BERNAMA: Islamic nations can further boost their cooperation, particularly in the tourism industry, by encouraging travellers to visit religious sites in Muslim countries, Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said said. She said there was huge potential for "religious tourism" in these countries, especially in Malaysia, given the diverse cultures, religions and places of worship of various faiths.
"I believe Malaysia has the capacity. We have a lot of mosques and we have a great history of Islam. Also, thousands of Hindu devotees come here for Thaipusam," she told reporters when responding to a question on how Islamic nations could complement each other to develop the tourism industry.
Religious tourism or commonly referred to as "faith tourism" is a form of tourism people travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage, missionary or fellowship purposes. According to World Tourism Organisation an estimated 300 to 330 million pilgrims visit the world's key religious sites every year.
Azalina said she was in discussions with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also in charge of religious affairs, looking into strategies on how Malaysia could promote "religious tourism".
Malaysia, with 60 per cent of the population Muslims, is a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and a member of D-8, a group of developing eight Islamic countries, which have formed an economic development alliance. Other members of the D-8 are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey also have the potential to develop religious tourism given their rich cultural and religious background.
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