Tourism, arts and culture minister Nancy Shukri has called on member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to get more women involved in the tourism industry.

Nancy, who was the only female minister present at the meeting of tourism ministers of the Islamic Conference, applauded the OIC members who were starting to place more women in decision-making positions in the tourism and culture sector.

She told the conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan, that this was a step forward in establishing an inclusive and sustainable environment for both female travellers and tourism workers.

“I hope the tourism industry continues to provide greater support to ensure women are enabled to continue their contribution to the tourism economy,” she told the conference held on June 28.

Nancy said there had been a rise in female Muslim travellers over the past decade, with Malaysia among the top destinations for these tourists.

She cited a MasterCard credit rating study in 2018 which found that some 63 million female Muslim travellers aged 18 to 40 had spent a total of US$80 billion, saying women’s role in the tourism sector cannot be denied and must be “given special attention”.

While noting that 71% of Muslim females travelled with their families currently, she predicted that even more women will start to travel on their own due to health and safety concerns for young children post-pandemic.

Nancy reiterated that Malaysia was committed to accommodating a safe and streamlined return to international travel and tourism, with entry procedures with neighbouring countries being harmonised in stages.

“Since the reopening of our borders, Malaysia has attracted over a million arrivals. The government has set a target of 4.5 million tourist arrivals for this year, which will be reviewed every three months as more countries begin to ease outbound travel restrictions.”

She added that her ministry had been actively promoting Muslim-friendly tourism in Malaysia, ensuring standardised certifications to guarantee shariah-compliant travel to attract Muslim travellers.

She noted that the global halal industry market could reach up to US$2.3 trillion in two years’ time, with the sector potentially contributing to 8.1% of Malaysia’s gross domestic product by 2025.

“These numbers are promising and indicate that Muslim tourism is a contributing niche of Malaysia’s economic growth.

“Moving forward, Malaysia looks to advancing cooperation at the regional and international level, especially in Muslim-friendly tourism, by working closely with the OIC.”