Italy risks missing out on halal tourism boom: Study

  • Date: 08-Oct-2021
  • Source: Arab News
  • Sector:Tourism
  • Country:Middle East
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Italy risks missing out on halal tourism boom: Study

ROME: Italy is missing out on huge revenue opportunities presented by halal tourism, an academic study presented at the Turin Islamic Economic Forum has warned. According to a study by the Management Department of the University of Turin led by Paolo Biancone and Silvana Secinaro, Italy has “no overall approach” to create an extensive halal hospitality network, which would entice Muslim travelers to the country. In the international halal tourism market, researchers said, Italy’s competitive capacity is “so low” that the country does not even appear among the top 10 destinations in the Global Muslim Travel Index, placing well below Germany and France, the European countries that have done the most to promote halal tourism. The pre-pandemic Islamic tourism market was estimated to be worth about $220 billion. But this figure is expected to double rapidly due to the demographic increase of the Muslim population as well as a growing middle class. Turin researchers said that in 2000, Islamic travelers numbered about 25 million, but by 2020 had risen to 158 million worldwide. It is expected that by 2026, the value of Muslim traveler revenues will reach $300 billion. But Italy is almost completely excluded from this scenario. “Italy boasts