Study: Sustainability key in decision making for Muslim Gen Z travellers

Muslim Gen Z travellers are prioritising cultural immersion and sustainability in their travels, and 45% of the respondents identify themselves as environmental enthusiasts. According to  Mastercard’s Crescent-Rating’s Muslim Gen-Z study titled "The Next Generation of Travelers", while 69% of Muslim Gen Z travellers are actively looking to travel and are planning to take two or more trips in the next year, nearly a third are willing to minimise flying.

Around 11% also said they will pay for carbon offsets and 14% will take holidays closer to home to avoid long haul flights. In fact, when it comes to travel spend, they are known as intentional spenders where 77% of Muslim Gen Z are willing to spend more on sustainable practices such as reducing air travel, participating in volunteer tourism and supporting local businesses. When it comes to payment methods overseas, 73% of them are more inclined to use a debit or credit card while 57% prefer to use cash.

Muslim Gen Z women also emerged in the study as important decision makers, with over 70% heavily involved in planning for family travel. el. Almost 70% prefer cultural immersion activities such as experiencing local traditions, heritage, and cuisine. In addition, 63% seek opportunities to learn something new in their travels. This segment is also drivers for change, with 76% indicating social causes to be important in their travel plans.

Fazal Bahardeen, founder and CEO of CrescentRating and HalalTrip, said that Gen Z are actively redefining what it means to travel as they are often considered the true digital natives with exposure to the internet, social networks and mobile devices from a young age. “This report presents clear, actionable findings for tourism operators around the world that can help them to capture this incredibly important demographic,” he added.

A report released in 2019 by Mastercard and CrescentRating, stated that Muslim women travellers made up 63 million of 140 million total Muslim visitor arrivals in 2018. Over half of them use some form of social media to scope out accommodation, logistics and dining. Some 28% of Muslim women journeys in 2018 were solo travels, indicative of a growing younger demographic willing to experience the world.

Division president of Southeast Asia Mastercard, Safdar Khan said that consumers are making up for the lost time in travel due to the challenges over the last few years. This encourages them to visit new places and discover new experiences while staying cognisant of sustainability, “and this demand will influence consumer choice and spend significantly in 2023,” he added.

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