TECHNICAL NOTE Regional Seminar on Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on the Asian Tourism Market Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam 16-17 November 2015 1. Background International tourism has seen a rapid and continuous growth with an estimated 1.14 billion travellers in 2014. The domestic tourism component, according to the most conservative estimates, is five-fold this figure. Many factors have contributed to this phenomenon including the technological revolution, globalization and liberalization of trade and democratization of travel. The political, economic and cultural repercussions of the tourism phenomenon on society at large in practically all the countries in the world cannot, therefore, be under-estimated nor ignored. The growth has also led to the emergence of a very lucrative market of Muslim travelers especially in Asia which is home to the largest population of Muslims. Their needs and concerns have not been fully researched nor understood. UNWTO Member states have expressed their wish to have a better picture of Islamic tourism in its global, regional, and country based dimensions and as a first step it has been decided to undertake an analysis of the Asia Pacific market. 2. The generic objectives of the proposed study Better understand the huge potential of the emerging market for Islamic tourism, especially in and out of Asia. Build bridges between the Muslim and non-muslim populations and promote a culture of peace, stability and understanding between peoples. Develop policy recommendations to enhance facilitation, accessibility to, from and within the Islamic world and the provision of facilities and services for the development of Islamic tourism resources. More broadly speaking, the proposed study is also aimed: Drawing attention to the contribution of Islamic culture to Asian history and heritage. Highlighting Islamic member countries of UNWTO as attractive emerging tourist destinations and help them better tap the potential of intra-islamic travel.
3. Contents Overview of the Islamic world including brief history of Islam in Asia, economic and demographic profile. Countries monographs with a brief tourism arrivals profile and chart highlighting the importance of travel and tourism in Islamic countries at a global level, covering both arrivals and expenditure. Stocktaking of iconic sights including monuments and cultural centres of Islamic countries in the wider context of Asia as a geographical entity. Countries covered: Muslim-majority countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Brunei, Maldives), other Asian countries with a significant minority Muslim population (India, China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines), and non-islamic countries interested in the potential market (Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea). Saudi Arabia will be considered as a case study of Asian visitors participating in the Haji and Umra Pilgrimage. In view of the foregoing, the salient features of the study entitled The Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on the Asian Tourism Market conducted by UNWTO are to be presented at the above regional seminar co-hosted by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei and UNWTO. 4. Provisional Programme The provisional programme planned for the 16th November involves presentations on best practice issues by recognized speakers in the field of Islamic tourism in Asia and 3 panel interactive discussions duly moderated that deal with policy, marketing and image of Islamic tourism. A technical tour to visit iconic Islamic heritage sites and mosques in Brunei is planned for the 17th November. Invitations have been extended to the member states of the Commission for Asia and the Pacific (CAP) and the Commission for South Asia (CSA) and related tourism stakeholders in the region as well as those countries that participated in the study.
Day One: 16 November 2015 08:00-09:00 Registration 09:00-09:30 09:30-10:00 10:00-10:20 (20min) Opening Session / Welcome Remarks Recitation of Al-Quran Opening Remarks by Harry Hwang, Deputy Director of UNWTO Congratulatory Remarks by H.E. Dato Paduka Haji Ali Bin Haji Apong, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, Brunei Darussalam (TBC) Group Photo Keynote Presentation of outline of the study Imtiaz Muqbil, UNWTO Consultant Coffee/ Tea Break 10:20-10:40 (20min) Islamic Knowledge Heritage Tourism Dato Paduka Ahmad Bukhari bin Pehin Siraja Khatib Awang Haji Abu Hanafiah, Director of Administration, State Mufti's Office, Prime Minister's Office and Head of Management of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Exhibition Gallery, Brunei 10:40-11:20 Best Practice Zulkifly Mohammed Said, Director General, Islamic Tourism Centre, Malaysia Budi Faisal, Chairman of Center for Tourism Planning and Development, Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia 11:20-12:00 12:00-13:30 Panel Session I Theme: The potential of the emerging market for Islamic Tourism Moderator: Omar Nawaz, UNWTO Project Research Coordinator Arturo Boncato, Assistant Secretary, Department of Tourism, Philippines Livingson Ong, Tour Manager, Wing On Travel and Trading Sdn Bhd, Brunei Wahyudito Galih Indharto, Officer of Multilateral and Regional Non ASEAN Cooperation, Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia (TBC) Lunch Break 13:30-14:10 Best Practice Fazal Bahardeen, CEO, Crescent Rating Pte. Ltd, Singapore Sapta Nirwandar, Honorary Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Indonesia
14:10-14:50 15:00-15:30 15:30-16:10 Panel Session II Theme: Addressing negative stereotypes about Islam and communicating positive messages Moderator: Imtiaz Muqbil, UNWTO Consultant Budi Faisal, Chairman of Center for Tourism Planning and Development, Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia Fazal Bahardeen, CEO, Crescent Rating Organization, Pte. Ltd, Singapore (TBC) Sapta Nirwandar, Honorary Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Indonesia (TBC) 1 from Ministry of Tourism, Saudi Arabia (TBC) Coffee / Tea Break Panel Session III Theme: Policy recommendations/marketing of Islamic Tourism Products Moderator: Othman Yatim, Professor of Academy of Brunei Studies, University Brunei Darussalam Surana, Deputy Director of Multilateral and Regional Non ASEAN Cooperation, Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia Haji Mahmud Bin Haji Mohamed, Managing Director of Darussalam Holdings Berhand, Brunei Mary June Bugante, Director of Philippine-Department of Tourism for Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines 16:10-16:40 Summary Imtiaz Muqbil, UNWTO Consultant Concluding remarks Harry Hwang, Deputy Director of UNWTO 19:00-21:00 (2h) Dinner Day Two: 17 November 2015 (Provisional Technical Tour) 08:45 Depart from hotel s lobby 09:00 Arrive at Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Exhibition Gallery 10:00 Jame` Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque 10:30 Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque 10:50 Depart for water village for a tour Glimpse of Kampong Ayer way of life - Tanjung Kindana 13:00 Lunch *Please take note there might be some changes in the tour itinerary
5. Short Profiles of UNWTO Consultant and Speakers Imtiaz Muqbil Main consultant to the UNWTO study on the Contribution of Islamic Culture and its Impact on the Asian Tourism Market Mr. Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire has been covering the Asia Pacific travel industry from his Bangkok base since 1980. The Newswire was the first e-mail newsletter to be launched in August 1998. He is also responsible for the Islamic Travel Newswire, a compilation of progressive, positive, inspiring and motivating events and developments in the Islamic world. Mr. Muqbil has attended and reported on dozens of global travel trade shows, travel industry summits, annual general meetings and summits, over the years and is one of the longest serving travel trade journalists in Asia Pacific. Reputed for his knowledge, courage and independent thinking on tourism related issues, Mr. Muqbil's opinions have always found a hearing amongst professionals and laymen alike. Born and educated in India, Mr. Muqbil holds a Diploma from the London School of Journalism. He worked for Travel Trade Gazette Asia, and was chief correspondent TTG Asia, PATA Travel News, to mention a few of the posts he held in the field of tourism and journalism in his career. Fazal Bahardeen CEO of CrescentRating Pte. Ltd, Mr. Bahardeen is a thought leader, innovator and entrepreneur in the global Muslim lifestyle and travel sectors. He setup CrescentRating in 2008 with a vision to help the industry understand and better cater to the needs of Muslim travelers. A year later, he launched the world s first rating system to assess travel & tourism services for their Muslim friendliness. Today, CrescentRating is the world s leading authority on Halal Friendly Travel market providing insight, research, consultancy, training and rating services to every sector of the tourism industry from Government bodies to hotels. CrescentRating has partnered with MasterCard to co-develop the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI), amongst other ventures CrescentRating also acquired HalalTrip. In May 2015, Mr. Bahardeen launched Muslim Travel Warehouse, the world s first global b2b plat for Muslim Friendly tour packages, excursions and activities. Mr. Bahardeen s academic and professional qualifications in Business Management, Computer Applications, and Telecommunication Engineering are vast and varied having attended some of the most prestigious institutes and universities of the world. Mr. Bahardeen also has a Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM). He is a corporate member of IET (UK) and a Chartered Engineer (CEng) (UK).
Zulkifly Mohammed Said Director General of Islamic Tourism Center (ITC) Malaysia Mr. Zulkifly began his career in the Malaysian civil service as an Assistant Director with the Tourist Development Corporation (TDC) - now known as the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia), in 1988. He was later assigned as Director (overseas) at the Board s overseas offices in Hong Kong (1992-1996), Bangkok (2000-2004) and Istanbul (2004-2007). He also served as the Board s Northern Region Director based in Penang from 1996-2000. In 2007, Mr. Zulkifly was promoted to the position of Director at the Board s Head Office and has held the Director s position with the Finance and Administration Division, Conventions Division, Research Division, Industry Development Division and International Promotion Division (West and South Asia Region). Mr. Zulkifly holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, majoring in Management and Marketing from Westmar College Le Mars Iowa, USA. Mr. Zulkifly served in Tourism Malaysia for 25 years before being seconded to the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) in 2013 as its Director General. Sapta Nirwandar Honorary Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Indonesia Dr. Nirwandar has an extensive background in international and national public service, including state-owned enterprises and academia. In December 1999, he was appointed as Secretary General of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Republic of Indonesia. His contribution in the tourism industry began when he was appointed as Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in December 2003. Other positions he has held include Director General for Tourism Marketing. His career reached the peak when he was appointed as Vice Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy in October 2011. In international forums, he has been selected as Member of Program Committee of UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) representing Asia and the Pacific region for period 2007-2013. This time he was also appointed as honorary advisor for Minister of Tourism in the Middle East market and halal tourism. Dr. Nirwandar completed his undergraduate study at Padjajaran University,Indonesia, in the Faculty of Economy. Later, Dr. Nirwandar attended several universities in Paris (Institute International d Administration Publique, Paris; University Paris I-Sorbonne; Ecole Nationale d Administration; University Paris IX-Dauphine) for his Graduate and Doctorate in Public Administration from 1982 to 1988. He is fluent in English and French
Budi Faisal Chairman of Center for Tourism Planning and Development, Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia Dr. Faisal is a professor in Architecture and Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, Planning and Development Policy, Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia and also he is a chairman of Center for Tourism Planning and Development, Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia. From 1999 until 2002, he became an Academic Assistant in Architecture, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture at Faculty of Architecture and Planning, University of Melbourne, Australia, as well as running short courses in Monash University. From 2005-2010, he was a special staff for Minister of Housing, Government of Indonesia. From 2007-2014, he was the Chairman of Daarut Tauhiid Islamic Educational Foundation in Bandung, Indonesia. Since 2012, he acts as an Expert Advisor for Tourism Destination Organization for Ministry of Tourism, Government of Indonesia. Dr. Faisal has been invited as a Guest Lecturer in USM, Penang Malaysia, Erfurt University Germany and Kitakyushu University, Japan. He has been researching and writing several papers for national and international seminars on Bamboo Architecture, Sustainable Architecture and Landscape, Sustainable City and Community Empowerment, Sustainable Tourism and Climate Change, and Sharia Tourism. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture (Ir), in Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), In 1990, he got a Fulbright scholarship for Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) as well as Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA), both from the University of Colorado, USA. He finished his Doctorate degree from University of Melbourne, Australia. Dato Paduka Ahmad Bukhari bin Pehin Siraja Khatib Awang Haji Abu Hanafiah Director of Administration, State Mufti's Office, Prime Minister's Office and Head of Management of the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Exhibition Gallery (BPIS) Dato Paduka Ahmad Bukhari Abu Hanifa is a respected scholar in Islamic affairs with a distinguished career in the public service in Brunei Darussalam that extends from the Ministry of Development, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Education and State Mufti's Office, to the Prime Minister Office. He has also held various assignments in the field of labour relations, abroad (London, Kuala Lumpur and Manila). Dato Paduka Ahmad Bukhari Abu Hanifa has represented Brunei in many international and national meetings, seminars, committees and exhibitions. He has been duly recognized for his services having received various Orders and Decorations from His Majesty The Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. He has taken a lead in Islamic tourism being the Head of Secretariat, Islamic Civilization in the Malay World Conference (Brunei, 1989) and Co-Head of Secretariat, Launching of Brunei Islamic Tourism 2011. His academic qualifications extend to a B.A. Economics (Hon) - University of Coventry, U.K, a Higher Certificate of Klang Islamic College (Malaysia), and an Advanced Labour Admin Certificate (Oxford University).