With facilities such as Halal food and prayer facilities becoming increasingly available in many destinations around the world, Muslim travellers are venturing further into European and Asian destinations such as France, Italy, South Korea and Japan.

Japan and South Korea are gradually becoming favourite travel destinations amongst Muslim travellers, with Korean and Japanese tourism boards having partnered with Muslim travel agents and consulting agencies such as CrescentRating to ensure that they are capable of meeting the travel needs of Muslims.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://www.asianewsnet.net/news-67602.html

Due to efforts made by Japan to tap into the Muslim tourist market, facilities for Muslim travellers such as Halal food are being made increasingly available across the country. By tapping into the growing Muslim tourist market, Japan hopes to diversify its tourism industry which has been long dependent on Chinese, Taiwanese and South Korean tourists.

Of the 9.7 million visitor arrivals in Japan from January to September 2014, Malaysia and Indonesia were the two Muslim countries that contributed to most of the visits. Visa exemptions for Malaysian tourists have made it easier for them to visit Japan and similar exemptions are due to start for Indonesian tourists in December.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/11/japan-tries-to-tap-growing-muslim-tourist-market/

Peru's first ever hotel to be awarded Muslim-friendly accreditation by CrescentRating - Sonesta Hotel El Olivar - is a five-star luxury hotel in Lima - the vibrant capital of the country. Given a rating of 5 by CrescentRating based on the facilities and services it provides Muslim guests, Sonesta Hotel El Olivar is an excellent Muslim-friendly hotel for travellers in Lima.

Conveniently located in the heart of the San Isidro district – the shopping and business district of Lima – Sonesta Hotel El Olivar is in close proximity to several of the city's main sights and prominent landmarks, making it a fine hotel for both business and leisure travellers. Travellers in the area will have plenty of things to do - exploring Lima's world-class museums, artisan markets and attractions.

Daily FT reported on the partnership formed between CrescentRating and MasterCard to develop MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI). It stated that CrescentRating's annual rankings of Muslim-friendly holiday destinations will be developed into a global index to benefit both Muslim travellers as well as  the travel industry and investors.

The agreement was signed at the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum held in Dubai and the Index will be released in January 2015, with updates being made quarterly.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://www.ft.lk/2014/11/04/mastercard-partners-crescentrating-to-develop-global-muslim-travel-index/

Mr. Fazal Bahardeen - the CEO of CrescentRating - will be offering advice to startup companies on how they can reach out to Muslim consumers at Startup Asia Jakarta 2014.

Held on the 26th and 27th of November, Startup Asia Jakarta 2014 is a large-scale conference that will showcase newly-launched and product-ready tech startups, along with a huge line-up of fireside chats, keynotes, and discussions.

For the full article and more information, please visit: https://www.techinasia.com/startup-asia-jakarta-how-to-market-to-muslims/

A total of 12 memorandum of understanding (MoU) and agreements have been signed between Malaysia and United Arab Emirates partners, following the end of the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum held in Dubai.

Conducted by Malaysian counterpart WIEF Foundation under the helm of former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam, the three-day forum ended on the 30th of August at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai and saw the participation of numerous Muslim and non-Muslim nations.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://themalaysianreserve.com/main/news/corporate-malaysia/7296-malaysian-firms-secure-several-deals-at-10th-wief