At the Arabian Travel Market 2010 this past May, Crescentrating, a Singapore-based company and one of the world’s first to focus on promoting Halal-friendly travel and tourism services, made its Middle East debut. The burgeoning Islamic travel sector, estimated to represent more than 10% of the total global travel market share, is eagerly seeking Shari’ah-compliant products and services for travel. With more than 1.6 billion Muslims globally, an increasingly affluent Arab population under 21 years-of-age, and US$7 billion worth of religious tourism directed towards Saudi Arabia annually, the company is hoping to capitalize on this needgap in the travel and tourism industry. “We are seeing massive growth within this market segment and it was something we needed to be part of. To cater for demand, we have developed our very own rating system and website for travel based on a set of Halal-friendly criteria,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO and Member of the Board, Crescentrating.

Dangerous liaisons

While the majority of Saudi males travel for fun and enjoyment with friends or family, there also exists a segment of single and married males who indulge in ‘deviant’ (defined as unusual or not the norm) behaviors on their travels. Dissuaded from US and European travel by strict regulations, Cairo has replaced European destinations for Saudi men seeking those pleasures typically banned in their own conservative Kingdom.

The tour operators we spoke to armed this trend, citing ‘partying’ and ‘prostitution’ as the main attraction for the tourists. Rentals for flats in Cairo spiral out of control during summer months reaching record rentals of 500 Egyptian pounds ($90) per day. This has prompted many auent Saudis to purchase properties of their own in Cairo for their fun.

A recent report by the Egyptian tourism ministry said that some 600,000 Saudis have purchased ats in Egypt, with 60% concentrated in Cairo itself, and the more adventurous and elite 30% found in Alexandria and the resort districts on the northern coast. The urfi (temporary)’ marriages to rich Saudis, who pay hefty amounts to the girls’ families as their ‘summer-wives’, is another manifestation of this trend. Other destinations popular with this segment of Saudi males are Morocco, Philippines or Thailand where they can safely indulge their ‘desires’ & ‘fantasies’.

In the last four years, Aden, in Yemen, has been added to the list of ‘illicit’ destinations popular among young Saudi Climbers. The reason behind Aden’s popularity is qat, a narcotic shrub widely chewed there, but considered a drug and banned in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Aden sees a high influx of young affluent Saudis during the summer months, using their luxury cars and obvious wealth to lure the local Yemeni women into relations. Interestingly, this tourism revenue has become so valuable for Yemen that the Yemeni Tourism Minister Nabil al-Faqih says specic Tourist programs "now target chiefly Arab and Gulf nationals, particularly Saudis, and we seek to encourage family tourism from neighboring countries,"

pulse beats

• 8 out of 10 male homemakers prefer paying with cash when travelling while an equivalent number of female homemakers prefer using Credit Cards.

• Saudi vacations with families are typically 45 days long, with average spends of Aed35,000/- to Aed45,000/-

• 90% of female homemakers welcome the TLC (tender loving care) they receive from their ‘transformed’ husbands while traveling.

• 75% of single female climbers undergo dieting and fitness regimes in order to look good when on holiday, many of them ‘confessing’ to wearing swimming costumes or non-conservative Western attire when abroad.

• 83% of male respondents cite FREEDOM as the biggest benefit and attraction of leisure travel, terming the inability to travel akin to being imprisonment.

• Purchasing new clothes is a common travel preparatory habit among Saudi females, with 8 out of 10 married female homemakers dedicated to a ritual of purchasing ‘sexy lingerie’ before traveling with their husbands

• Single Saudi Climbers, both male and female, admit to taking frequent short vacations of up to a week, typically spending Aed10,000/- to Aed15,000/- per trip.

• 8 out of 10 Saudi travelers are more inclined towards short-haul or ‘round the corner’ trips to neighboring Middle Eastern countries.

• Some 600,000 Saudis have purchased flats in Egypt in the last few years, underscoring Egypt’s popularity as a summer tourist destination for Saudis.

• AlMasria Universal Airlines, the first private Egyptian carrier to fly to Saudi Arabia, hopes to carry up to 450,000 travellers between the two countries in its first year of operation!

• Profiled as big spenders and long-stayers, Saudi travelers are being eagerly pursued by the global tourism industry and touted as the next ‘big-thing’ on the travel scene!

• ‘Halal-friendly’ travel is predicted to take the travel industry by storm, with many firms launching special initiatives and programs designed to suit the needs of this burgeoning Islamic travel sector.

• The Islamic travel sector is estimated to represent more than 10% of total global travel market share.

• Saudi's outbound travel expenditure exceeded $5.9bn in 2008.

• Since June 1 of this year, Emirates have begun daily Jeddah flights of their super jumbo A380 in response to the high traffic of Saudi visitors.

• Nas Air & Sama, domestic low-cost carriers of Saudi, have been operating to full capacity since their launch in 2007. This is representative of the flourishing domestic travel scene in the Kingdom.

• Syria and Malaysia emerge as the Top travel destinations for Saudis among regional and international markets, with Dubai a popular second.

• ‘e-tourism’ is termed a necessity by most travel agents, claiming that about 50% of travelers try to arrange for their bookings online before they come to an agent.