Hoteliers target Muslim tourist market to drive their business

Sunway Hotels & Resorts was among the first to apply for Islamic Tourism Centre’s Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Recognition programme in 2020. File Photo

 

Leading hotels in Malaysia including the Hilton and Sunway brands are diversifying their options and targeting the Muslim tourist market.

They are adjusting their service offerings as they believe the Muslim tourist market holds much promise for tourism recovery beyond Covid-19.

According to Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), there are a total of 44 hotels have participated in its Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Recognition (MFAR) initiative.

The MFAR initiative promotes local hotels and resorts in Malaysia that meet the faith-based needs of Muslim tourists.

Sunway Hotels & Resorts, one of Asia's leading international hotel groups and developer of premium hotels owned by Sunway Group was among the first to apply for the MFAR programme in 2020.

Today, three of its properties in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, namely Sunway Resort, Sunway Pyramid Hotel, and Sunway Clio Hotel, have each received their Muslim-friendly recognition.

Alex Castaldi, senior general manager of hotels in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, said the group is aware that Muslim-friendly tourism is a growing market segment worth tapping into.

According to a statement issued by the group in February, it had seen a 25 per cent share of Middle East tourists in its total hotel business at the three MFAR properties.

Castaldi said Indonesia is also a big market for the group's properties.

With medical tourism in Malaysia for Indonesians on the rise, he hoped to capture a larger market share as the hotels are situated nearby Sunway Medical Centre.

Besides international tourists, the group also caters to a huge volume of domestic tourists.

Castaldi said that back in 2019, domestic tourism made up 64 per cent of the hotels' total room nights, giving more reason for the group to provide travel comforts and conveniences that cater to the local Muslims' faith-based needs.

"Given the huge potential of this sector, it's important for the hospitality industry to adapt to the halal requirements to meet the needs of Muslim tourists. A destination is then seen as increasingly attractive for Muslim travellers when such facilities and services are in place. By having this MFAR recognition by ITC, it gives the hotel an extra edge from the rest and will directly drive more arrivals to the hotel," he said in the statement.

Pullman Kuching, a five-star hotel fronting the Kuching waterfront in Sarawak also received the MFAR certification in 2020 from ITC.

Ishak Ibrahim, cluster general manager for Pullman Kuching and Pullman Miri Waterfront said in February that such a recognition helped strengthen the branding and marketing efforts carried out by the hotel.

"Though we already had all the basic services and facilities in place to meet the needs of our Muslim guests, we pursued the certification anyway so that we could use it to attract more Muslim tourists to stay with us and use our services. It makes a great marketing tool for us," he said.

Ishak further said that the hotel acknowledges the growth of the Muslim tourist market.

The latest hotelier to join the bandwagon is the international hotel brand DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur (DTHKL), managed by Hilton Worldwide.

DTHKL commercial director Bishoui Khamis said the Muslim travel market has been an important part of its business within Malaysia and he sees it as a key opportunity in the future.

"There are many reasons that guided us in arriving at our decision to obtain the MFAR certificate. We realise the potential of the Muslim travel market, and the certification is one of many steps taken to cater to this market and ensuring our Muslim guests a peace of mind while staying with us," he said in a statement shared by ITC.

Khamis said ITC's initiative will undoubtedly further strengthen the national tourism industry, especially where the Muslim-friendly travel market segment is concerned.

He is optimistic that there will be a rise in the number of Muslim guests owing to the provision of a higher level of services and offerings targeting this segment.

-nst online.