oii Why Brunei Darussalam is the ultimate halal vacation. ANIS RAMLI DAVID KIRKLAND/BRUNEI TOURISM
Halal Travel is fast becoming catchphrase in the travel industry.
The Muslim travel market segment was estimated to be worth US$140 billion in 2013, representing almost 13 percent of global
number of countries that are now keen on tapping into this segment. With 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide as potential customers expected to spend US$181 billion on travelling by
WM 2018, Brunei would be remiss not to tap into this growing and
lucrative market.
Already known internationally as one of the world’s foremost Islamic countries, many of Brunei’s tourism products and their services to take into account the unique faith-based needs of Muslim travellers. In short, Brunei makes for wonderful and
easy destination for the Muslim vacationer as well as those interested to experience an Islamic country that is both modern and tolerant. Mosques that are majestic in its design and highlight the unique
culture and architecture of the country can easily be found everywhere. The larger and more well-known mosques, such as the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, also offer both Muslims and people of other faiths the opportunity to discover its history and architecture through its scheduled guided tour. Located in the heart of capital Bandar Seri Begawan, the Sultan Omar Ali
Saifuddin Mosque is and its cultural context
great starting point to understand Islam as well as its role in the community.
But halal travel means more than just mosque visits. Brunei as Muslim-friendly destination also factors in the ease of vacationing in the 21st century, in compliance with the Quran and Sunnah. Hotels across the country have rooms equipped with the prayer direction (qiblah), prayer mats and in some
the entire country is alcohol-free.
Source: MUHIBAH, the Royal Brunei Airlines in-flight magazine, 2015 Jan-Feb, pages 44-45. Text recovered from the scanned page by OCR and lightly corrected; spelling may differ from the printed edition.
