Mastercard and Crescent Rating’s latest research shows that the Muslim business traveller market is expected to be worth $22 billion (R296,8bn) by 2020. The ‘Muslim Business Traveler Insights’ report looked at the behaviour and preferences of business travellers across the world including Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe and the US.
According to the report, the main reasons for travel amongst Muslim business travellers are for conferences or exhibitions, and to meet clients or potential clients. An average trip lasts between three to four days.
When planning their trips, 88% of them rely on online research, while only 44% seek advice and information from family and friends. More than one in two book their own flights and hotels rather than rely on their company or travel agents.
The research also revealed that 38% of Muslim business travellers spent between $2,000 (R26 985) and $5,000 (R67 463) per business trip, with 44% spending less than $2,000 (R26 985).
The availability of prayer facilities, halal dining options and WiFi at airports are the top three most important services for business travellers. When booking a flight, the availability of Halal food and airfare emerged as the most important considerations for Muslim business travellers.
The majority of respondents (70%) avoid traveling during the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, pointing to the need for the travel industry to adjust its marketing strategies to cater to this segment’s preferences.
“Muslim Business travel is a niche market on its own which is only set to grow bigger. It should also be recognized that improving the experience of this segment from improved digital strategies, catering for their faith-based needs and personalized digital services, such as superior Wi-Fi connections, can be key to capitalizing on this market,” said Fazal Bahardeen, ceo of CrescentRating & HalalTrip.
The report’s research is based on an online survey and interviews conducted with 250 frequent Muslim business travellers from Malaysia, Singapore, the US, South Africa, Qatar, Sri Lanka, UK, India, Canada, Australia, Germany, Denmark and Pakistan.
