Digital Muslim Travel Report 2018 - mekongtourism.org€¦ · The Mastercard-Crescentrating Digital Muslim Travel Report 2018 represents the next step in better understanding the

Digital Muslim Travel Report 2018

October 2018

#TBC#DMTR

DMTR 2018


October 2018

DMTR 2018

Table of Contents:

Muslim Travel Market Overview

Muslim Millennials & Beyond

The Digital Muslim Travel Market

Muslim-Digital Travel Dynamics

Digital Muslim Travel Report focus

Digital Content-Empowering the Muslim Traveler

Digital Muslim Travel Report Key Insights

Malaysia & Indonesia Online Shopping behavior

Interviews

Digital Muslim Travel Survey Results

Appendix: Survey Demographics

Acknowledgments

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Disclaimer and Copyright NoticesAbout Crescentrating

Crescentrating is the leading authority on Halal travel and tourism. The company uses insights, industry intelligence, lifestyle, behavior and research on the needs of the Muslim traveler to deliver authoritative guidance on all aspects of Halal travel to organizations across the globe.

Founded in 2008, Crescentrating services are used by every tier of the tourism industry, from government bodies and tourism agencies to hospitality service providers, to better serve the needs of the Muslim traveler.

Crescentrating’s products and services include rating & accreditation, research & consultancy, training, & certfification (CR Academy), industry reports, Halal-In-Travel conferences, HalalChefWorld program, destination marketing and content provisioning. HalalTrip is a sister brand of Crescentrating.

About Mastercard

Mastercard is a technology company in the global payments industry that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, digital partners, businesses and other organizations worldwide, enabling them to use electronic forms of payment instead of cash and checks. With the company’s global payments processing network, Mastercard can facilitate the switching (authorization, clearing and settlement) of payment transactions and deliver related products and services.

Mastercard makes payments easier and more efficient by creating a wide range of payment solutions and services using our family of well-known brands, including Mastercard®, Maestro®, and Cirrus®. The company’s recent acquisition of VocaLink Holdings Limited (“Vocalink”) has expanded Mastercard’s capability to process automated clearing house (“ACH”) transactions, among other things. As a multi-rail network, Mastercard now offers customers one partner to turn to for their payment needs for both domestic and cross-border transactions. The company also provides value-added offerings such as safety and security products, information services and consulting, loyalty and reward programs and issuer and acquirer processing. Mastercard networks are designed to ensure safety and security for the global payments system.

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The annual Mastercard-Crescentrating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) Report has been tracking the overall growth of the Muslim Travel Market since 2015. The fourth edition of the report, GMTI 2018 released in April 2018, confirms the growth trajectory of this segment. Driven by an estimated 131 million Muslim International arrivals globally in 2017, this segment is projected to spend US$ 300 Billion by 2026.

Muslim Travel Market Overview

While GMTI tracks the overall market trends and ranks destinations on how Muslim-friendly they are, Mastercard & Crescentrating has continued to study the market from various other user and travel consumption patterns. These studies have been conducted to uncover deeper insights for regions, tour operators, airlines and other tourism and hospitality stakeholders to better understand and cater to their respective travel segments of Muslim travelers.

These reports include the “Muslim Travel Shopping Index 2015” which looked at the behavior of dining and shopping, “Ramadan Travel Report 2016” which analyzed the implications for destinations during the next 15 years due the changing period of the month of Ramadan, “Muslim Business Travelers Insights 2016” which tracked the behavior of Muslim Business Travelers and the “Muslim Millennial Travel Report 2017”.

Disclaimer and Copyright NoticesDigital Muslim Travel Market

2000

2010

2017

2020

2026

TravelExpenditure

25 MillionVisitors

131 MillionVisitors

98 MillionVisitors

158 MillionVisitors

US$ 300Bilion

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A key demographic group within the Muslim populous that is accelerating the growth is the Generation Y. Better known as the Muslim Millennial Travelers (MMTs), these are individuals who are between the early 80s and the late 90s.

In 2017, the Mastercard-Crescentrating Muslim Millennial Travel Report focused on this key generational group and uncovered the key 3-As attributes which MMTs seek: Authenticity, Affordability and Accessibility.

While MMTs continue to play a key role in influencing the travel industry, other generations of Muslim travelers are also seeking travel experiences that can cater to their faith-based needs. Similar to Millennials, these groups have turned to the use of digital technologies that can both empower them as well as enhance their journeys.

This report, Mastercard-Crescentrating Digital Muslim Traveler Report (DMTR) 2018, is the first comprehensive report looking at the online travel patterns, purchasing behavior and attitudes of Muslim travelers across different generational and demographic groups.

This research extends the insights uncovered in the Muslim Millennial Travel Report 2017 by looking at the larger context of the Digital Muslim Traveler market in which MMTs are a sub-segment.

Muslim Millennials and Beyond

Destination discovery

Local cuisine

Flexible itinerary

Accommodation

Transport

Experiences

Technology

Information

Sharing

Authentic Affordable Accessible

Baby Boomers

1946-1964

Gen X1965-1980

Gen Y (Millennials)1981-1994

Gen Za�er 1994

Mastercard-Crescentra�ng Muslim Millennial Travel Report 2017

Mastercard-Crescentra�ng Digital Muslim Travel Report 2018

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The Mastercard-Crescentrating Digital Muslim Travel Report 2018 represents the next step in better understanding the changing landscape of the Muslim travel market. Featuring the MMTs as well as the Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Z, this preliminary study has been undertaken to better understand the unique behaviours of Muslim travelers in the digital space.

By taking into account their online behavior, the report aims to provide key insights for the travel industry to better integrate their offline products and services with their online platforms and digital brand presence. This is important to serve the travelers of today who find and share information in a variety of ways.

In addition to the report findings, several key micro, meso and macro trends were factored for projections of future growth in the online travel space for Muslim travelers.

With the rapid proliferation of enabling online technologies and the rise of Muslim travelers, the outlook for the digital ecosystem is positive. The Mastercard-Crescentrating Digital Muslim Travel Report estimates that Muslim Travelers will spend USD$180 billion by 2026 in online travel purchases.

The Digital Muslim Travel Market

Global digital growth of 7% to 14% annually ininternet, social media & smartphone usage

Rapid growth of young Muslim popula�on

(median 24 yrs old in 2015)

Need for muslims to connect & share

Increase in annual online sales across tourism & hospitality of 10%

Need for brands to posi�on & target new markets

Increase in new digital technologies

Key Building Blocks Elevating the Digital Travel Muslim Atmosphere

USD$180 billion Online Travel purchases by 2026

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Muslim-Digital Travel Dynamics

Cluster A – Large outbound Markets with a high level of digital enablement.

Based on GMTI 2018, the top 30 Muslim Outbound Markets represent 90% of the overall Muslim visitor arrivals. This study looked at the “Digitally Enabled” environment of these markets to understand the potential of digital transactions. The destinations can be grouped into 5 distinct clusters.

Destinations that fall under this category are Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates. These are regions with large Muslim populations with a high per-capita GDP which allows a high percentage of travelers to travel internationally. Majority of the residents in these countries are digital savvy and have access to the latest digital infrastructures. These are the main markets that online travel businesses should focus on as they are online shopping natives, ideally suited for online content marketing and transactions.

Cluster B - High level of digital enablement but smaller outbound markets

Cluster E – Smaller markets with low levels of digital enablement

Countries that fall under this category are Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, UK, Germany, France, Singapore and Russia. These are countries with residents who are digital savvy and have access to the latest digital infrastructure but the population of Muslims in these countries are smaller as compared to those in Cluster A. These markets can be further sub-divided into two categories;

Travelers from these markets are already making transactions online. However, the cost of acquisition in the Muslim minority markets will be higher as the targeting needs to be very specific.

Countries that fall under this category are Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, Nigeria, Algeria, Bangladesh, India. The outbound market is small, and the levels of digital enablement is currently low.

Muslim minority markets - UK, Germany, France, Singapore and RussiaMuslim majority markets - Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Tunisia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan

Cluster C - High level of digital enablement but smaller outbound markets

Oman, Albania, Morocco and China make up this cluster. They have good digital infrastructures but still small outbound Muslim travel markets.

Cluster D – Emerging growth markets with fast growing levels of digital enablement

Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt and Iran are majority Muslim countries with a growing outbound travel market. Even though they may not have widespread digital infrastructure yet, businesses can look at these markets as medium to long term prospects. They can potentially translate to larger online travel markets with the digital enablement in the near future.

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iratesQ

atar

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Saudi Arabia

Kuwait

UK

France

Malaysia

SingaporeKazakhstan

LebanonAzerbaijan

TunisiaRussia

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anTurkey

AlbaniaIran

ChinaM

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Indonesia Egypt

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AlgeriaN

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Bangladesh Kyrgyzstan

India

Muslim

Outbound M

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Muslim

Digital Travel Landscape

Digital ecosystem

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The generational lens has been used by multiple global studies to better understand the differences in attitude across the demographic groups. This gives the industry a practical and ready segmentation criterion to empathize with different views across time.

To evaluate the Digital Muslim Travel Market and its potential for tourism destinations, tour operators, airlines, and the tourism and hospitality industries, this report looked at the following criteria across the 4 generations of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z:

Investigate the tripographic and social-demographic of Muslim travelersDevelop an understanding of the trip planning and travel decision making processAscertain the key tourism experience attributes and activities sought while travellingExamine the social media, digital behavior and overall trends in the digital space

Digital Muslim Travel Report Focus

Digital Behaviours

Des�na�ons

Wallet

Accomoda�on

TransportF&B

A�rac�ons

Connec�on

Baby Boomers(Current age 54 to 72)

Gen X(Current age 38 to 53)

Millennials(Current age 24 to 37)

Gen Z(Current age less than 24)

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A key insight uncovered from the Mastercard-Crescentrating Digital Muslim Travel Report is the deeper role of online sites and tools. Beyond just a mere channel to complement offline products and services, the digital space is proving to play an integral role in enabling Muslims to better plan and experience their travels, taking in to consideration their faith based needs.

With Millennials leading most of the usage, other generations too are displaying similar behavioral patterns in terms of their use of online tools when it comes to planning and booking their trips. They are also turning to social networking services to stay connected and share their stories in their own unique ways with family and friends.

The digital age has truly unlocked the potential of Halal travel for all generations.

Digital Content Empowering The Muslim Travelers

Area Offline Presence Only Offline + Online Presence

Delivery Limited to tradi�onal promo�ons channels such as travel exhibi�ons, word-of-mouth

Online channels and pla�orms unlock mul�ple promo�onal methods

Reach Unable to effec�vely reach Millennial travelers

Led by Millennials, all genera�ons are now plugged-in and ready to receive content

Engagement One-way informa�on dissemina�on with li�le feedback mechanisms

User-generated content of des�na�ons promotes credibility and is cost-effec�ve

Differen�a�on Differen�a�on dependent on offline products and services, des�na�on uniqueness only

Des�nations and services can also differen�ate via their online presence which serve to complement and enhance offline offerings

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DMTR 2018 Key Insights

Digital is Real & Transcends Generations

Digital Muslim Travelers Are Global Citizens

Key Insight: Although MMTs are the largest segment of digital users, there is no distinct difference in widespread digital behavior across generations.

Key Insight: Social media platform preferences and internet behaviors similar to global trends.

Impact: Destinations and service providers should adapt digital offerings and social media implementation for all travelers of all ages.

Impact: Destinations need to ensure that their messages reach Muslim travelers through both maintream online channels and niche sites targeting Muslims.

Mixed Online Platforms Used Per Product or Service Journey

Key Insight: Muslim travelers use a mix of PC and mobile platforms based on product types and preferences.

Impact: Online sites needs to be agile enough to appear properly in different platforms, and smart enough to promote the right content based on the user's intention.

When it comes to the digital space, much of the focus has been on the millennials. While this group is key to driving digital trends, not much was understood on how the other generational segments differed from their MMT leaders, particularly in the travel space.

A key insight from this report is that other generations too are using digital media and technologies in similar ways to improve their travel experiences. Digital transcends being just a channel and is helping to shape Muslim traveler identities and new experiences.

A wide range of content is searched and consumed by Muslim travelers when planning their trips, during the trip and post trip. The figure gives the main user profiles visiting Crescentrating's sister brand HalalTrip and the types of content consumed by them.

What content are consumed by Muslim Travelers

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In-depth look at the Online Shopping Behavior of Malaysians and Indonesians

The study also covers in-depth insights of online shopping in Malaysia and Indonesia, two Muslim majority countries. Online shopping is no longer a novel way to shop, as consumers in these countries are digital natives and majority will access the internet several times a day using mostly smart phones. Majority of the respondents surveyed were found to have made at least one purchase in the last three months and have been shopping online for at least 2.5 years.

Consumers value security, ease and convenience in their online transactions and purchases. They also require the website to be user-friendly and the speed of transaction to be fast. Furthermore, majority prefer not to have additional costs associated with their purchases (such as shipping and payment charges).

Overall, consumers in both countries are increasingly satisfied, trusting, confident and comfortable in shopping online as there is a year-on-year increase of online shoppers. The percentages of consumers browsing and then making online purchases have surged over the last 3 years, implying that more consumers are browsing with the intention to purchase.

When it comes to mobile payments, 40.4% of Malaysians and 32.4% of Indonesians are comfortable with making payments, implying that more than half of the consumers in both countries still have reservations. Main reasons cited were (1) not feeling safe having card/bank details stored on mobile device in case of losing mobile device (2) preferring to pay by cash and (3) having concerns about security and privacy of personal and payment information stored in a digital wallet.

Desktop or laptop computers are the most popular devices used to shop online followed by mobile phones and tablets. Respondents who did not use mobile devices to shop cited that they preferred shopping on their desktop or laptop computers instead while the ones who do use mobile devices to shop do so mainly because they can shop while on the go.

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InterviewsAisha Islam - Mastercard

Shaji Abu Salih - Shaza Hotels

Shiraz Sideek - Gen BBYusof Kassim - Gen X

Adinah Binte Mazlan - Gen YNurul Amalina Binte Suhaimi - Gen YNur Hazirah Binte Jamaludin - Gen Z

Sesth Shahfawi - Gen Z

Interview (Mastercard)

Aisha IslamVice President,Market Product Management,Mastercard

1) What are some of the travel trends you have observed in the online transaction space?

There is no doubt that digitalization has had a profound effect on the way the travel industry communicates and interacts with travelers today. Digitalization has also resulted in unique opportunities in the realm of payments. Key trends driving the online payments space include:

1 Fifth Annual Mastercard Digital Payments Study

2 Statista, E-commerce share of total global retail sales from 2015 to 2021

• Any device can become a payment device: As technology becomes more pervasive, everyone can be a merchant and any device can be used to make or accept payments. With the rise of peer-to-peer travel trends, travelers can connect and make payments to locals for an authentic experience.

• Growing interest in new payments technologies: According to the Mastercard Mobile Payments Study 2016, there is heightened interest in the application of new technologies to make shopping faster, easier and more secure . Today, consumers can imagine completing a purchase with the simple nod of their head. They are also looking for new forms of payments that provide enhanced security, reduce fraud and go beyond the traditional need for passwords for safety.

• Customer experience is the gold standard: As we become more comfortable with using new forms of payments, customer experience becomes a competitive differentiator. Getting experience right means capturing traveler loyalty and allegiance.

• Mobile payments are everywhere: Retail e-commerce sales are expected to account for 17.5 percent of all retail sales worldwide . Thanks to APIs and open loop banking systems, mobile payments are ubiquitous.

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3 Mastercard Press Release, August 30, 2017, Turning Smartphones into Payment Terminals

4 Mastercard Press Release, October 6, 2015, MasterCard Identity Check to Simplify and Strengthen Online Shopping

5 Mastercard Press Release, March 29, 2017, Mastercard Enhances Security of the Internet of Things with the Acquisition of

NuData Security Inc.

2) What are the new developments Mastercard is initiating to accelerate the growth of the offline to online purchasing behavior?

At Mastercard, we are constantly investing our time, resources and efforts into building products and solutions that provide our two billion plus cardholders enhanced safety, security, convenience, and peace of mind when making purchases. This is part of the company’s commitment to build a world beyond cash, where every person, every payment and every device is protected.

Some of the recent developments by Mastercard to accelerate online purchasing behavior are:

• Transforming connected devices into commerce devices: Mastercard Digital Enablement Services (MDES) is a service that powers third party mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Android Pay (now re-branded to Google Pay). It also enables consumers to make payments through wearables like Fitbit and Garmin. With MDES, users can store a digitized version of their card on their phone or wearable device of their choice and make payments at merchants without ever sharing their real card number or card information. The service makes transactions safer and more secure, while eliminating the possibility of the merchant or cashier ever stealing the consumer’s card information.

• Developing the next generation of commerce solutions: Under Mastercard’s Start Path program, we are mentoring and supporting companies that are breaking ground in new types of payments. For example, one of the startup companies in the program is Mobeewave . Their technology enables smartphones to accept contactless payments without external hardware. By supporting such companies, Mastercard is directly helping to drive the growth and adoption of digital and electronic payments.

• Simplifying and strengthening the online shopping experience: Mastercard has a suite of technology solutions that improves the security features behind a customer’s online transaction. One example of such a technology is the Mastercard Identity Check Program . The program identifies users by using unique personal characteristics such as fingerprints or facial recognition. During checkout in a web store, the customer will receive a pop-up on their mobile phone, through which they can authorize payments via finger scan or selfie recognition. Another example of an innovative safety and security solution is NuData. In 2017, Mastercard acquired NuData Security , a global technology company whose product – NuDetect – identifies authentic users from potential fraudsters based on their online, mobile app and smartphone interactions, flagging those that represent the highest risk.

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3) What are some trends you have observed in the online travel space?

The online travel space has seen rapid growth, as well as, change in the past decade. A key trend driving growth is increased internet penetration, especially in emerging markets. Combined with increased mobile penetration, online travel players are extensively offering services through mobile websites and apps. According to Google Consumer Insights more than half of travelers in India (87%), Japan (59%), and South Korea (53%) and nearly half of travelers in Australia (45%) are comfortable researching, booking and planning their entire trip to a new travel destination using only a mobile device . This means that not only are travelers researching destinations, they are also purchasing flights, booking hotels or in-destination travel experiences from their mobile devices.

The new travel experience is a personalized experience. Personalization continues to drive loyalty and allegiance for travel brands. Data collected from every customer touchpoint – online and offline – combined with advanced analytics means that travel brands have information and tools to create personalized products and communications. In the online travel space, this means that travel brands are deploying technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots to enable the connected traveler to self-serve the information they need and make the travel experience itself more meaningful and frictionless.

4) What specific online information would be valuable for your Muslim travel markets?

Modern Muslim travelers are tech-savvy and spend a significant amount of time online researching and planning their travel. Businesses have a variety of tools to collect and analyze data on the online purchase of travel packages of this segment at their disposal. The key to winning in this segment is providing them information, as well as, services that cater to their faith-based needs.

5) Can you share some new digital developments you are exploring which will benefit your Muslim travelers?

Mastercard is committed to working with key industry partners such as HalalTrip and CrescentRating, on collaborative research and product development, in its efforts to drive growth in the Muslim travel sector. For example, we recently collaborated with CrescentRating and HalalTrip to launch unique and holistic travel packages to more than 25 key destinations. Based on insights from the partners, Mastercard was able to offer cardholders with complete end-to-end travel experiences that addressed their faith-based needs in addition to providing rewards, ease, convenience and safety when using a Mastercard card.

6 Google / Phocuswright Travel Study 2017

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Interview (Shaza Hotels)

Shaji Abu SalihArea Director ,Sales & Business Strategies,Shaza Hotels

1) What types of online channels do you have to cater to travelers?

The most important need is to have visibility, diversity and ease of use. Hence, we are featured for booking in all major OTAs, B2B/B2C platforms, TPI (Third party internet sites) and loyalty sites like GHA.com. We have our own booking site shazahotels.com where we are currently developing an app for consolidating our guest services and booking facilities in a single platform. Our booking engine, powered by Sabre, has been designed in a way to convert a query in 3 easy steps, taking less than 20 seconds to make a booking and receive immediate confirmation. It is also linked to our loyalty program where customer is recognized and rewarded at the same time of booking. We also ensure that we are live and updated on all review platforms like TripAdvisor and so on, as these are indirect platforms triggering the buying decision. Our social channels also have booking links where a customer visit can be converted to a booking.

2) Where do most of your online visitors come from?

Our largest online visitors are from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia followed by UK, India, Pakistan, Levant and US. The most number of bookings converted are from KSA, followed by other GCC countries, UK, India/Pakistan and South East Asia

3) What are some trends you have observed in the online travel space?

Online platforms have grown to a stage where traditional travel agent concept is slowly and surely disrupted and diminished. The distribution platforms have grown in numerous ways and sizes that the hotels and service providers need to have channel managers to keep up the distribution, reach and parity to exist. At the user side, all these channels have been consolidated to one single device, making their choices fast and easily. It’s no more single dimensional platform rather aggregators and consolidators where you have

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3 Mastercard Press Release, August 30, 2017, Turning Smartphones into Payment Terminals

4 Mastercard Press Release, October 6, 2015, MasterCard Identity Check to Simplify and Strengthen Online Shopping

5 Mastercard Press Release, March 29, 2017, Mastercard Enhances Security of the Internet of Things with the Acquisition of

NuData Security Inc.

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influencers seeding a travel idea, review platforms to check the recommendations, travel sites organizing from visas to hotels, transfers, tours and so on. And the industry is going to a direction where you consolidate all this to a single platform!

4) What specific online information would be valuable for your Muslim travel markets?

It’s a niche market with specific needs and requirements. So primarily, the muslim traveler would be keen on knowing if the basics like halal food and environment are a standard. They would definitely seek for recommendations and reviews from other users who had experienced the product. The buying stimulators would be the halal add-ons like offering halal friendly experiences, separate pools, tours, local experiences and facilities to observe faith-based needs.

5) Can you share some new digital developments you are exploring which will benefit your Muslim travelers?

We have plans to develop a Shaza App where it’s not only mere a booking site but also allows the customer to manage their hotel experiences, product awareness and services. We have intentions to include halal friendly experiences as a value add-on for our guests where they can experience the local culture, nature and other activities that are halal friendly. The site will also feature external service providers who offer halal friendly experiences in the places where our hotels are located.

Interview (Baby Boomer)

Shiraz SideekManagement Consultant,Colombo

1) Give us a brief overview of yourself.

I am a retired Islamic Banker and am presently working as a Management Consultant primarily in Banking and Finance. I have widely travelled and am exposed to South Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

2) What types of sites and online information do you often use in planning your trips?

I am used to booking my own trips so the sites that I use are primarily hotel booking websites, TripAdvisor and Airline booking websites.

4) Why is staying connected online during the trip important to you as a Muslim traveler?

I am always on my phone - mainly for work so I depend a lot on mobile applications that run on data or WiFi to communicate with colleagues and family. By having access to internet, I am also able to obtain information of my current location, how to go to my next destination using Google maps and locate halal restaurants and hotels.

5) Can you share a memorable experience where online information assisted you as a Muslim traveler?

I was working in London recently and had to locate the closest prayer hall as the office I was assigned to did not have the prayer facility. Being connected to the internet assisted me in locating the one closest to me simply by searching on Google Maps which had the closest prayer halls and Jumma masjid pinned.

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6) As a Muslim traveler, what do you wish to see more in the online space?More authentic and certified halal restaurants in major cities of the world.

Many of the sites available today are either outdated or not dependable with the information they carry.Today you tend to trust only if the restaurant is run by a muslim and not for any publicized rating or certification.

7) How often do you share your travel experiences and through which online channels (social media apps, blogs etc)?

Generally I do not share my travel information on social media.

8) What influences your travel purchase decision? Please specify and elaborate (e.g. online website reviews, Tripadvisor, social media influencers, TV programmes, etc).

Generally its Trip Advisor and to a lesser extent social media influencers.

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Interview (Gen X)

Yusof KassimEngineer,Singapore


I am a 50-year-old engineer, married with two children who are both in university. My wife is a teacher and we take family trips with our children once a year and another annual trip without them. We typically prefer to travel overseas to new places with cool weather and not places we have already been to.

3) What kind of information do you seek when trip planning?

We look at weather conditions, road conditions, prefer less touristy and more scenic places. We try to interact with locals to get a feel of the place.


Usually, we look for flight tickets by googling ‘flight promotions to ....’. This google search would lead to various websites which we will select several and start comparing. For accommodations, we’ll either use Airbnb (as we prefer apartments with cooking facilities to cater to our halal food requirements) or Booking.com or Hotel.com. One of which has an attractive free night of accommodation for every ten nights booked. We enjoyed two free nights in Bath this year. For road trips, we rent cars through Rentalcars or websites of local car rental companies of the country we are travelling to.


It’s important to get real-time info on halal and Muslim-friendly accommodations especially when there is a local Muslim community to interact with.

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While traveling in York, we found information on halal high-tea and had great time there and especially when interacting with the chocolate company’s staff. It’s great to know that Muslim travelers pose great opportunity for these businesses such that halal options are prepared.


Very rarely as we try to keep it within the family for fear of being mistaken as being showy.


I tend to check online website reviews and decide which ones to book. I also tend to be interested to visit a place or engage in certain activities from seeing travel TV programmes plus recommendations from friends and family.

6) As a Muslim traveler, what do you wish to see more in the online space?

Probably Muslim travelers sharing on their experiences traveling to less-touristy places.

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Interview (Gen Y)

Adinah Binte MazlanRegistered NurseSingapore


Hey, I am Adinah Mazlan! As a registered nurse and an adventure-seeker, I always try to juggle the crazy shift work and wanderlust. I have an insatiable thirst for travel and experiences that involve taking risks and learning about new cultures. Capturing the world and chasing adventures is important to me as it is easy to lose yourself in the comforts of familiarity… but travel pushes you to look beyond what you know and keep a broad mind. This is because nothing quite extinguishes ignorance like first-hand experiences allowing us to practice humility – often providing us spiritual renewal by exploring the beauty of this world and marvel over the magnificence of Allah’s creations. Basically, I am a travel junkie who is always in the midst of planning my next trip!


My first step to planning a trip would be focused on the intent of the trip and also to know and understand the needs of the people who will be traveling. These are important factors for me to start researching and make decisions of the country to visit and also on the various destinations and neighbouring cities to be visited within the country.


I use several online websites and social media applications which are travel and tourist related to compare the available options, recommendations and reviews from bloggers and alike travelers. The websites which I frequent most when I plan my trips would be Google, Expedia, Agoda, Hotels.com, Skyscanner, Trip Advisor, direct hotel websites and airlines, AirBnB, Halal tourism websites, Google Maps, tourism boards of the local country which I will be visiting, weather forecast sites, Facebook, Twitter and travelers’ Instagram photos depicting their latest vacation postings.

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It will be especially convenient for Muslim travelers to stay connected online while on the go to check on Muslim friendly travel options; the location of Mosques or prayer areas within Muslim friendly hotels or shopping malls, compass for Qibla, availability of Halal food options and even to check on the individual ingredients stated on food packaging/ labels. With the ability to clarify and confirm, Muslim travelers will potentially feel more reassured and at ease with their purchase. Also, if a Muslim traveler is travelling to a non-English speaking country, staying connected online will provide the option of having a translator app to ease communications.

The impact of staying connected online while traveling, especially to popular and common social media applications like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - would also provide greater convenience to get latest updates from past and current travelers on places of interests, food options, services and many more.


As an avid traveller, I have become adept at merging my obligations as a Muslim with wanderlust. As I will try as much to obey the religious requirements on halal food and daily prayers, I was truly appreciative one night in Seoul when I discovered a comprehensive list of halal restaurants (with opening hours and directions) after late-night shopping. It is especially difficult when visiting foreign places where we didn’t know anyone or how to speak the language. This ‘halal guide’ provided useful information not just on halal restaurants but also places to pray, Muslim-friendly accommodation and other destination tips, making my Seoul trip really easy and very convenient.


As I do not own a blog, the only social networking services I use daily are Facebook and Instagram; which I update on a daily basis while traveling. Facebook and Instagram are platforms where I try to capture worthy moments and experiences from the trips with family and friends. Occasionally, I would refer back to the postings to reflect and reminisce or refer to others for recommendations.


Generally, the number of Muslim travelers are increasing over the world. There are available options by tour agencies offering Halal/ Muslim friendly packages, however, high cost may deter Muslim travelers to opt for this option. Hence, as an alternative, it would be helpful for the official online tourism board sites of each country to offer affordable packages, pick and choose options, and provide instantaneous access to official and real-time updated sites to provide valuable and convenient information for Muslim travelers to enjoy a comfortable and memorable experience while they are traveling. It would also be very helpful if the tourism board websites can provide accredited links of halal bloggers for tech-savvy, Muslim travelers to refer to.

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When it comes to travel purchase meaning high-investment, I tend to lean on evaluations from family and friends due to the trusted influence of personal recommendations. Additionally, for myself, instead of consulting a travel agent, travel bloggers/ vloggers are my main go-to source for travel related information and recommendation. Travel pages that includes video and blog content captures my interests which greatly influences my choice of travel destination. Moreover, prior to selecting accommodation, attractions or restaurant, I would always reference several reviews especially on TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Agoda and Expedia. As these online reviews offer platforms which provide readily available opinions and feedbacks, it renders useful in better understanding my purchases, hence building the confidence in making a purchasing decision. Finally, what increases credibility and reputation would be the management responses to feedbacks and it would cement my assurance of the purchase.

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Interview (Gen Y)

Nurul Amalina Binte SuhaimiOperations Technician Singapore


I am a 26-year-old female, full-time working adult with 5 years of working experience. I love traveling to experience different cultures and to try out new things that I cannot get from my home country.


Just like any traveler, I often search for information of the season or weather of the place I’m traveling to and during the duration of my trip to ensure that I pack the right clothes, footwear and items needed to get me through the trip and also to decide when to travel to that place. I also search for websites that will inform me of any special events of my interests that will be held at the city/location I’m traveling to and I also tend to schedule my trip duration, dates and itinerary around it. I would monitor flight booking sites to see if there are any fare promotions and check the accessibility between places in that city/country and the compare the costs (public transport/city taxis/driving required).


I often use a combination of official tourism website, travel blogs and travel websites of the country I am visiting to check the season or weather of the place I’m traveling to and also for any special events of my interests that will be held at the city/location I’m traveling to. Besides that, I regularly check flight booking sites to see if there are any great airline offers and discounts.

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As someone who is an outdoor person and love sports and adventure activities, I would check for the list of activities I can do and also for insurance coverages at intended location. I also find and note on information of location and operating hours of Singapore embassy/consulate office in the intended destination in case of any emergencies. As a muslim, I would seek for halal/muslim-friendly eateries available within the vicinity/in the city. I also check for mosques and prayer facilities available.


Staying connected helps me better execute my travel plans and navigate around the city better (I always plan my own trips, unless joining guided tours for adventure sports) and knowing where, when and how to get help when necessary is really assuring. On top of that, staying connected can help you access the prayer times of the different cities and getting to the nearest mosques/prayer facilities and getting to food establishments that serves Halal/Muslim-friendly food.


For almost all my travels, the information I got online for the food establishments that serves Halal/Muslim-friendly food always saves me from the brink of hunger. I am mindful and only eat halal so I am really grateful for online information that tells me of such eateries.


I always upload photos of my travels during the trip itself to social media platforms and sometimes I check-in my location to take note and share of places worth checking out.


I feel that as we are all technologically-advancing, all kinds of information, pertaining to matters that strongly influence our decision-making when making travel plans, are almost always readily available. With so many travel blogs sharing the essential knowledge of your intended destination and some sharing travel hacks, it is really essential to be able to get updated information online (which might not be the case sometimes as food establishments/businesses relocate and cease operations without that information being updated online). Hence, I wish for the information available online to always be readily updated so that I can avoid any inconveniences.

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I rely a lot on online website reviews and Tripadvisor to determine the kind of activities that are available and I can expect during the intended time of travel. If the activity or lodging has bad reviews, I would most likely not go for it and assess on a case-by-case basis. When finding hotels/accommodations, I often read the reviews of the accommodation I had shortlisted, weigh which one is better overall in terms of value for money and tend to book accommodation on Airbnb under ‘Superhosts’ as they are always more willing to accommodate to your requests and answer your enquiries promptly. I regularly tune in to TV travel programmes and documentaries of places that I haven’t been to and it would really pique my interest. Also, whenever there are airline travel offers that are well-suited to my duration of travel, I would not hesitate to purchase.

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Interview (Gen Z)

Nur Hazirah Binte Ja-maludinStudentSingapore


Hey! I'm Hazirah and I'm a 19-year-old student who's currently taking Diploma in Communications and Media Management in Temasek Polytechnic. I am rather passionate about the media world through magazines, broadcast, and even social media. I personally think the media plays an important role in lifestyles today. As much as I think these platforms may be advocating the wrong values, I do feel that these platforms are also vital in advocating the good ones like self-love, inspiration, etc.

I'm also one who loves traveling. I aspire to travel and explore the different cultures, at the same time, learn more of my own religion (Islam) through my journey. There are a lot of things I have in mind (to travel) but at this age, I have restrictions hence, I see myself planning and planning even if I know I won't be able to travel at the moment. I think technology gives me the ability to be a 'traveler' even before I travel to be one.

I still travel regularly with family and at times with school. Traveling with family involves ensuring we stay in the budget, convenient halal-food places around, shopping malls, and activities that are less extreme. While traveling with school, we are on a tight schedule all the time and we don't usually expect the whole group to be accommodating to our religious needs. Everything is pretty much planned, and I really want to take a step forward and explore and experience traveling solo in the future.


I use online websites like Skyscanner, Agoda, Google Maps, Airbnb significantly more than any other websites. Most of the time, I feel that flights and accommodation are the

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extremely important components for a holiday. I am not too worried about the things to do at the destination because some countries have tour agencies in the town area. Other than that, we can always go to the museums, shopping malls that we can look for along the way. Of course, it wouldn't be an ideal itinerary but usually I would research on flight and accommodation first and get that sorted out.

As for activities, I would refer to local tour agencies in the country or city that I'm traveling to. Most of the time, these tour packages would come with a transportation, making it easy for when I'm traveling with family. However, when traveling with friends, I would look out for all-in-one attraction passes, giving me an option to go cashless when redeeming or buying tickets. I feel that it is easier to purchase physical tickets beforehand so that we don't have to set aside a sum of money for ticket fees.


When trip planning, I will have to compare flight prices across the days and figure out what are the best dates to travel to the destination. The travels dates may also differ due to the type of weather at the destination. I would also research for the availability of Halal food options in the area. I would research for which is the best area that has the most halal eateries available. This way I would be able to plan my stay within that area because it would be extremely convenient in case we need to grab some halal food in the evening or at night.

I would also search for the kind of attractions in the country and figure out if the activities suggested are suitable for the group of people that I'm traveling with. It is also important to see if the ticket prices may be over the budget or if it is value-for-money. I will have to go on a few sites to check for the best price possible.

Transportation is an important factor that we will have to research on. Whether or not the public transportation is accessible enough, would it be cheaper to charter a minivan or a taxi, how to get from the airport to the city, these are the considerations that we will have to think of prior to traveling.

Initially, when I was traveling with the family at a young age, we would always resort to getting a private minivan for the whole family. However, now that I'm older and I'm able to navigate my way through the subway station maps, etc., the family is now more open to public transportation.


Staying connected is extremely important as a Muslim traveler. This includes finding the direction of qibla, finding Halal food places, and finding prayer places. Often, as a traveler, I find myself praying in the hotel room more than I would in the mosques or prayer places nearby. I feel that it is easier and more comfortable to pray in my own space. It is during that time I may want to take a break from being outside. This usually happens when my plans for the day are just within the area. However, if my plans on that day requires me to

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be out the whole time, then I really need to stay connected to find the direction of qibla.

Staying connected is also important when I'm looking for halal food nearby. Navigating my way to the halal restaurant through google maps. At times, I see myself searching on the internet whether a certain ingredient is permissible. This is especially true when I am buying a snack from the convenience store and they don’t display a halal certification. Hence, I would have to scan through the ingredients and description thoroughly.


Traveling in Hong Kong is extremely difficult if one is not connected to the internet or have not researched on the halal food places online. During my travel to Hong Kong, we depend highly on the information online.

While we were in Hong Kong Disneyland, we were so fortunate to see that there are a few eateries that are halal certified. If we didn't know about the existence of these halal eateries, we might have resorted to bringing in snacks and somehow it may not give a full experience on Disneyland. Also, fortunately, we read that prices at the restaurants that are halal-certified were very overpriced and we found out that there is a cheaper option that we can try. The Main Street Market has halal-certified options. Although they only offer light bites like waffles and hot dog buns, they also have turkey legs that are huge. Hence, we went for that since they are so much cheaper.


Always. I always share my travel experiences online through Instagram. However, my mum, she prefers to share her travel experiences on Facebook since that is where all her friends are. Facebook is a platform that lets you post pictures in bulk. However, I feel more


As a Muslim Traveler, I wish to see more filter options that could cater to our needs as Muslims. For example, when searching for an accommodation online, I wish to see a 'halal food options nearby' or 'serves halal food options' checkbox in the filter section to help me in my research. I feel that it is obvious now that everyone travels. In fact, Muslims now have a specified market in the tourism industry that focuses on catering to this demographic. I would always have to take the extra step to search for halal food places in a certain area on a separate page.

I also hope that hotels are open with having prayer mats at least for their guests. It would be great if hotels can give prayer mats to their guests upon request. I think that would add extra value in the hotels. The hotels in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have been integrating this and I think it's great. Often, I would use the prayer mat provided in the prayer place. Other than that, if I am traveling to a country where Muslims are not a norm, then I would bring my own prayer mat.

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comfortable sharing my travel experiences on Instagram because that platform is widely-used among my friends. I would actively use the Insta-story feature to give real-time experiences. Most of the time, the things that I post on Insta-story are not pictures that are casual, etc.

I have shared my travel experiences on a blog once, but I realize that it takes a little longer to sit down and type it all out into a blog post. I think Instagram has somehow implied that photos must be aesthetically pleasing to be posted on the Instagram feed and I think that’s why some prefer to post on Insta-story because it would only last for a day.


My travel purchase decisions rely a lot on blog articles and social media posts that I see on Instagram. At some point, my travel purchase decision would depend on social media influencers, however, I am aware that the places that they have been are not necessarily budget-friendly. Hence, I would refer to articles like ‘7 Hidden Gems in Bali’. I feel that these articles give me an overview of what I could do in the city.

Also, I feel that a lot of my travel purchases depend highly on vlogs! Vlogs makes everything so much simpler to visualize. They give this sense of assurance that I can travel just like them. Videos are highly influential especially when these places that they go are displayed in a way that anything is possible. For example, I feel the urge to try road-tripping when these vlogs help me visualize what it feels like to road trip and how fun it can be.

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Interview (Gen Z)

Sesth ShahfawiStudentSingapore


I’m Sesth Bin Shahfawi, a 22-year-old Republic Polytechnic student pursuing Mass Communication. I live in a family of 5. I am currently on my 1st month of my internship at HalalTrip as a content manager. I will be staying throughout the final semester of my school which lasts for 4 months. I love football and I play music during my free time.

As a traveler, I have gone to a few states and islands within Malaysia and Indonesia. I have not really traveled anywhere further than that because as a student, I do not the financial capabilities to do so. The places I have traveled to include Bandung, KL, Pulau Tioman and Jakarta.

When I travel, I seek adventurous and sporty activities that are way too expensive to be done in Singapore. I also plan out a proper itinerary before heading for my vacations, so that I can cover as many places and activities as possible while I’m away.


I do not have any specific site or online platform that I use when I am doing my research before my trip. I would usually sit with my friends who are coming along on the trip with me and we start looking for as much information as we can on the location we are visiting.

We simply google what we want to find out and start exploring the different sources that appear. The factors that we seek for when deciding the credibility of the site is its formatting. There is a very clear distinction between a website from an established body and a website from an amateur user. If the website looks shady, we probably would just close it and find other sources that look more professional.

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We would also search the hashtag on Instagram or twitter and read what people have to say about the destination. We do this because we want to find as many unbiased reviews as possible.


Firstly, we would seek for the cheapest alternative for transportation and accommodation. Like I mentioned, I am a student and most of the time I travel with students as well so we really cannot spend too much on our vacations. Finding cheaper modes of transportation and accommodation can help us save a lot.

Secondly, we would search for fun activities that we can do. I have to make sure it’s not too far away from my hotel and within my budget. My trips are usually very short ones. At most, 4 days. So, I have to research on the duration of those activities so I can properly squeeze in as many activities as possible into my short stay.

Lastly, we would seek for information on food. Fortunately, the countries that we have visited so far are Muslim countries, so it was easy for us to find Halal food. However, we have to do a lot of prior research, so we do not end up eating at food places that do not practice good hygiene or charge us too much for their mediocre food.


I wish to have an app that can do all that job for me rather than having to check difference sources on the internet. It is time consuming and it’s hard for us to decide if a source credible. An app that does it all would make everything so much easier.I also would like a certification to be given to Muslim-related sites that are reliable. During my trip with my family, we spent so much time asking if the information that a source is giving us regarding the halal status of a food place is true or not.


There was an instance where I traveled to Bandung and the hotel was in the middle of nowhere. Before we decide where to go, we needed to be very sure where we are heading to as it would be a long way back if we end up not liking the place we chose.So my family and I went to search online for a Halal food place that has a Muslim – friendly attraction nearby. My grandmother also wanted us to make sure that there is a place that she can perform her prayers around the area. Lucky for us, the food place had a prayer room for their customers.

When we reached the place, we also used an app where you can detect where the kiblat is. This app can only function if there is internet connection.

Without these online services, we would not be able to decide on the most suitable place to go to.

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I share my travel experience at least twice every time I travel. I would do it on the 2 platforms that I am active, which are twitter and Instagram. My first post is usually done when I am still on my vacation. For me, it is just to tell people that I am currently on my vacation and show them how much fun I am having.

My second one is made when I am back. It usually serves as an overall review of my experience at that country. Usually, what I will touch on is the feeling I get in the country that I don’t feel anywhere else. For instance, the calmness I felt at Tioman when I sat by the sea in the middle of the night.

I feel like there is a need to share my experiences on social media is because I do not want to be the only one that gets to enjoy those moments. My posts are like invites to my followers to travel there too so that they can be as satisfied as I was.

Lastly, it would be nice if there is an internet explorer that is dedicated to Muslim related sites. An explorer that only consist of Muslim – related content. The articles that appear on our google search do not always match what we want to search for. With this filter, we would spend less time scrolling for suitable answers.


First factor that influence my travel purchase is the price. I am not one who spends much money purchasing stuffs from countries I travel too. I usually watch online reviews to estimate the cheapest price I can get an item for. If I come across that item and it is way more expensive than that price, I probably won’t get it.

Social media influencers also play a huge part in influencing my purchase decision. When I see an influencer having so much fun traveling to a country, I will tell myself “One day I will go there”. Once I have enough cash and sufficient free time, I would travel to some of the attractions featured.

TV programmes have the least influence as I know how much money has been pumped in to advertise on this platform so I feel like they lack honesty and very biased. Apart from that, I also rarely watch TV these days so I do not see much advertisements or show that are related to travel.

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Digital Muslim Travelers Report Analysis

The aim of this survey is to understand, indentify and evaluate the profile of the Digital Muslim Travel (DMT) market globally and its potential for tourism destinations, tour operators, airlines and the tourism and hospitality industry. Specifically, this report looks at the following:

This section provides a detailed understanding of the travel motivations, trip planning behaviors and preferences.

They highly value travel as a lifestyle and life experience and travel for numerous reasons. Among the people surveyed, the most common purposes were: (1) leisure and holiday, (2) experiencing local culture and heritage, and (3) visiting friends and relatives (Figure 1). Travel is often more than just unwinding it is often undertaken to seek new experiences and adventures, to foster social bonding and for personal growth.

The study outlines the social-demographic and trip profiles of Digital Muslim Travelers in terms of the level of influence digital technologies have on their outbound travel decision making process and tourism experiences. Insights into the social and digital media habits and online consumer behavior are also presented. Quantitative data was obtained through an online survey (Digital Muslim Travelers Survey) conducted between August to October 2018.

A detailed overview of the demographics of respondents in the DMT Study is presented

• Investigating the tripographic and social-demographic• Developing an understanding trip planning and travel decision making process and the level of influence digital technologies have.• Examining the social media behavior and trends in the contemporary digital space• Evaluating and analyzing Digital Muslim Travelers Market potential, online consumer behavior and characteristics within the context of specific tourism and hospitality industry sectors. • Recommendations to better capture this market

Travel Patterns and Tripographic Profile

Reasons for traveling

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When asked on the frequency of their trips, majority of the respondents traveled 2-3 times in a year, while 21% traveled once a year (Figure 2). Each trip duration for majority of the respondents averaged 4-6 days while 36% traveled an average of 1-2 weeks per trip (Figure 3).

Frequency of Travel and Travel Duration

Figure 4 illustrates the average spending patterns and how much they spend on flights, accommodation, meals, shopping and miscellaneous items (e.g. attractions, entrance tickets, local transport etc). The majority spend on average USD$101-$500 per expenditure component each trip. Flights are the biggest trip expenditure for many with 13% spending an average of USD$1001- $2000. A large share of the respondents are composed of millennials segment who are cost-conscious when making travel plans as they have limited disposal income with many being students, recent school leavers or early career professionals as highlighted in our the Muslim Millennial Travel Report 2017.

Travel Expenditure

Figure 1. Reason for travelling

Figure 2. Frequency of travel. Figure 3. Average duration per trip.

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Majority of the surveyed traveled usually with their families. This travel behavior is aligned with Islamic values on importance of family togetherness and maintaining kinship.

Travel Companions

Figure 4. How much respondents spent (in USD) per trip item

Figure 5. Travel Companions

Alone11%

Friends17%

Family49%

Spouse / Partner19%

Tour Groups1%

Others3%

WHO DO YOU TYPICALLY TRAVEL WITH?

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Respondents surveyed showed a greater tendency to arrange their trips on their own to have greater autonomy and flexibility during their journeys (Figure 6). 63% indicated a preference for free and independent travel. They like to be in control of deciding their itinerary and value flexibility. The younger travelers, being tech savy, were confident and comfortable in planning their trips online. Interestingly, only 6% of the respondents chose customized guided tours which were specifically designed to meet their personalized

Travel Arrangements

Majority of respondents surveyed spend a substantial amount of time planning their trips with 73% indicating that they spend between 1-6 months (Figure 7). This reflects the general behavior of Travellers in using Internet to plan their trips. They start researching extensively online and reviewing a variety of traditional and online sources prior to the trip. They may start reading reviews, seek opinions online and offline, monitor flight ticket prices, find information on costs of travel components, make comparisons and refer to various information sources to explore their options.

Another reason for the advance planning could be the need to save up for their trips, deciding on places to visit and itinerary, finding information on mosques and halal foods, watching out for promotions to snag deals and value-for-money travel options. In short, travelling is a planned behavior for majority of the respondents and is not an impulse decision reflecting higher levels of involvement in decision making.

Advanced Planning

Trip Planning and Travel Decisions

Figure 6. Distribution of respondents’ preferred travel arrangements.

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Majority of respondents mainly use their mobile phones and computers to visit websites to find information on services for trip planning. A substantial amount of respondents are also observed using mobile applications to find information Figure 8 shows that respondents find information across all categories – accommodation, transportation, food & beverage and attractions.

Digital Devices Used for Information Seeking and Booking

Figure 7. Advance planning: how far in advance respondents typically plan their travel

Figure 8. Digital devices used to �nd information on services

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All the respondents surveyed have used digital devices to book services for their trips with computers being the most popular device to do online booking followed by mobile phones.

A substantial number has also turned to mobile apps to book trip services as in Figure 9. Respondents surveyed have made online booking across all categories – especially for accommodation but in contrast, for food & beverage, it is found that 18% of respondents have not made bookings online.

It is probable that respondents preferred walking in to their chosen eatery rather than pre-booking their entire trip’s meals. Another possibility is that these respondents prefer to browse between available options and decide on the spot. Another plausible explanation is that these respondents may search for eateries online but will decide dining options during the trip itself. It is also possible that platforms to pre-book meals are not readily available.

In terms of booking confirmations, majority of the respondents preferred digital copies for all categories. This signifies how tech savvy the younger Muslims are and how comfortable they are in receiving and accessing their trip details online from any digital device as seen in Figure 10.

Preferred Booking Confirmation

Figure 9. Digital devices used to book services

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Figure 10. Preferred type of booking con�rmationsFigure 10. Preferred type of booking con�rmations

Figure 12. Top 10 countries regularly traveled toFigure 11. Destination Choices

Preferred Destination Choices

When asked on the top three destinations that they regularly traveled to; as illustrated in Figure11 and Figure 12, the 10 most commonly reported destinations are (1) Malaysia, (2) Indonesia, (3) Japan, (4) Australia, (5) Thailand, (6) European countries, (7) Turkey (8) Singapore, (9) India, and (10) United States of America.

Figure 13 presents the weighted average scores of the payment methods respondents used to make payments while travelling. The most common method is by cash – presumably because cash is the widely accepted common mode of payments and some small businesses (like small street or market stalls) do not accept cards or other forms of electronic payments.

Preferred Payment Method

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Figure 13. Frequency of di�erent payment methods. (1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = very often and 5 = always)

Figure 14. Preferred payment method in paying for services.

When asked on the preferred payment method in paying for trip items, credit/debit cards were most preferred for paying for accommodation – presumably because booking of accommodation was made online and that hotels and travel agencies would require card details for reservation to be confirmed. The second preferred payment method is by cash across all categories (see Figure 14).

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To understand and gain deeper insights into accommodation selection and booking channels utilized in trip planning that eventually leads to travel purchase decision, respondents were asked to indicate the channels they usually use to make their bookings. Figure 15 illustrates the different channels respondents used to book their accommodation. Most of the respondents indicated that they use online travel agencies followed by direct booking channels and travel websites.

Respondents were also asked to name the app or website used to book their accommodation. Booking.com and Agoda were the most popular websites/apps used to book accommodation as illustrated by Figure 16.

Sector Analysis: Accommodation

Channels for Booking Accommodation

Figure 15. Channels commonly used to book accommodation (1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = very often and 5 = always).

Figure 16 Online channels used to book accommodation.

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Figure 17 illustrates the different types of accommodation respondents booked during their travels. Hotels were found to be the most popular option followed by apartments.

Figure 18 lists the digital features that are important in value-adding their trip experience. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = Very unimportant, 2 = unimportant, 3 = neutral, 4 = important and 5 = very important), respondents rated (1) Complimentary Wi-Fi, (2) Self check-in/check-out services and (3) In-room prayer timings featured on TV screen to be the top three important digital features.

Types of Accommodation Booked

Digital Features in Choice of Accommodation

Figure 17. Types of accommodation booked.

Figure 18. Digital features in accommodation that adds value to experience

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These travelers are highly influenced by the power of information when planning and deciding on their accommodation. The amount of information available online and offline influences the the purchase decision. Figure 19 shows the weighted average scores of respondents rating on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very unimportant, 2 = unimportant, 3 = neutral, 4 = important, 5 = very important) of how important each of the six sources of information influenced their choice of accommodation.

The respondents reported a reliance on online review sites, online content posted by other travelers as well as those posted by their families and friends. This could be due to online reviews being more convenient and up to date and usually comes with actual pictures shared by people who have previously stayed in the lodging. In short, all online sources of information are more important than offline sources.

Sources of Influence in accommodation selection

Majority of the respondents used Facebook and Instagram to find information about accommodation. It is possible that the respondents went to the Facebook and Instagram social media accounts of the accommodation to find more information.

Social media used in finding information on accommodation

Figure 19. Important sources of information on deciding accommodation

Figure 20. Social networks to �nd information on accommodation

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For each of the four modes of transportation (flights, cruises, rail and road), respondents were asked to indicate the channels they commonly used to make their bookings. Figure 21 presents the booking channels selected by respondents. For all forms of transportation bookings, direct bookings were the most popular option particularly for flights.

Sector Analysis: Transportation

Channels for booking

Figure 22 shows the most preferred choice of transportation that respondents used for getting around when traveling at the destination. Respondents rated public transportation to be their first preference followed by private hire service. This could be due to the costs and security concerns associated with other modes of transportation such as car rentals, taxis and walking.

Getting around at destination

Figure 21. Channels used to book transport

Figure 22. Mode of transportation when traveling within a destination

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Within the context of transportation, respondents were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = Very unimportant, 2 = unimportant, 3 = neutral, 4 = important and 5 = very important) 7 digital features that they considered important in value-adding their transport experience. The top three features selected were (1) transportation schedule available online, (2) pre-booking of seats online and (3) charging ports (see Figure 23)

Importance of digital features in transportation

Figure 24 displays respondents’ rating of information sources when selecting transportation that were valued most. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very unimportant, 2 = unimportant, 3 = neutral, 4 = important, and 5 = very important), respondents rated (1) online content posted by travelers, (2) online review sites, and (3) online content posted by family & friends as their top three preferences. Figures 25 – 27 details the percentages of responses that contributed to the three factors.

Information Sources Affecting Transportation Choice

Figure 23 Importance of digital features in transportation

Figure 24. Information Sources as Factor(1 = very unimportant, 2 = unimportant, 3 = neutral, 4 = important, and 5 = very important)

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Figure 25. Online content posted by travelers

Figure 26. Online review sites Figure 27. Online content posted by family & friends

Figure 28 presents the top social media applications used by respondents in finding transportation information. The most popular was Facebook and Instagram. Interestingly 29% of the respondents do not use social media to find transportation information.

Top Social Media Applications for Finding Transportation Information

Figure 29. Social media applications used when �nding information about transportation

Figure 30. Online Booking Channels forTransportation indicated by respondents

Figure 31. Top 10 Online BookingChannels for Transportation

In terms of online booking channels for transportation, the respondents were asked to share their top three applications or websites that they regularly use. As illustrated in Figures 30 and 31, the 10 most commonly reported online booking channels were: (1) Direct booking from transport operator, (2) Grab, (3) Google, (4) Skyscanner, (5) Uber, (6) Expedia, (7) Booking.com, (8) Traveloka, (9) Agoda, and (10) Klook.

Preferred Online Booking Channels for Transportation

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In terms of consumer-decision choices when choosing food and beverage, respondents reported that (1) Halal assured places, (2) Halal certified places, and (3) F&B establishments that label all food items were three most commonly selected choices. Halal assured places refers to muslim-owned establishments or establishments that confirm they serve halal food. Figure 32 below illustrates respondents’ choices of food places most preferred and/or selected when traveling.

Type of Food Places

Figure 32 displays respondents’ rating of information sources when selecting food and beverages that were valued most. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very unlikely, 2 = unlikely, 3 = neutral, 4 = likely, and 5 = very likely), respondents rated (1) online review sites, (2) online content posted by travelers, and (3) online content posted by family & friends as their top three preferences. Figures 33 – 36 details the percentages of responses that contributed to the three factors.

Information Sources Affecting Choice of Food & Beverage

Sector Analysis: Food & Beverage

Figure 32. Choice of food places

Figure 33. Information Sources as Factor(1 = very unlikely, 2 = unlikely, 3 = neutral, 4 = likely, and 5 = very likely)

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Figure 34. Online content posted by travelers

Figure 35. Online review sites Figure 36. Online content posted by family & friends

Figure 37 presents the top social network applications respondents used to find information on food and beverages. The most popular applications were (1) Facebook, (2) Instagram and (3) Youtube.

Top Social Media Applications for Finding Food & Beverage Information

Respondents were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very unimportant, 2 = unimportant, 3 = neutral, 4 = important, and 5 = very important) digital features that they valued the most at food and beverage outlets. Respondents rated (1) complimentary wi-fi, (2) online menu, and (3) charging ports as their top three digital priorities in a food and beverage outlet.

Digital Considerations When Selecting Food & Beverage

Figure 37. Social media applications used when finding information about food and beverages

Figure 38. Importance of digital features in value adding experience

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Respondents were asked on what connectivity method they preferred while overseas. Majority preferred purchasing local SIM card at destination followed by a Wi-Fi Hub.

Digital Media Trends and Behaviour

Preferred Connectivity Method

Respondents were asked on how they stay connected with friends and family when on a trip and majority indicated Messenger Apps as their mode of communication.

Keeping in touch while abroad

Figure 39 Preferred data connectivity

Figure 40. Methods in staying connected

49

They often share their travel experiences with their network of family and friends as illustrated in Figure 41. Surprisingly traditional word of mouth offline is the most common way of sharing their travel experiences with their loved ones. Social networking sites were found to be the second most popular method after word of mouth

Figure 42-43 shows the frequency and percentages of responses that contributed to these channels.

Sharing of Travel Experiences

Figure 41 Mean scores of channels used to share travel experiences

Figure 42. Frequency throughword-of-mouth

Figure 43. Frequency throughsocial networking sites

50

Those travelers who share online, are eager to share in real-time as reflected in Figures 44 and 45 where mobile phone apps and browsers were the most common devices. Social networking sites were the most popular channels used to share travel experiences in real-time followed by instant messaging.

Similarly, they often share their travel experiences post-trip using mobile apps and mobile phone browsers. Not surprisingly social networking sites and instant messaging remain popular platforms for sharing travel experiences after the trip.

Yes61%

No39%

Do you share your travel experiences in real-�me during your trip?

Yes

No

Figure 44. Sharing trip experiences in real time

Figure 45

51

Figure 47 presents the different types of channels respondents used to book their travel components prior to the digital age. Majority of the respondents reported that they visited travel fairs, browsed newspaper or magazine ads and or called tour operators.

26%

35%

42%

63%

76%

26%

23%

31%

25%

29%

18%

29%

38%

13%

25%

2%

6%

10%

2%

4%

52%

36%

17%

21%

6%

Blogs / Vlogs

Emails

Leaving onlinereviews

Instant messaging

Social networkingsites

When using an online channel to share your travel experiences a�er your stay, which devices do you o�en use?

Never Used OnlinePla�orms

Tablet Devices

Share UsingLaptop/Desktop

Share Using Mobile PhoneBrowser

Mobile App

Figure 46

Figure 47 Booking channels used pre-online bookings

Booking channels prior to the digital age

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Deeper look at the Online ShoppingBehaviour: Malaysia and Indonesia

Malaysia and Indonesia are two major Muslim countries in Southeast Asia. 500 respondents from each of these countries aged 18-64 years old were surveyed on their online shopping behaviour and patterns. As illustrated in Figure 48, consumers in these countries access the internet for a multitude of reasons such as receiving and sending emails, shopping online and visiting/checking updates on social networking sites.

Majority of the respondents surveyed in these countries were found to have made at least purchase in the last three months and been shopping online for at least 2.5 years on average (see Figure 49).

Figure 48. Reasons for using the internet

Figure 49. Online purchase behavior

53

When asked what are the most important factors that will impact their decision to shop online, respondents rated a combination of several factors:

Consumers value security and convenience in their online transactions and purchases. They also require the website to be user-friendly. Furthermore, majority would prefer not to have additional costs associated with their purchases (such as shipping and payment charges). Interestingly, consumers relied more on good online reviews of website or the seller/merchant over recommendations by friends/peers. Figure 50 illustrates further the percentage frequencies of both countries from 2015-2017.

Consumers in both countries are increasingly satisfied, trusting. confident and comfortable of online shopping as there is an increase in overall percentages in both countries (refer to Figure 51).

• Websites offering a secure payment facility• Price of the items• Convenient payment methods• Low or no extra charges for usage of various payment methods• Low or no extra chargers for delivery/shipping• Speed of transaction • User-friendly website or layout• Good customer service• Promotional offers• Reputation of website or merchant/seller

Figure 50. Factors Impacting Online Shopping

Figure 51. Satisfaction with online shopping

54

For both Malaysia and Indonesia, the month where consumers shop the most online is in December (see Figure 52), presumably with the festivities, holidays and receipt of year end bonuses.

The percentages of consumers browsing and then making online purchases have surged over the last 3 years – Indonesia having the higher growth from 25.8% in 2015 to 45.1% in 2017. The percentages of consumers browsing online and only purchasing online occasionally has reduced for both countries as illustrated in Figure 52. This implies that more consumers are browsing with the intention of purchasing online.

When respondents were surveyed on the likelihood of paying with mobile devices, only 40.4% of Malaysians and 32.4 % of Indonesians are likely and comfortable to do so.

Figure 52. Month to do online shopping most frequently.

Figure 53. Online browsing and online purchasing behavior

Figure 54. Likelihood of paying with mobile devices

55

When asked further on the reasons for non-reliance on mobile payments, the main reasons are (1) not feeling safe having card/bank details stored on mobile device in case of losing mobile device (2) Prefer to pay by cash and (3) having concerns about security and privacy of personal and payment information stored in a digital wallet as illustrated in Figure 55.

Respondents who were already shopping online from both countries were asked on what devices they used to shop online. Majority used desktop or laptop computers, followed by mobile phones and lastly tablets/laplets as seen in Figures 56-68

The same respondents were also asked on the likelihood they would do mobile shopping in the next 6 months as listed in Figure 59. 58% of respondents in Malaysia said yes while it is 53.6% for Indonesia. For both countries, close to half of the online shoppers indicated that they are not likely to do mobile shopping.

Desktop or laptop PC

Malaysia Indonesia % %

Yes 78.5 76.3 No 21.5 23.7

Tablet / laplet (i.e., tablet laptop)

Malaysia Indonesia % %

Yes 56.3 50.6 No 43.7 49.4

Mobile phone Malaysia Indonesia % %

Yes 68.8 78.7 No 31.2 21.3

Figure 55. Reasons for non-reliance on mobile payments

Figure 56. Figure 57.

Figure 60. Likelihood to mobile shop in next 6 months

Figure 58.

56

These respondents were then asked for their reasons to use mobile devices to shop online and the most popular reason for both countries is that mobile devices allow them to shop while on the go (Figure 61).

The respondents were also asked the reasons for not using mobile devices to shop online and the most popular reason for both countries is that they prefer shopping online via desktop or laptop computers (Figure 14).

Figure 62 presents the different travel components that shoppers in Malaysia and Indonesia shop for on their mobile devices. There is an increase in purchase of airline tickets, hotel accommodations, travel packages and other similar services in both countries.

MAL IDN % ’17 ’17

It is convenient to shop through my mobile device 49.7 53.9 I like shopping through my mobile device because I can do it on the go 55.6 57.2

There are more and more apps that make it easy to shop online 48.1 48.6 Online shopping on my mobile device is a good way to pass the time 36.5 32.6

My friends are all doing it 20.1 10.9

MAL IDN % ’17 ’17

I prefer online shopping via my PC or laptop over using mobile devices 73.1 61.9

I prefer shopping in an actual store over using mobile devices 50.4 33.3

I prefer online shopping on my Tablet over using mobile devices 14.3 21.4

Malaysia Indonesia ’17 ’16 ’17 ’16 % % % %

Airline tickets 29.8 25.1 23.5 17.4 Hotel accommodations 30.7 23.6 23.3 15.6

*Transport services (Uber, ofo etc.) 22.3 NA 34.1 NA Travel packages, promos, and other similar services 16.8 12.7 17.1 8.3

Figure 61. Reasons for shopping on mobile devices

Figure 62. Reasons for not shopping on mobile devices

Figure 63. Travel components that shoppers buy online

57

Participants were also examined on their overall familiarity with New Mobile Device Technology. Figure 64 presents the findings. There is an increase in the familiarity and adoption of mobile applications that facilitate mobile shopping.

Respondents were also surveyed on how frequently they use the internet. There is an increase in the number of consumers who access the internet several times a day in both countries.

Figures 66-68 presents the types of devices respondents used in different settings to access the internet. The most popular are mobile phones in all settings. This is followed by computers and and tablets.

Figure 65 Frequency of internet usage

% currently use it MAL IDN ’17 ’16 ’17 ’16

**Mobile banking apps 52.4 51.6 28.1 25.0 Digital Wallets 25.2 25.8 18.4 14.9

*In-App Purchases 35.4 NA 25.5 NA **In-App Shopping 37.6 34.4 18.4 15.5

QR Code Payments 8.2 8.0 10.0 6.7 In-browser apps 19.4 16.0 14.0 17.2

In-social network marketplace apps 19.6 19.8 16.0 13.1 Financial investment apps 12.0 11.4 11.6 10.1

Group buying 8.0 9.2 6.8 7.1 **In-Game-App Shopping 16.6 16.0 11.8 11.2

**Peer-to-peer Mobile Payments 14.2 17.2 8.8 7.1 **Mobile NFC/Near Field Communication 5.4 4.0 6.2 5.6

SMS/text-based or MMS-based Payments 9.4 10.6 9.4 11.6 Geotagging Apps for Deals 3.0 4.8 7.2 5.6

Malaysia Indonesia Frequency of Internet Access ’17 ’16 ’15 ’17 ’16 ’15 Several times a day 63.8 58.8 70.9 79.0 59.9 68.5 Everyday 34.2 38.4 25.3 19.8 38.2 27.8 4-6 days a week 1.4 2.4 2.6 0.8 1.5 2.5 2-3 days a week 0.4 0.4 1.0 0.2 0.4 0.9 Once a week 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.3

Figure 64. Familiarity with New Mobile Device Technology

*New for 2017 **De�nitions text updated in 2017

58

Intention to travel internationally

When asked how they look for the best travel deals, majority of respondents in Indonesia refer to travel agents while in Malaysia, majority look at airline websites (see Figure 69).

% MAL IDN ’17 ’16 ’15 ’17 ’16 ’15

Home 75.7 78.2 84.8 78.1 82.7 84.5 Office 78.0 74.9 78.1 82.4 65.4 72.2 Public Space 13.1 14.1 11.6 11.3 14.8 22.8

Cybercafe 23.9 33.2 22.9 26.6 30.4 37.9 At School 15.2 18.9 17.8 12.9 15.4 17.9

% MAL IND ’17 ’16 ’15 ’17 ’16 ’15

Home 87.5 81.6 80.1 87.8 84.1 82.2 Office 61.9 53.9 62.0 58.9 47.9 51.8 Public Space 69.2 71.9 71.8 64.4 60.5 62.3

Cybercafe 34.6 36.7 37.8 29.8 25.0 27.3 At School 25.8 33.3 29.5 29.4 25.5 27.8

Figure 66

Figure 68

Figure 69

Figure 70 Intention to travel internationally

Figure 67

% MAL IND ’17 ’16 ’15 ’17 ’16 ’15

Home 71.0 74.6 72.6 75.3 69.5 67.6

Office 32.8 26.8 25.2 39.7 32.5 32.6

Public Space 32.4 27.9 29.3 28.6 27.3 33.7

Cybercafe 21.0 23.9 23.0 18.8 20.7 18.3

At School 12.6 16.1 17.4 16.6 16.2 16.9

INDO MY

Base (n=) 290 401

Airline Websites 9 50

Travel Agents 47 16

Social Media 26 14

Online travel guides 10 16

Coupon sites/ apps 1 3

Newspapers 7 1

INDO MY

Base (n=) 7# 313 Likely to travel more than in the past 12 months 29 43 Likely to travel the same as in the past 12 months 14 38 Likely to travel less than the past 12 months 14 16 Do not intend to travel in the next 12 months 14 1 Don't know/ Refused 29 1

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63


A total of 266 respondents participated in the survey of which, there were 35% males and 65% females. With respect to the age composition, the majority of respondents were aged between 25 – 34 (41%). As for the geographical distribution, a substantial number of the respondents (87%) were from Asia and the Paci�c. This �nding is congruent to geographical representation reported in other studies where only 20% of the world’s Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa, while 60% reside in Asia.

71% of respondents comprised well-educated and af�uent travelers who held occupations from various Professional, Managerial, Executive and Technician occupations (PMETs) that range from entry-level positions to mid-management positions. 17% are undergraduates or post-graduates and 6% are self-employed as business owners or freelancers. The remaining were either homemakers, retirees or were not currently employed.

Appendix: Survey Demographics

Digital Muslim Travelers Survey Demographics

500 respondents from each country participated in this study. Respondents’ age group were between 18-64 years old and are representative in terms of age and gender of the online population in these markets. Another criteria for participation is to have accessed the internet at least once a week.

Some respondents did not provide demographical details and hence categories did not always sum to total sample size. Unless otherwise stated, alpha level was set at .05 for all analyses and 95% con�dence level.

Malaysia & Indonesia Online Shopping Survey Demographics

64


halaltrip.com

Footnotes and Data Sources

HalalTrip

mastercard.com/global.html

pewresearch.org

statista.com

wearesocial.com

Online Shopping Behavior Study 2017: Regional Report – Asia Pacific by Mastercard

Statista

Wearesocial

Pew Research Centre

Download the full report


October 2018

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(DMTR 2018 )

https://www.crescentrating.com/halal-muslim-travel-market-reports.html

65

66

Acknowledgements

• Fazal Bahardeen• Nurhafihz Noor• Nurul Ain• Nabilah Ayunni Aman

CrescentRating Research Team:

• Mastercard Research Team• Dr Ghazala Khan (Monash University)• Dr Fandy Tjiptono (Monash University)

We would like to thank all the respondents who participated in the studies, as well as the generation segments and sector stakeholder interviewers who have provided rich insights

Others:

Report Design: Ranil Sudarshana

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Any exploitation and usage which is not explicitly allowed by copyright law, in particular reproduction, translation, storage in electronic database, on the internet and copying onto CD-ROMs of this print work requires prior consent of the publisher.

All information contained in this publication has been researched and compiled from sources believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publishing. However, in view of the natural scope for human and/or mechanical error, either at source or during production, Crescentrating and Mastercard accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage resulting from errors, inaccuracies or omissions affecting any part of the publication. All information is provided without warranty, Crescentrating and Mastercard or their af�liates make no representation of warranty of any kind as to the accuracy or completeness of any information hereto contained. Descriptions of, or references to, products, publications, organizations or individuals within this publication does not imply endorsement of any product or publication, organization or individual.

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Digital Muslim Travel Report 2018 - mekongtourism.org€¦ · The Mastercard-Crescentrating Digital Muslim Travel Report 2018 represents the next step in better understanding the