MasterCard and Singapore-based halal tourism platform CrescentRating, released the 2016 Ramadan Travel Report, ranking 49 destinations across the world based on appeal to Muslims during the holy month.
While Malaysia is currently breaking the top Ramadan destinations for Muslims all around the world, this is not going to hold for long as Gulf states expect to see a major boost as Ramadan falls during the winter season starting in 2023.
UAE, Oman and Iran have ranked among the top 10 travel destinations during Ramadan, according to the Ramadan Travel Report .
Malaysia came in No.1 in the ranking followed by Indonesia, Singapore and Turkey. The United Arab Emirates came in at No. 8, Iran at No. 9 and Oman at No. 10.
Originally, a total of 50 destinations were analyzed. The ranking excluded Saudi Arabia as it's draw for tourists is based on religious considerations.
In 2015, the kingdom witnessed more than 6 million visitors during the holy month of Ramadan.
Although only two GCC countries are present in the top 10 ranking in 2016, this is projected to increase as Ramadan will occur during cooler weather starting in 2023.
North African destinations such as Morocco and Tunisia, in addition to Egypt and Jordan, will also rise in the rankings.