Malaysia Retains Position As Top Muslim Tourist Destination - Deputy Tourism And Culture Minister

ALOR GAJAH (Melaka, Malaysia), July 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has retained its number one position on the list of Muslim tourist destinations for six consecutive years. Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the position was based on a research conducted by an Islamic tourism portal CrescentRating. She attributed the achievement to Muslim-friendly services including availability of surau (prayer houses) and prayer paraphernalia at hotels, besides theme parks and rest and recreation areas along highways in the country. "Other factors are easy access to halal food and the friendly-visa policy adopted by our government especially for tourists from Muslim countries. "The number of direct flights from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference countries to KL International Airport is also a reason for them to choose Malaysia," she told reporters here Tuesday. Earlier, she launched the Islamic Tourism seminar at Kolej Universiti Islam Malaysia (KUIM), here. Islamic Tourism Centre director-general Zulkifly Md Said and KUIM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mohd Taib Dora were also present. Mas Ermieyati said Saudi Arabian tourists spend an estimated US$2,330 (RM9,459), Kuwait (RM8,490), Oman (RM7,900), United Arab Emirates (RM7,390) and Iran (RM5,880) per capita while in Malaysia. (US$1 = RM4.05) -- BERNAMA