Holidays are the right time to relax and unwind from the daily routine, but finding Muslim-friendly tourist destinations is not always easy. There are many factors to consider, such as the availability of worship facilities, halal food, and convenient public transportation. So, for those of you who are planning a vacation in 2024, here are several Muslim-friendly countries that you can consider.
Thailand
Its location in Southeast Asia makes Thailand easy to access, even though Thailand is a Buddhist-majority country, the growth of the Muslim religion has increased to 5% of the total population, so many mosques are easy to find when traveling there. The food is dominated by seafood and the availability of many halal food outlets that are easily available in big cities such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket make Thailand have the potential to become a magnet for Muslim tourists. In Bangkok, tourists can visit The Foundation of Islamic Center of Bangkok, there is a lot of halal food sold in the area, and almost every big mall in Thailand provides prayer rooms for visitors.
Philippines
The Philippines, which is a predominantly Catholic country, is now increasingly aggressively developing halal tourism to attract Muslim tourists from all over the world. The Philippine government has designated halal tourism as one of the priorities in the 2023-2028 National Tourism Development Plan, this is realized by collaborating with various parties, including Islamic organizations and tourism industry players. The government also provides a special website for tourists, through guidetothephilipnes.ph tourists can make hotel reservations or see a summary of tourist destinations in the country.
Vietnamese
Who would have thought that this country, which has a majority Buddhist population and is famous for its pork dishes, would be a friendly country for Muslim tourists. Ho Chi Minh City, which was previously known as Saigon, has many mosques that you can visit, apart from that, many restaurants sell halal food and use beef as a mainstay menu. There are many educational tourist attractions that you can visit, there is Hoi An city which contains ancient shops whose buildings are still authentic, there is also the Hue area which was the capital of the Nguyen dynasty and contains a royal castle. If you are a history buff, you can learn the history of the war between America and Vietnam by visiting the Cu Chi tunnels. Don't worry, in Vietnam there is online motorbike taxi transportation available or you can rent a tuk tuk which makes it easier for you to travel.
Maldives
Did you know that Maldives in Indonesian is Maldives? This island nation located in the Indian Ocean is southwest of Sri Lanka, so don't be surprised if you find many people using an Indian accent. The majority of the population adheres to Islam, this country also prohibits the use of alcohol and only provides halal food and drinks. This island, which has white sand and light blue sea, has many Muslim-friendly hotels, tourist attractions also have many prayer rooms and mosques that you can choose from, so you don't need to be afraid of missing your prayers while on holiday.