The Global Muslim Travel Index is a number that reflects which destination countries attract the most interest
from Muslim travelers around the world — a group set to become the largest tourist segment in the world within a few years, given a population of over 2 billion. The Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) has been produced by Mastercard since 2015 up to the present.
Over the years it has developed various indicators following each trend; at present it increasingly addresses the topic of female Muslim travelers.
Worth noting is that Thailand started out ranked 2nd in the world in 2015 among Non-OIC countries, or non-Muslim destination countries,
as the country that attracted the most Muslim travelers from around the world. As of 2024 we have fallen to 5th place, while Taiwan and Hong Kong, which used to sit
near the bottom of the table, have overtaken us to rank among the top spots today. Singapore has consistently held the number one spot.
What’s notable is that Japan — a country many assume is not welcoming toward Islam — has been continuously developing its Muslim-friendly systems
and is closely trailing Thailand.
What is concerning is that female Muslim travelers are increasingly seen as a key factor in travel decisions, including among
solo female travelers. But when this variable is included in the rankings, Thailand does not appear in the top 20 at all,
because of added factors such as safety for women and other privacy considerations.
At present, countries in the Asian region are seriously accelerating the development of infrastructure to serve this market, with the most notable example being Taiwan, which now ranks second or third in this form of tourism, having developed by leaps and bounds from near the bottom of the table.
The good news, however, is that Thailand still ranks among the countries with the greatest potential to develop further, near the top of that group.
The catch is that we may keep losing ground if we do not move forward with further steps.
The solution to this problem may not lie in pouring effort into building various facilities to serve Muslim customers. According to Khun Yaoharee Laeti, director of the Multicultural Islamic Wedding Entrepreneurs Group (MIWEG), a group of operators developing Islamic marriage within a multicultural setting, what should be done instead is to develop a sandbox that allows non-Muslim operators to come in and develop this market in Thailand, because serving the Muslim market is a significant undertaking, and without understanding the underlying principles, it could conflict with an organization’s existing mission, or create discomfort or friction at the operational level, due to religious and cultural differences.
Having a sandbox in which to try out various systems without losing one’s own identity would allow us to increase the number of operators developing this space, and as we gain more capable operators, this will directly improve the underlying structure, which in turn will lead to a better GMTI ranking in the future.
Nonetheless, the goal is to make Thai society open and welcoming to this group of travelers without prejudice, while still remaining true to itself, through a multicultural business structure, said Khun Yaoharee Laeti.
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