Tourism

What should you know before traveling to Turkey during the pandemic? Well, that question might be important for would-be travelers to the country and others who would like to visit it for business or other purposes. However, it may be noted that some of the advice shared on these pages may well be suited to …

Saudi Arabia starts welcoming vaccinated tourists. The country announced on Friday that it would reopen its borders to fully vaccinated foreign tourists after a 17-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state news agency SPA said on Thursday (29 July). However, Riyadh did not announce any lifting of restrictions on Umrah, which can be …

  Solo travel is a rewarding, life-changing experience that is on a lot of people’s bucket lists, but it has its challenges. As a female, you may have reservations about traveling solo; this can be especially true if you are a Muslim woman. However, with some common sense and a bit of forward planning, you …

Indonesia has huge potential to develop halal tourism, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, said at the 2021 Virtual Halal Science Conference (VIHASC) on Tuesday. “Aside from having the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia also has diverse tourism destinations that can contribute to the development of halal tourism,” Uno highlighted …

Is the Halal tourism sector recovering amid the COVID-19 pandemic? What is the Halal tourism recovery plan? How can we rebuild Halal tourism for the future? Are we ready for a post-COVID-19 Halal tourism recovery? Well, we may not have definitive answers to these and many other related questions. By looking at the recovery plans …

Have you thought of traveling to other countries in 2021 and beyond? Many Muslims would love to travel around the world to explore new destinations and cultures despite the ongoing pandemic. Well, there are not alone. The Halal Times staff has gathered information about some of the top Halal destinations for you to explore in …

Boosting the level of locals in the private sector is key to Oman’s national development goals Around 10 percent of workers in Oman’s tourism sector are now nationals, according to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism. Tourism is expected to be one of the largest industries in the country as it is trying to …

Migrant workers and local converts are swelling the ranks of Japan’s small but significant Muslim community. Before the pandemic started Muslim-friendly tourism was also boosting in the country. But, the situation was not so encouraging a few decades ago. There were “hardly any Arabs in the country,” says Mohamed Shokeir, a Muslim from Egypt, about …

Turkey’s cabinet will discuss adopting a tighter lockdown on Monday as President Tayyip Erdogan tries to prevent a second lost year of tourism revenues, officials said. After the last cabinet meeting two weeks ago, as coronavirus cases surged, Erdogan reined in social activities and travel. Total daily cases then peaked above 63,000 on April 16 …

Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Development Fund will help finance a 1.3 billion-riyal ($346.7 million) project in the holy city of Medina together with Riyad Bank, as the kingdom steps up fundraising for a key part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s program to diversify the economy. The 15 billion-riyal TDF signed an agreement with Medina-based Knowledge …

The Indonesian Haj Fund Management Agency (BPKH) is planning to invest in Saudi Arabia to help Indonesian pilgrims who want to go on the haj or umrah (minor haj) in Mecca. BPKH head Anggito Abimanyu said the agency would directly invest in hotels, airlines, and catering services to provide haj pilgrims with better services in …

In terms of sustainable tourism standards and green transformations, Kazakhstan ranked 62nd on the global ranking covering 99 countries, according to a new report of Top Countries for Sustainable Tourism released by global market research company Euromonitor International. Kazakhstan fares better than Russia and Turkey in sustainable tourism, placed in the 65th and 66th places, …

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman approved a range of initiatives to assist firms and individuals operating in support of Islamic pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah. Saudi state news agency SPA said late on Monday. The initiatives are aimed at mitigating the financial and economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic across the sector that provides support …

In an attempt to stay relevant and appeal to Taiwan’s growing number of Muslim residents and international visitors in recent years, Taiwan`s Night Markets have begun promoting halal food at some of their stalls. As part of the New Southbound Policy, the government has encouraged tourism from Southeast Asia and in 2019, an estimated two …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced a fresh redesign of its Thailand Muslim Friendly App that caters to Muslim visitors from the region to find their way around the Kingdom. With a redesigned interface to enhance the user experience, the app has now expanded its offering, adding 110 new halal-friendly restaurants, 70 new …

The halal tourism industry is slowly recovering from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia-Pacific. According to STR, a division of CoStar Group that provides market data on the hotel industry worldwide, the Asia-Pacific hotel industry has reported continued performance improvement from the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to strong domestic demand and holiday packages …

Six months ago, the global tourism industry was celebrating a record year for travel. Now, it’s decimated and facing a recovery that could take years. Tourism Economics, a data and consulting firm, predicts global travel demand won’t resume its normal pace until 2023. When tourists do finally return, they will face a changed landscape that …

Ghostly airports, countless flight cancellations, shops and restaurants closed, and a limited number of passengers: all this may have been an unfamiliar scene to frequent travelers until a couple of months ago. However, the on-going COVID-19 pandemic has made this all a reality at most airports globally. In fact, very few planes are flying these …

The coronavirus outbreak is set to wipe out more than $10 billion from Indonesia’s tourism revenue this year as leisure travel comes to a near-complete halt, the government said Thursday. The country is preparing stimulus packages for the industry and a safety net for workers to blunt the impact, President Joko Widodo said at a …

Madrid:- The deadly coronavirus epidemic will cost world tourism at least $22 billion owing to a drop in spending by Chinese tourists, the head of the World Travel and Tourism Council said Thursday. The figure does not take into account the losses due to the overall drop in world tourism by other nationalities. The COVID-19 …