August 25, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR – This year’s Islamic Tourism Month (ITM), organised by the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) in Kuala Lumpur, kicked off early this week with lots of offerings for both Malaysians and tourists.
The programme, currently in its fourth edition, will run until Sept 30.
Themed “Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality”, it strengthens Malaysia’s status as the world’s top Muslim-friendly tourism destination according to the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI). This is a title Malaysia has held for 10 consecutive years now.
The nationwide campaign features eight categories: Mosque Open Day, Accommodation, Travel Packages, Spa and Wellness, Food and Beverages, Events and Exhibitions, Shopping and Retail, and Tourism Products and Theme Parks.
One of the highlights is the Mosque Open Day, which welcomes the public to explore selected mosques nationwide through tours, exhibitions and community activities, as a way to foster cultural exchange and inclusivity.
There’s also the ITM TikTok Challenge, in which content creators are encouraged to share their experiences at ITM partner destinations. The best creators stand to win prizes worth over RM50,000 in total.
ITC’s acting director-general Nur Alyssa Coraline Yussin said in a statement, “We invite businesses to be part of this growing movement. By aligning with ITM 2025, partners gain access to a strong branding platform, a rapidly expanding Muslim tourist market and the chance to support Malaysia’s journey toward Visit Malaysia 2026.”
Holiday continues
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Tourism Board, in collaboration with Klook, has also launched “Jelajah Hong Kong”, its first multi-market campaign to position the city as a Muslim-friendly destination.
Via the online travel platform, travellers can find a wide range of Muslim-friendly accommodations, activities and experiences, prayer-friendly day tours, as well as major cultural and family attractions.
Additionally, Klook also works jointly with the Kreator network in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to offer curated itineraries for Muslim travellers exploring Hong Kong.
This campaign aims to ease the challenges Muslim travellers may face when planning trips to non-Muslim-majority destinations.
It also follows Klook’s earlier collaboration with CrescentRating and HalalTrip, through which it became the first global experiences platform to feature verified Muslim-friendly ratings.
Hong Kong was recognised as the “Most Promising Muslim-friendly Destination” at the Halal In Travel Awards 2025.
The city also ranks third among non-OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) destinations and second globally in the Muslim Women-Friendly Travel Destination category in the 2025 GMTI.
According to the GMTI, Hong Kong saw 176 million international Muslim arrivals last year and this is said to increase to 245 million by 2030. The total travel expenditure is expected to hit US$230bil (RM971bil), highlighting the growing influence and economic potential of this market.
Bookings to the city from the Muslim community have also increased by 43.5% over the past 12 months.