Qatar named one of the best ‘halal’ places to visit in 2016

Doha, 1 Jumadal Awwal 1437/February 9, 2016 (MINA) – Muslim tourists looking for a new holiday destination this year should consider heading to Qatar, Singapore-based HalalTrip reported last weekend.

Doha was listed among the top 10 cities to visit by the “trip advisor for Muslims,” which cited the large number of halal restaurants and availability of prayer facilities here as pluses for travelers.

Speaking about Qatar, HalalTrip recommended visitors head to Souq Waif to shop, or for those looking to spend more money, to the “plenty of great malls filled to the brim with international and local retail stores.”

The majority of Qatar’s visitors come from neighboring Gulf countries, and thus many are Muslim.

According to the Qatar Tourism Authority, tourism from GCC nations accounted for 44 percent of overall visitors last year.

That’s up 16 percent from the previous year, or more than 1.3 million people.

People from Saudi Arabia comprised more than a fifth of all guests, or some 855,555 visits last year.

Last year, HalalTrip’s sister group CrescentRating declared Qatar as the fifth friendliest vacation destination in the world for Muslims, according to a survey of tourists.

That ranking took into account factors such as Qatar’s airport facilities, safe travel environment, dining options and ease of access to prayer spaces.

However, Qatar lost points for lacking family friendly activities, hotel accommodations that catered specifically to Muslims and a perceived lack of enough marketing campaigns to the travel demographic. (T/P4/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)