South Africa is ranked as one of the top ten Muslim-friendly destinations among non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries.

The ranking was announced in the annual MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2018 released in April. The publication is a data study of the halal travel market and examines 130 destinations.

South Africa came out top for non-OIC African countries and seventh in the world.

Mark Elliot, Division President, Southern Africa MasterCard, says: “The CrescentRating index once again confirms that the fast-growing Muslim travel segment is an exciting opportunity for South African tourism and that the country remains a favoured destination among Muslim travellers.”

Criteria in the assessment of destinations include access to infrastructure, communications and how destinations market themselves to this target audience, the environment and services. Singapore takes the top spot for international non-OIC countries for the second year in a row, followed by the United Kingdom, also for a consecutive year.

Despite the high ranking, South Africa has dropped down from fourth position in 2017. Elliot suggests this may be due to the drought-related water problems in the Western Cape, which contributed significantly to decreased arrivals overall in 2017.

The GMTI 2018 confirms that the Muslim travel market continues to grow at a rapid pace. Globally, Muslim visitor arrivals increased from 121m in 2016 to 131m in 2017. Elliot concludes: “There are opportunities for cities across South Africa to appeal to this discerning audience given the diverse experiences available to both business and leisure travellers.”