ITC AND TUI PARTNERSHIP PROMOTES MALAYSIA AS MUSLIM-FRIENDLY DESTINATION

ITC PRESS RELEASE
ITC/COMMS/04/IN/ITC-TUI

 

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 17 SEPTEMBER 2022: Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) and TUI International Holiday (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to strengthen Malaysia’s positioning as a Muslim-friendly holiday destination.

The joint effort focuses on providing the option of Muslim-friendly accommodation in Malaysia on the TUI website. A special “Muslim-friendly” label on the TUI website will enable prospective customers to easily search for such hotels, facilitating the accommodation booking process.

In this regard, hotels certified by ITC under the Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Recognition (MFAR) programme will be promoted through the TUI Malaysia IBE (Internet booking engine) with the MFAR logo featured prominently.

Currently, 52 hotels nationwide have received the MFAR certification, attesting to their provision and delivery of specific requirements such as halal kitchens and dining facilities that have been certified by JAKIM, the availability of Muslim prayer facilities and the display of Qiblat direction in guest rooms.

Dato’ Dr. Mohmed Razip Hasan, Director General of ITC said: “ITC has been actively engaging with hotels to guide them on the potential of the Muslim tourist market and help them to understand what the market needs so they can successfully cater to it.  Once they have complied and received the MFAR certification, it becomes a key branding tool for hotels to brand themselves to this market.”

He added: “This collaboration with TUI is our effort to continue our support to the current MFAR recipients to penetrate this market further. It’s a motivation for our MFAR hotels to continue maintaining their quality and improve their excellent products and services to meet the demand and expectations of travellers.”
“It’s also an added incentive for more hotels to come on board the programme with ITC, and we welcome more hotels to do so and benefit from the growth of the Muslim tourist market,” he shared.

Hotels in the TUI Malaysia IBE database which have not obtained the MFAR-certification but desire a placement under the “Muslim-friendly”  label, may express their interest to TUI to be listed and approach ITC to receive the MFAR recognition, subject to terms and conditions as per the guidelines.

Mr. Viren Doshi, Chief Operating Officer, TUI International Holiday (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, said that the partnership between ITC and TUI was focused on reaching out to Muslim travellers and meeting their travel requirements.

He said: “Featuring the MFAR-certified hotels, Muslim travellers can be rest assured to travel with ease. The MFAR recognition is the first of its kind in the world that is issued by a government agency.”

“This collaboration inks our commitment towards digitalizating travel for Muslim travellers. The complete online experience will empower our country’s fast-growing and highly aspirational traveller to book stays in Malaysia effortlessly and conveniently using TUI’s travel offerings. This is a huge milestone in our long-standing relationship with ITC, an agency that shares our passion for customer service, choice and flexibility,” he noted.

He added: “TUI has always supported the government’s efforts towards tourism recovery and growth, through such collaborations. The growing collaboration between TUI and ITC shows our customers our common goal to offer an unparalleled product with unique benefits.”

The MoU was signed today by Dato’ Dr. Mohmed Razip and Mr. Viren Doshi at the 3rd World Islamic Tourism Conference held at the World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the presence of Mr. Mohd. Zaidi Bahirin Zainal Abidin, Senior Manager of Corporate Development and Finance, ITC, and Mr. David Rajkumar, Chief Marketing Officer, TUI International Holiday (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Dato’ Nancy Shukri.

END

Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) is an entity under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia tasked to develop the Islamic tourism segment for Malaysia. It advocates for Muslim-friendly tourism (MFT) by offering research and market intelligence, training, industry development consultation, Muslim-friendly tourism and hospitality (MFTH) service standards and certification, and information exchange.

For further details, kindly contact:
Islamic Tourism Centre
(Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia)
Level 13, No. 2 Tower 1, Jalan P5/6,
Precinct 5, 62200 Putrajaya, Malaysia
Tel: 03-8891 7177 or via email itc@itc.gov.my

For media-related matters, contact the Corporate Communications team:
Anis, Manager, +6012 321 9137, anis@itc.gov.my
Nadhirah, Sr. Executive, +6019 356 0530, nadhirah@itc.gov.my
Ainaa Izzati, Asst. Executive, +6010 266 2535, ainaa@itc.gov.my

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ABOUT TUI
TUI Group is one of the world’s leading tourism groups and operates worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany. TUI shares are listed on the FTSE 250, an index of the London Stock Exchange, on the regulated market of the Hanover Stock Exchange and on the Open Market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The TUI Group offers integrated services from a single source for its 27 million customers.

The entire tourism value chain is covered under one roof. This includes over 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands and 16 cruise ships. The Group also includes leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms across Europe, five airlines with more than 100 modern medium and long-haul aircraft and over 1,000 travel agencies. In addition to expanding its core business with hotels, cruises via successful joint ventures and activities in holiday destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a digital company.

Global responsibility for sustainable economic, ecological and social action is at the core of our corporate culture. The TUI Care Foundation, initiated by TUI, focuses on the positive effects of tourism, on education and training and on strengthening environmental and social standards with projects in 25 countries. It thus supports holiday destinations in their development.

FAST FACTS ON MUSLIM-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION RECOGNTION (MFAR) BY ISLAMIC TOURISM CENTRE (ITC)
The Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Recognition (MFAR) is a certificate provided by Islamic Tourism Centre to hotels that have met the requirements to meet the needs of Muslim tourists.
ITC provides three categories of MFAR certification to hotels – Silver, Gold and Platinum – depending upon the level of requirements they meet.
Currently, there are 52 MFAR hotels nationwide, comprising local brand name hotels as well as luxury international chains. Of these, eight are Platinum MFAR hotels, six are Gold, and 38 are Silver.
All MFAR hotels are also required to be registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture under the Akta 482, Akta Industri Pelancongan 1992.

Guide to Muslim-friendly Accommodation Recognition (MFAR) hotels and categories
Silver MFAR	Provides information on location of mosques, Muslim-friendly tourist attractions, and Halal restaurants Displays Qiblat direction and provides bidet, prayer mat, and Al-Quran Has a surau/musolla with ablution facilities on the premises Has a halal kitchen certified by JAKIM and at least one restaurant offering halal F&B
Gold MFAR	Provides information on location of mosques, Muslim-friendly tourist attractions, and Halal restaurants Displays Qiblat direction and provides bidet, prayer mat, and Al-Quran Has a surau/musolla with ablution facilities on the premises Has a halal kitchen certified by JAKIM and at least one restaurant offering halal F&B Allocates certain hours for Muslim females to use selected facilities (gym, pool, etc.)
Platinum MFAR	Provides information on location of mosques, Muslim-friendly tourist attractions, and Halal restaurants Displays Qiblat direction and provides bidet, prayer mat, and Al-Quran Has a surau/musolla with ablution facilities on the premises Has all of its kitchens and restaurants certified halal by JAKIM Allocates certain hours for Muslim females to use selected facilities (gym, pool, etc.) Employs a Shariah Officer to monitor hotel’s shariah compliance