March-April. 2026

Asean

05

Malaysia’ s ASEAN 2025 chairmanship advances Muslim-friendly tourism cooperation

BY FAYZ JAMIL & NUR AALIYAH JASMINE ZA ' ABA

The gathering positioned Kuala Lumpur as the centre for ASEAN’ s collective vision-setting, diplomacy and long-term regional planning.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’ s chairmanship emphasised solidarity, equitable development and sustainable progress across ASEAN. Within this framework, tourism emerged as one of the most strategically important sectors.

Tourism has long been a major engine of growth for ASEAN, driving employment, cultural exchange and intra-regional mobility. As such, Malaysia’ s leadership pushed for deeper cooperation, stronger standards and more future-proof strategies for the region’ s tourism landscape.

A notable dimension of Malaysia’ s approach was its consistent advocacy for Muslim-friendly and Muslim-friendly tourism, an area in which Malaysia is widely recognised as a global leader. As ASEAN is home to some of the world’ s largest Muslim populations, Malaysia encouraged the region to adopt more

India highlights sustainable tourism at the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit.

coordinated guidelines, harmonised certification processes and unified branding to strengthen ASEAN’ s position in the global Muslim-friendly tourism market.

This aligns with Malaysia’ s longstanding expertise, as demonstrated by institutions such as the Islamic Tourism Centre( ITC), which has been instrumental in shaping policy, standards, and capacity-building programmes for

ASEAN-India Joint Leaders’ Statement on Sustainable Tourism

Adopted at the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit, alongside the 47th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN-India Joint Leaders’ Statement on Sustainable Tourism underscores tourism as a pillar of inclusive and sustainable regional cooperation.

Introduced during the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism in 2025, it addresses challenges such as over-tourism by prioritising quality experiences that protect natural and cultural assets while benefiting local communities.

The statement promotes closer cooperation in skills development, digital innovation, community-based tourism and heritage preservation, while recognising India as a key source market, with 4.3 million Indian visitors to ASEAN in 2023.

Home to more than 200 million Muslims, India represents a growing Muslimfriendly travel segment.

ASEAN- particularly Malaysia- is well positioned to meet this demand, supporting the region’ s ambition to emerge as a connected Islamic tourism destination for global travellers.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

22nd ASEAN-India Summit.

Muslim-friendly travel.

Throughout the summit, Malaysia steered discussions on tourism resilience, sustainable destination management, digital transformation, and the integration of Muslim-friendly travel ecosystems.- RnR

Malaysia-New Zealand Opportunities in Halal Cooperation

The recent Halal Implementation arrangement between Malaysia and New Zealand presents significant opportunities for Malaysia’ s tourism sector. With New Zealand expressing interest in joining the ASEAN Halal Council at the summit, there is potential for collaboration to enhance the Muslim-friendly tourism sector in both countries.

Malaysia can leverage its status as a leading halal destination to boost New Zealand’ s visibility in the halal market, thereby attracting more Muslim travellers seeking halal-certified products and services. The certification recognition already received by two New Zealand organisations from JAKIM shows a commitment to high standards.

By leveraging this existing certification, New Zealand accommodations can seamlessly take a step towards the Islamic Tourism Centre( ITC) with its Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition( MFAR). Additionally, this step would enable hotels to be recognised as " Muslim-Friendly " hubs, positioning New Zealand as an inclusive destination and attraction for Muslim tourists worldwide.

As emphasised by New Zealand’ s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, the halal market extends beyond just food. Sectors such as medical products, cosmetics, and tourism can significantly benefit from this collaboration.