Muslims might want to put Malaysia on their vacation list as the country has topped as the world's friendliest destination for Muslim travelers, according to a survey released Tuesday.
Japan, however, has shown most improvement as it ramps up efforts to cash in on a growing market, Agence France-Presse reported.
In this year's rankings for "halal" friendly holiday destinations, Malaysia was followed by the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
Released by Singapore-based Muslim travel specialist Crescentrating, the countries were evaluated for the survey in terms of their attentiveness to the needs of Muslim travelers.
According to AFP, the provision of prayer rooms at airports, shopping malls, hotels, and the presence and accessibility of halal restaurants with meat slaughtered to Islamic standards were some of the criteria's that were looked at.
"An increasing number of destinations are now keen on tapping into this segment and adapting their services to take into account the unique faith-based needs of Muslim travelers," said Crescentrating chief executive Fazal Bahardeen.
For a largely Muslim Malaysia, Bahardeen said the country's Islamic Tourism Centre has "continued to educate the industry on how to cater to the Muslim travelers," AFP reported.
He continued, "There are now more and more hotel kitchens with halal certification, an increasing number of hotels are also now catering to the specific needs of Muslim travellers."
In one hotel, males and females requiring privacy have been provided separate timings for the use of gym and swimming pools, he said.
Accounting for almost 13 percent of the global total, Bahardeen said the Muslim travel market was estimated to be worth $140 billion last year. By 2020, it is expected to rise to $200 billion, he added.
Japan was in 40th place among the 60 ranked, but its score is 10 notches up from 50th place last year -- the biggest improvement overall, AFP reported.
"Japan has definitely been the most active destination during the last year to focus on this segment of travelers," Bahardeen told AFP.
"It has launched a number of initiatives -- from awareness programs to the local industry to releasing the Muslim travel guide to Japan."
Halal food and prayer rooms have also been started to be offered by some airports and hotels in Japan, he said.
The only non-Muslim country in the top 10 was Singapore, which was placed sixth in the global rankings, followed by Morocco, Jordan, Qatar and Tunisia.
According to AFP, the tiny island state touts its man-made attractions, a vast array of local food and reputation for cleanliness and order to travelers, and "does better than even some of the Muslim countries" in enticing those who follow the Islamic faith, Bahardeen said.
Italy, Belgium, Ireland and Mexico were the bottom four countries in the rankings, as they had "not really focused" on the possibilities of the Muslim market, he added.
The top ten in order were: Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Morocco, Jordan, Qatar and Tunisia, AFP reported.
