KUWAIT: Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a study specialized in halal tourism, which indicated that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranks first internationally in spending on halal tourism, at a total of $17.6 billion during 2017.

The study shows that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE lead the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as far as the availability of competitive work environments for investment in traveling and tourism, and availability of advanced technology, while presenting the infrastructure for aviation around the world.

The study further indicates that due to the high per capita income, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries top the list of Muslim tourist sources based on spending abroad, as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait placed second and third respectively, while south east Asia remained first.

The study expects the number of Muslim travelers to grow from 131 million or 10 percent of the total number of world tourists to nearly 156 million by 2020. Furthermore, the study shows that during 2017, the average spending by a Muslim traveler was nearly $1,374, which is expected to rise to $1,400 by 2020 due to the increased income in the market economies where most Muslim passengers live.

By A Saleh