Malaysia, Russia Partner To Advance Muslim-friendly Tourism Standards
KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is expanding the global reach of its Muslim-friendly tourism standards through a strategic partnership between the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) and Russia’s Halal assurance body, RusQuality (Roskachestvo).
The collaboration was formalised through a Memorandum of Mutual Recognition (MOMR) signed on May 14 during the 17th International Islamic Forum Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum in Tatarstan, Russia.
Under the agreement, both parties will harmonise Malaysia’s and Russia’s guidelines and standards for Muslim-friendly tourism and hospitality services, while also granting reciprocal rights to use the official logos and branding of the guidelines.
ITC Director-General Mohammad Faisal Abu Suaib Khan said the partnership marked a historic collaboration that would further expand the global reach of the Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition (MFAR) programme.
“We are honoured to represent Malaysia in this historic collaboration, which further extends the global reach of the MFAR programme. When Malaysia initially developed MFAR, our goal was to create a sense of home and peace of mind for Muslim travellers, no matter where they landed,” he said in a statement.
Faisal said Russia had demonstrated sophisticated work in the Halal sector through RusQuality and expressed confidence that aligning standards between both countries would simplify business cooperation and strengthen tourism flows.
“The US$235 billion-worth Muslim international tourist market is huge, and having both parties on board will mobilise greater liquidity through the tourism economy in both destinations,” he added.
Meanwhile, Head of ANO Russian Quality System/RusQuality, Maxim Aleksandrovich Protasov said the partnership reflected confidence in Malaysia’s MFAR framework as a global benchmark for Muslim-friendly travel.
“Harmonising our standards strengthens Russia’s position as a premier Muslim-friendly destination and equips our industry players to capture the immense potential of the Muslim-friendly travel sector and the greater Halal economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Faisal also highlighted the broader appeal of Muslim-friendly tourism standards, saying they were rooted in universal values such as cleanliness, safety, and family-oriented services, which would see increasing demand beyond Muslim travellers.
He added that ITC is prepared to work with other destinations through standards, training and research to help them leverage opportunities in the growing Muslim-friendly tourism sector.
During the KazanForum, Faisal also led discussions on the global Muslim tourist market, estimated at two billion people, and highlighted Malaysia’s experience in standards development, industry capacity building and strategic product development.
ITC, an entity under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, also engaged with decision-makers and industry players in Kazan and other regions from May 12 to 17 to explore similar collaborations with international partners.
-- BERNAMA
