Recent studies have indicated that GCC states are responsible for a large percentage of the world's total travel expenditure. Hotel owners in UAE have noted that a large number of their guests are from GCC states, who visit the destination to enjoy a hassle-free Halal holiday.

The Muslim travel market was worth as much as $130 billion in 2012 - which accounted for more than 12% of the world's entire outbound tourism market. The value of the market is expected to rise to about $200 billion by the year 2020.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://gulfnews.com/halal-options-1.1404144

The number of Muslim travellers visiting Vietnam has seen a considerable growth over the last few years. The country is becoming a popular travel destination amongst Muslim travellers - particularly from Indonesia, Malaysia, India and the Middle East - due to the availability of affordable tours and commodity prices.

Vietnam is now focusing on targeting more Muslim visitor arrivals in the future by upgrading its facilities to provide a Muslim-friendly environment for travellers.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2014/10/vietnam-eyes-muslim-travellers/

Industry experts have noted that Singapore companies have the edge in Muslim-friendly tourism and are presently using their familiarity with Muslim-friendly travel to tap into further business opportunities.

CrescentRating has been identified as one such company for its research, consultancy and training services on Muslim travel. Singapore companies are expected to extend their knowledge and expertise to assist countries like Japan to better serve Muslim travellers in the future.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://business.asiaone.com/news/singapore-companies-have-the-edge-muslim-tourism

Following Europe's first conference on Halal tourism, travel industry experts have predicted Spain's Andalucia to become a hub of interest for Muslim travellers and holidaymakers.

Andalucia has been garnering a lot of interest from Muslim travellers due to its Islamic heritage. Industry experts believe that it is ideally positioned to capture a larger share of the growing Muslim market.

For the full article and more information, please visit: http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2014/10/05/one-halal-of-a-time-andalucia-sets-its-sight-on-halal-tourism/

Muslim travellers looking for a Muslim-friendly hotel in Spain need look no further. Alanda Hotel Marbella has received recognition for its efforts to cater to Muslim guests and was recently awarded a Muslim-friendly rating of 4 by CrescentRating, based on the services and facilities it offers Muslim guests.

Located on Marbella's Golden Mile overlooking the expansive Mediterranean Sea and beautiful Sierra Blanca Mountain, Alanda Hotel Marbella is a luxury 4 star hotel which is ideal for individual travellers, holidaymakers as well as business travellers. The hotel is famed for is blissfully serene atmosphere and offers guests a wealth of services and facilities to ensure a comfortable stay.

Prayer facilities at Alanda Hotel Marbella include prayer rooms as well as prayer mats, prayer timetables and a Quran in each guestroom. Muslim guests may also visit the Mosque King Abdulaziz during prayer times, which is located right next to the hotel. The mosque is also known as Marbella Mosque and accommodates up to 800 people.

Dining options at Alanda Hotel Marbella will be plentiful for Muslim guests, with Halal food readily available. No alcohol is served and the hotel is also equipped with a Halal-certified kitchen and restaurant. It is capable of providing Halal banquets on request as well as Iftar and Suhoor during Ramadhan.

Other facilities offered to guests include a fully-equipped fitness centre, swimming pool, health club and spa, sauna, massages and beauty treatments. Business travellers are offered numerous meeting venues as well as the services of hosts, translators and photographers for their business needs.

Alanda Hotel Marbella was bought a year ago by the Saudi corporation Fawaz al Hokair and is considered to be an ideal focal point for Halal tourism in the region due to its close proximity to the King Abdulaziz mosque located just a few metres away. Halal tourism generates an estimated €300 million into Andalucia every year and is gradually becoming a lucrative business model.

Following Europe's first conference on Halal tourism which took place in Spain last week, American online news website The Huffington Post published an introduction and guide to Halal tourism.

The guide provides a quick introduction to Halal tourism and highlights its various aspects such as the necessity of Halal food and prayer facilities while travelling and how Muslim-friendly hotels cater to Muslim guests. CrescentRating - which was the Official Knowledge Partner of the Halal Tourism conference - is also listed along with HalalTrip as the front-runners of the Halal tourism industry.

The Halal Tourism Conference 2014 took place on the 22nd and 23rd September in Granada, Spain. The conference was attended by several tourist boards, travel agents, tour operators, Halal certification bodies, hotel managers and other players in the tourism industry.