Issue #154: "The Muslim Friendly Tourism & Hospitality Eco-system Will be the Next Big Thing in Global Tourism!"
Insights from Malaysia, South Africa and Zanzibar, plus China, Russia & South Korea.
Welcome to Issue 154 of Asia Travel Re:Set.
Bags packed ready for this week’s Tropical Coastal Cities Tourism Summit in Sanya.
As an economics nerd, strategy development and modelling are genuine guilty pleasures. In this era of global disruption in just about everything, integrating tourism planning into national economic diversification is a developing topic. And one that the newsletter will track closely once it returns (properly) in mid-September.
Meantime, here are 3 brief updates following that train of thought…
Thanks for checking in.
The Outlook for Muslim Friendly Tourism & Hospitality in Asia Pacific
Muslim tourism is forecast to be valued at USD225 billion worldwide by 2030, with ASEAN and Asia Pacific at the centre of future growth. So how is Malaysia - which ranks joint #1 (with Indonesia) on the 2024 Global Muslim Travel Index - planning to optimise its geographical and cultural advantages to rethink its visitor economy?
On this week’s The South East Asia Travel Show, we chat with Nizran Noordin, Director General of the Islamic Tourism Centre - an agency under Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture.
Nizran outlines Malaysia's strategy for advancing Muslim Friendly Tourism & Hospitality (MFTH), and its aim to become a leading Umrah hub. He also highlights key themes of the 4th World Islamic Tourism Conference, which takes place in Kuala Lumpur on 12-13 September. (I’ll be moderating a panel, so hope to see you there!)
We discuss the efforts being made to support and promote the Muslim visitor economy in South East Asian nations such as Cambodia and the Philippines, plus regional markets like China, Russia, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macau.
We also address a key developmental challenge: creating standards and guidelines for Muslim tourism branding and marketing that can be adopted throughout the region.
Listen to 'The Outlook for Muslim Friendly Tourism in Asia Pacific, with Nizran Noordin, Islamic Tourism Centre’:
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify
Or search for The South East Asia Travel Show on any podcast app.
Rethinking Tourism Strategy in South Africa & Zanzibar
Tourism is changing around the globe. New drivers of supply and demand are meshed with myriad overarching economic, political, societal and environmental factors.
My new High-Yield Tourism Podcast, co-founded with Dr Jens Thraenhart, speaks to tourism leaders across continents about how they are rethinking their strategy to rebalance visitor economy growth and development as travel contexts shift.
In case you missed it… episode 5 headed to eastern and southern Africa to chat with Hafsa H. Mbamba, CEO of the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, and Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, about how their tourism strategies are evolving to support market diversification.
We debate an array of issues, including balanced growth, target market planning and shifting visitor perceptions while meeting challenges like seasonality, cultural asset depletion and gentrification.
Plus, we dive into innovative strategies leveraging user-generated content and social media to deliver positive benefits for the visitor economy.
Listen to ‘Rethinking Culture, Heritage & Diversity in High-Yield Tourism’:
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify
Or search for the High-Yield Tourism Podcast on any podcast app.
Developing High-Yield Tourism in Canada’s ‘Wild Side’
In episode 6, we are in conversation with Jon Mamela, Chief Commercial Officer of Travel Alberta, about the new strategic approach to tourism in one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces - which is home to Lake Louise, Banff and Jasper National Park.
How does a province that is heavily reliant on oil, gas and mining double the size of its visitor economy within a decade?
And how is the "business of tourism" being incorporated into the province’s overall economic diversification plan?
Jon discusses Travel Alberta's strategic transition through 2035, and the high-yield markets it has identified to diversify tourism revenues.
We address strategies to attract private and public investment, the role of indigenous tourism stakeholders, and segmenting visitor interests to optimise tourism value.
Plus, what are the 5 priority objectives over the next 12 months?
Listen to 'Developing High-Yield Tourism in Canada’s Wild Side':
🎧 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify
Or search for the High-Yield Tourism Podcast on any podcast app.
And, that’s a wrap for issue 154.
The Asia Travel Re:Set newsletter will be back with a new format in mid-September.
Until then, find me at LinkedIn, The South East Asia Travel Show and High-Yield Tourism.
Happy travels,
Gary