How Turkey plans to boost halal tourism

The second international halal tourism conference took place in Konya, Turkey, May 3-5. The first conference was held in Spain in 2014. The choice of Konya, the city of Rumi, was not by accident. In December 2015, the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers designated Konya the capital of Islamic tourism for 2016.

Among the more than 1,000 participants were tour operators, official visitors, travel agents, artists, academics, investors and representatives from the hotel, food, airline and retailer sectors. There were 25 international speakers. The conference gave Turkey the opportunity to invest more and improve its performance in the ever-growing Muslim travel market.

The Arabic word “halal,” meaning “permissible,” is typically applied to food, but the concept is related to any product compliant with Islamic law. In August 2015, CrescentRating, “the world’s leading authority on halal travel,” published the eBook “Muslim/Halal Travel Market: Basic Concepts, Terms and Definitions.” According to the publication, halal tourism is practiced by “Muslim travellers who do not wish to compromise their faith-based needs while travelling.” The website of the halal tourism conference states, “Halal Tourism is a form of tourism for Muslims who prefer to utilize services, facilities and activities compliant with Islamic principles.”

In short, halal tourism means that transportation and visits are arranged in accordance with Islamic beliefs. For example, no alcohol is served, and only halal food is offered at meals, that is, meat is slaughtered in the name of Allah, and there are no pork products. Moreover, special attention is given to prayer facilities, with arrows indicating the direction of Mecca in rooms equipped with prayer mats.