The "Halal Travel Trends 2025" report, a collaboration between Mastercard and CrescentRating, offers insights into the evolving landscape of the Muslim travel market. Utilizing CrescentRating's RIDA (Responsible, Immersive, Digital, and Assured) Framework, the report provides a holistic outlook on emerging trends, aiming to balance traditional hospitality values with innovation to meet the unique needs of every traveler. This article highlights trends within each dimension of the RIDA Framework, illustrating how faith and adventure converge in the future of tourism.

Responsible Tourism: Travel with Purpose

Responsible tourism is increasingly becoming the new standard, driven by a growing awareness of environmental and social impacts. This dimension, encompassing socio-economics, socio-cultural aspects, and environmental concepts, focuses on respecting and conserving natural environments and local communities.

1. The Shift to Regenerative Tourism: Moving beyond merely "sustaining" to actively "restoring" ecosystems and benefiting local communities, regenerative tourism empowers travelers to leave destinations healthier than they found them. This trend encourages restorative activities, including supporting ethical sanctuaries and contributing to environmental restoration initiatives such as reforestation and habitat clean-ups, offering meaningful experiences that resonate with faith-traditions.
    
2. The Ethical Diner: Reflecting a growing trend of value-driven consumer behaviour, ethical eating involves making conscious food choices that minimise ecological disruption and promote sustainability. This aligns with Halal and Tayyib gastronomy principles, which emphasise not only lawful ingredients but also humane animal treatment, environmental stewardship, transparency, and fairness across the food supply chain. For sports tourists, this translates to a demand for Halal-certified dining options that also adhere to broader ethical standards, from farm to plate.

Immersive Experience: Beyond Surface-Level Engagement

Immersive travel seeks deeper, more meaningful engagement with places, moving beyond passive sightseeing to active participation in local culture through every sense. This approach transforms ordinary trips into journeys of discovery and personal growth.

1. Sport Tourism: Sport tourism currently accounts for 10% of global tourism and is projected to exceed $2 billion by 2032. This trend encompasses travel to major sporting events, such as the World Cup, as well as participation in active sports such as marathons, skiing, and hiking. It offers year-round appeal that brings excitement, a sense of community among fans, and aligns with the growing health and wellness trend. To attract Muslim travelers, destinations must ensure sporting events and active lifestyle offerings are inclusive, faith-conscious, and family-friendly, providing Halal food, prayer spaces, and modest facilities at venues.
    
2. Slow Travel: This growing trend differs from rushed itineraries, focusing on extended stays in fewer destinations to appreciate moments and connection. Slow travel encourages deeper connections with local cultures, facilitating meaningful interactions and active participation in local life. This approach allows for personalised journeys tailored to individual interests, promoting physical health and mindfulness through activities like walking and cycling. It resonates with Muslim travelers seeking mindful, purposeful journeys aligned with faith-traditions of reflection.

    “It’s not just about the destination; it’s about the entirety of the experience, the wholeness of the journey.” 

Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar, Undersecretary of the Philippines Department of Tourism

Digital Advancement: Smart Journeys

Digital advancements are revolutionising the travel industry, making it more accessible, personalised, and efficient. Technologies are streamlining travel planning and enriching on-site experiences, enhancing convenience and control for travelers.

1. AI-Powered Travel Tools: Artificial intelligence is becoming central to travel planning, offering hyper-personalised itineraries, real-time suggestions, and proactive support. AI agents can analyse user preferences and past travel behaviour to offer customised travel itineraries, including sports events, accommodation, and local attractions, thereby improving user satisfaction. For Muslim sports tourists, AI-powered tools can provide tailored recommendations for Halal dining, prayer spaces, and Muslim-friendly accommodations, and even offer cultural and language intelligence, including prayer time notifications.
    
2. Smart Apps for Personalized Halal Journeys: Intelligent Halal lifestyle apps are transforming how Muslim tourists engage with their journeys by providing streamlined information and tailored services. Apps provide downloadable Halal travel guides, comprehensive information on Muslim facilities, and assist with spiritual connectivity during travel throughout their journey.

Assured Service: Elevating Standards for All

Assured service focuses on providing reliable, high-quality, and inclusive services that address specific traveler needs and preferences, enhancing comfort and safety throughout the journey.

1. Inclusive Travel (Accessible Tourism): This aims to create welcoming and usable tourism experiences for all guests, including those with disabilities, seniors, and families. In sports tourism, this means ensuring physical accessibility at venues, offering elderly-friendly facilities, and training staff in both accessibility and cultural sensitivity. This broadens the market reach and enhances satisfaction for diverse groups, including multi-generational Muslim families attending sports events.
    
2. Meeting the Needs of the Modern Female Traveler: With a significant rise in solo female travel and women playing a substantial role in family travel planning, destinations are increasingly tailoring services to gender preferences. For Muslim female sports tourists, this includes prioritizing safety and security measures, offering women-only hotel floors, female-staffed wellness services, and gender-segregated recreational and prayer spaces, ensuring comfort and peace of mind at sports events and facilities.

Halal travel is increasingly evolving through the intersection of ethical values, faith-based principles, and modern travel trends. As travelers seek experiences rooted in sustainability, wellness, and community impact, faith-based values such as stewardship, compassion, and social justice naturally align with these priorities. The principle of Tayyib, meaning wholesome and pure, extends beyond Halal compliance to encompass health, sustainability, and ethical sourcing. This concept reshapes Muslim travelers’ perceptions, encouraging a more intentional, values-driven approach that prioritizes quality, transparency, and care for the environment.

These synergies create a strong foundation for travel experiences that are both spiritually meaningful and globally relevant. Destinations are encouraged to offer experiences that nourish both body and soul, allowing travelers to reconnect with their faith, communities, and nature in a more deliberate and enriching way.

Collaborations across different industries - governments, business, and local communities - is necessary to design inclusive ecosystems that prioritizes accessibility, ethical consumption, and spiritual well-being. By understanding and embracing these trends across the RIDA Framework, the travel industry can cater to the dynamic and rapidly expanding Muslim travel market, fostering greater cultural understanding and richer, purpose-led travel experiences worldwide.