The notion that Muslims generally do not travel during Ramadan may be a common one, once upon a time. But in the few years before Covid-19 hit, tourism analysts have observed some growth in travel during the Muslim holy month.
Halal travel authority CrescentRating, back in 2016, had forecast that travel during Ramadan may steadily grow in the next decade.
“Muslims travelling during Ramadan is becoming a reality and one which can benefit countries, through strategic destination marketing and planning by the tourism authorities,” CrescentRating chief executive officer Fazal Bahardeen had said back then in a report.
Fast forward to 2022 and the pandemic, unfortunately, had disrupted that growth. But experts believe that the trend of Ramadan travel will pick up once more.
The State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) Report 2022 found that Muslim travellers have increased their expenditure now that travel is picking up again. After the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Muslim spend on travel increased by 75.9% last year to reach US$102bil (RM430.3bil). The figure is forecast to grow to US$189bil (RM797.3bil) by 2025.
Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) director-general Datuk Dr Mohmed Razip Haji Hasan said the trend of travelling in the month of Ramadan had been driven by several factors.
“In some years, Ramadan coincided with the summer holidays, the time when Muslims, especially families in some parts of the world were able to take a break from work or school to travel with their loved ones. There are Middle-Eastern travellers who prefer to travel and perform their fast in countries with shorter daylight hours.
“The more adventurous ones travel to experience Ramadan customs and culture of a foreign land as each country has its own unique way of celebrating it that cannot be experienced elsewhere,” he said.
The ITC, an agency under the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, is instrumental in promoting Muslim-friendly and halal tourism in Malaysia.
“With international borders starting to reopen globally, we do see groups of Muslim travellers making journeys abroad during Ramadan. Some are treating this as an opportunity to perform umrah in Makkah and Madinah, to experience fasting and terawih prayers in the holy land.
“While in these initial weeks, we may see Muslims spending their time at home with family to focus on ibadah rather than travelling, I think the trend for travel will pick up, especially with the Hari Raya holidays and summer holidays coming up soon and with more destinations easing travel restrictions,” he said.
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia deputy director (Centre for Entrepreneurship) Dr Hisham Sabri said the trend of travel during Ramadan will grow, post-pandemic.
He said travelling can offer a spiritual respite from the events of the past two years that were filled with uncertainty, fear and trauma.
“Travelling is a form of release and an opportunity to seek meaning and see the glory of God, it’s certainly a powerful way to strengthen one’s faith and regain balance and meaning in life again.
“Doing so in the holy month of Ramadan is even more meaningful because you are on a break from worldly desires, and so the reconnection with God can be more profound.
“For Muslims, the opportunity to travel during Ramadan is a breath of fresh air as you get to experience the holy month in a new environment,” said Hisham, who is also a senior lecturer at the university’s Faculty of Economics and Muamalat.
Of course, this trend will also boost the global tourism sector that’s been battered by Covid-19.
“From an economic perspective, this development is also welcomed as travel increases the transactions for goods and services for airlines, hotels, restaurants, transportation, insurance, banks, retail, and other sectors. There is opportunity for income generation and economies to be revitalised,” he said.
In good faith
Muslims who travel during Ramadan will do so for a few reasons, according to findings from the recent Mastercard-CrescentRating Ramadan and Eid Lifestyle Report 2022.
“The few who plan to travel mostly cite reasons such as the need to be with family, and work purposes. Thirty-four percent of those planning to travel indicate their purpose as performing umrah,” the report noted.
Other purposes cited were for leisure (22%), to be with their children (21%), for business (14%), to be with parents/in-laws (13%) and to be with friends (10%).
Hisham said there are many verses in the Quran that speak of the benefits of travel in general, although not specifically about travel during Ramadan.
“Islam does not restrict Muslims from travelling in Ramadan. However, any travel by a Muslim is to be undertaken with good intentions and not for the purpose of committing immorality,” he said.
A consideration, though, would be the requirement to fast for Muslims during the holy month.
“If, during the journey, the challenges become too great, a situation known as masyaqqah, and to continue with the fast becomes difficult, then the Muslim traveller is allowed to break their fast in order to ease the journey.
“This discretion is given to Muslim travellers as Islam is mindful that undertaking a journey is challenging and may test the traveller in many ways. The traveller can replace the fast at a later date,” he explained.
According to Hisham, Muslims who travel through different time zones will observe the breaking of fast and prayers based on the local time of the destination they are currently at.
“If they are on the plane, flight attendants will usually make an announcement when it’s time to break fast. In situations where no announcements are made, the traveller just has to look out the window to confirm that the sun has set before breaking their fast,” he explained.
Proper planning
Fasting aside, Muslims also have other religious obligations – such as halal food, place to pray and water for ablution – that need to be met during their trip. These could make their travels during Ramadan even more challenging.
But Hisham said proper planning can help to smoothen the journey.
“With advanced planning, one can prepare ahead some halal meals for iftar and suhoor. They don’t need to be elaborate meals, as Ramadan teaches Muslims to make do with less.
“Prayers, too, can be done anywhere that is clean and safe, and this is eased with numerous mobile apps in the market for identifying qibla direction (the direction of the Kaabah) and prayer times in the local destination,” he said.
According to Hisham, Muslim travellers also have more flexibility in terms of their travel itinerary now.
“Typically, there are plenty of activities available for Muslim tourists at night time in Ramadan. To avoid exhaustion, tourists have the option to rest during the day and start going out after Iftar,” he said.
There is also better understanding of the halal travel concept by tourism stakeholders these days, which can make a trip during Ramadan more pleasant.
That being said, ITC’s Mohmed Razip said non-Muslim travellers should manage expectations when visiting Muslim-majority countries during Ramadan.
“Business hours usually differ, something tourists should consider when planning their tours. In some countries, non-Muslim travellers should expect to not be served as usual, as restaurants may be closed during daytime,” he said.
What’s for certain is that there will be ample unique experiences during Ramadan.
“Travelling in a Muslim-majority country like Malaysia during Ramadan can be interesting, so I would also encourage tourists to explore the local culture. There are special events and activities that occur only at this time of the year. For instance, some things to look forward to in Malaysia are the buka puasa (breaking of fast) buffets at hotels, the Ramadan bazaars, Hari Raya shopping, and, for Muslim travellers, performing terawih prayers with the locals,” he said.
Benefits are aplenty and Hisham, for one, encourages Muslims to travel during the holy month.
“Those who choose to undertake travels during Ramadan may find that it benefits them in the sense that they are exposed to Ramadan experiences in other countries and cultures. This will further open up their eyes and minds to the majesty of the world that God has created, thus deepening their faith in Islam,” he concluded.
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