The guided holiday package includes 13 nights hotel accommodation, breakfasts daily, 11 dinners, two lunches, travel by luxury air-conditioned coach, an expert travel director, hotel service charges and tips, unique insider experiences and airport transfers. Visits to Istanbul, Bursa, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, Antalya, Konya, Cappadocia, Ankara and other key attractions are included.
"As the world leader in guided travel specialising in personalised, immersive experiences, we are incredibly excited to launch the very first Trafalgar trip for the Muslim community," says Teresa Richardson, managing director of The Travel Corporation in South Africa.
"Considering the large Muslim communities in South Africa, it is important that we are now able to offer specialist tours meeting these traveller’s faith-based needs and interests. Turkey has long been a bestseller for Trafalgar in South Africa," adds Richardson. "This specialist itinerary will give Muslim travellers the opportunity to delve deeper into Turkey’s authentic Ottoman culture and discover the Islamic heritage of this wonderfully diverse and interesting country."
Rudewaan Arendse, non-executive director of Cullinan Holdings and owner of Tayyib Travel says: "Globally, most Muslim travellers and tourists are practising Muslims, whose main concerns while travelling are [access to] Halal food and prayer facilities."
Muslim spend on travel was already valued at $177bn in 2017, and is forecast to grow to $274bn by 2023, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2018/19.
Guided holidays to Spain and Italy are currently in the pipeline with departures planned for 2019.
"What makes Trafalgar unique is that every element of our trips are designed to allow our guests to discover real joy, ease and connections when they travel. This inaugural itinerary is completely personalised to offer these connections and more. We are confident that the Muslim traveller will delight in the personalised experiences that are featured, and enjoy discovering Turkey with complete peace of mind that all the essentials are taken care of," concludes Richardson.
