Taiwan ranked No. 33 this year among international travel destinations popular with Muslim tourists, the annual Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index showed.
When compared with nations that are not members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Taiwan ranked No. 7, up from No. 10 last year.
The credit card company said that the index evaluates 130 international travel destinations and the average score is 43.7. The average score in the Asia-Pacific region is 56.5. Taiwan was given a score of 50.1.
Malaysia was ranked the most popular travel destination for Muslim tourists among the OIC members, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Indonesia and Qatar.
Singapore was the first choice among nations that are not part of the OIC. Thailand, Britain, South Africa and Hong Kong were ranked joint third.
Taiwan was rated No. 1 and No. 3 in terms of safe travel environment and airport facilities respectively among non-OIC nations.
In terms of meeting the needs of Muslim travelers, Taiwan’s score rose from 42 last year to 56.3 this year.
The nation’s accommodation option score also jumped from 31.7 last year to 43.6 this year.
The company attributed the nation’s rise in the rankings to increased access to prayer rooms and Halal or Muslim-friendly restaurants, as well as the availability of Muslim-friendly travel routes.
It is estimated that the total number of Muslim visitors globally is to increase from last year’s 117 million to 168 million by 2020.
The company said that all the destinations rated by the index were scored based on several criteria, including suitability as a family holiday destination, the level of services and facilities provided, accommodation options, marketing initiatives and visitor arrivals.
To evaluate destinations this year, the company said that it also took into account the nation’s air traffic accessibility and restrictions on visa applications.
Each criterion was then weighted to make up the overall index, it added.
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