The minister of culture and tourism in Turkey has opened the world’s biggest international halal tourism event, Halal Tourism Conference 2016 in Konya, Turkey.
Hundreds of delegates from more than 30 countries attended the opening day, which brought together some of the world’s leading names in the travel industry.
Mahir Ünal, minister of culture and tourism in Turkey, officially opened the two-day conference, themed 'Developing Halal Tourism Industries' which aims to shape the future of a sector, currently worth US$150bn.
The event featured a number of high profile guests from across the globe including Dr Bandar Fahad al Fehaid, delegation of Arab Tourism Organisation of the Arab League, Irfan Onal, director general of Ministry of Tourism Turkey, Tahir Akyurek, mayor of Konya and Muammer Erol, governor of Konya.
The opening day, held at the Dedeman Convention Centre, featured keynote speeches on topics such as ‘Technology and its benefits to the Halal Tourism’ and ‘The Muslim Traveller Needs’ alongside panel discussions and workshops.
Ünal, said: “We are delighted to host this conference on this historic day. As a minister of tourism I will continue to support this kind of tourism and our aim as a tourism destination is targeting 50 million tourists into the country. We would like to thank the delegates who have come to this event and how we can all grow together.”
Dr. Bandar Fahad al Fehaid, Delegation of Arab Tourism Organization of the Arab League, said: “We are delighted to be part of a global conference and representing the Middle East. An event like this is very important and how we can unite the world through tourism.”
Alongside the conference, there is also a three-day exhibition featuring businesses from across the world. This is the second time the tourism showpiece is being held in Europe following the inaugural event in Andalucía, Spain.
A recent study has revealed that in 2015 the estimated total Muslim visitor arrivals were 117 million representing close to 10 per cent of the entire travel economy. This is forecasted to grow to 168 million visitors by 2020 and 11 per cent of the market segment with a market value projected to exceed $200bn.
Organiser Bilal Domah, from CM Media, said: “We would like to thank Mahir Ünal, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey for opening the event. Halal tourism is one of the biggest sectors in the world and we are delighted with the fantastic turnout including our VIPs, high profile delegates and quality speakers. We are looking forward to a very insightful two days which is certain to shape the ongoing agenda of the fast-growing halal travel industry.”
