthouses and city hotels have been a hotbed for a myriad of traveler categories since the 2010s; especially budget travelers and thrill seekers who are looking forward to engaging in multiple different excursions and hop to some of the local islands to get a taste of that idyllic Maldivian livelihood.
One could argue that the tourist resorts are more or less an extension of each other in terms of what they offer and how they appear. A significant priority is given towards maximizing privacy for the vacationers during their stay on these slips, and they are able to lazily stroll across the luxury property while indulging in various amenities ranging from eateries that offer a wide array of delectable treats to the bars with a healthy collection of wines and other types of liquor.
All of these mentioned above are appealing to a significantly larger portion of the global travelers’ market. But there is one particular niche or rather, a segment of this market that has been growing at a notable pace; the Muslim travelers’ market.
According to Mastercard-CrescentRating’s Global Muslim Travel Index, the industry is expected to grow up to USD 245 million by 2030.
Maldives is a 100% Muslim nation with its state religion being Islam. Yet, for years, the country’s largest economic industry; tourism, has not adequately catered towards Muslim travelers. A more diplomatic take on this would be; that generally, when it comes to travelers and tourists at a global scale; they had conventionally originated from European and Western countries or with stronger economies. Coincidentally, most of these countries also happen to have larger non-Muslim populations – so there had been a subconscious notion for years, that only Europeans and Westerners are avid travelers, but not Muslims.
However, trends have been changing and the way we look at the world is also changing at a notable speed thanks to the advent of technological advancements and communication.
Global travel trends change consistently, and one of the more recent trends to become popular is the rise of demand for Muslim-friendly or halal-certified travel experiences as a large portion of the Muslim population are now affluent or earning sustainably to engage in traveling as a favorite past time.
It would quite honestly be, a crying shame if Maldives, a country that is known for its 100% Muslim population, and has a history of a rich and vibrant culture running synonymously with religious beliefs and practices, do not extend its world-famous hospitality offerings to Muslims all over the world. In fact, the country’s tourism industry should be a paragon of inclusivity, and a leader in Muslim-friendly amenities today; at least, that is the trajectory the country is driving towards slowly.
Recently, Maldives Halal Travels, a local tourism promoter primarily focused in marketing Halal travel experiences and options across key markets, said that they have started to witness significant growth in this niche.
In 2024, more than 176 million Muslim travelers visited various parts of the world actively contributing to the growing Muslim traveler market, with the annual figure expected to increase this year.
Maldives Halal Travels, understanding the potentiality of this, had recently marketed the Maldives in three different destinations; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malaysia, and the Philippines – countries with significant or growing Muslim populations, and could become key source markets to the Maldives. Out of the three, Malaysia’s annual arrivals to the Maldives in 2024 stood over 19,000 and was ranked 21st among the source markets; which indicates strong growth potential for the market should the Maldives train focus on attracting this Southeast Asian country.
Practical Steps for the Maldives to boost Muslim Arrivals
The first step would be to take a page out of Maldives Halal Travels, and promote the island nation as a top-of-the-mind and ideal location for Muslims across the world. For this; there are several key aspects the Maldivian tourism board could consider including:
- Ensuring a wider range of halal-certified food options are available across all the tourist properties
- Clear communication of halal-certified offerings to guests visiting these properties
- Promoting the availability of alcohol-free rooms and resorts
- Offering guests options to have mini-bars stocked only with halal beverages
The options listed above are just a few among the many effective steps the Maldives tourism industry – collectively – could exercise in making the sector attractive to more Muslim travelers or those looking for halal-certified options.
We are living in the age of information and technology and lack of utilization or integration of digital and technological tools in advancing business activities and commerce is nothing short of plain stupidity. Its a good thing that the Maldives was among the pioneers to understand the importance of integration of technology into the tourism sector; and this understanding was what led to industry leaders reaching out to international collaborators and partners to leverage assets towards expansion of digital infrastructure across the entire industry.
Today, resort bookings and reservations can be done at the tip of the finger while there are dedicated travel agents with full-suite digital solutions offering thoroughly curated travel packages that cover pick-up from your home country right down to the very last travel option before your feet touch on the white sandy beaches of your preferred holiday destinations.
All of these scream towards adequately leveraging digital tools and smart applications to boost destination marketing efforts. It is important that the Maldives invest in or partner with global platforms or applications that help travelers local halal services and other Muslim-friendly activities to draw in more travelers from this market.
Again, taking a page from Maldives Halal Travel the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) – the premier and state-backed tourism promoter – can launch wider efforts in marketing and promoting halal tourism in the Maldives. As the state-owned tourism promoter and board, MMPRC will have access to a more resources and tools that private sector promoters may lack, and therefore they must leverage this to the maximum and enhance promotional activities in key Muslim-majority sources markets; such Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Apart from this, concentrated efforts should be made in emerging Muslim-minority markets with significant outbound travel as well.
The Muslim traveler market is constantly expanding, and it is the ripe moment for the Maldives to capitalize on this and reap the rewards as well.