The rise of female Muslim travelers shows no signs of slowing down

Nasra Omar Bwana in Lamu, Kenya on a dhow, a traditional boat. Photo provided by Bwana.

NAIROBI — Samia Omar Bwana, 36, had always dreamed of traveling the world, but as a Muslim woman she was looking for extra accommodations on holiday: halal food, hotels with women-only swimming pools and spas, and prayer facilities nearby.

With most travel agents organizing trips around nightlife and alcohol, which is haram (forbidden in Islamic law), she decided to start traveling solo instead, then with her sister Nasra and their female friends.

Sisters Samia and Nasra Bwana. Photo provided by Samia.

Wearing toe-length, full-sleeve dresses and hijabs, they toured Lamu— one of Africa’s most beautiful islands with pristine beaches, lots of history and no cars— and Zanzibar, Turkey and Malaysia. While traveling, the women looked for halal food and women-only spaces. They organized their agendas around the five daily calls to prayer.

“That’s when I realized that young Muslim women were neglected in the travel industry,” Samia said.

So in 2017, Samia started Halal Safaris Africa, a travel agency aiming to make it easier for female Muslim travelers to safely go on holiday without compromising their faith.

“I wanted to replicate in Africa what I had seen in Turkey and Malaysia, curate memorable halal holidays for especially Muslim women, that they do not have to be accompanied by a male guardian to feel safe,” she said.

Samia scouts for halal hotels and fun activities that fit Islamic law such as dhow cruises (a traditional ship) or touring monuments and archaeology sites.

The halal-friendly hotels must not serve pork. The rooms must have Qurans, prayer mats and markers to show the direction of Mecca; bidets and toilets that do not face Mecca; and the art should not depict the human form.

Her portfolio of hotels – one is named the “Sister’s Safari package” – fit Islamic ideals and court Muslim women looking to travel to South Africa, Zanzibar and Kenya. Because African tourist attractions mostly serve foreigners from outside the continent and non-Muslim travelers, not many hotels or resorts have halal labels. Booking a halal holiday in non-Muslim countries can be a daunting task.

Samia Bwana is the founder of Halal Safaris Africa. Photo provided by Bwana.

Many Muslims do not want to simply order halal food from a menu that also serves alcohol or pork, as those ingredients make the kitchen and staff ritually unclean.

Alia Ali, a female Muslim traveler, explained that sometimes the same hands that have prepared pork will serve her a milkshake or ice cream.

“In such restaurants, contamination is even on the furniture because diners drop pork particles on the seats, hence the furniture is najis (ritually unclean),” Ali said.

By bringing female travelers together, Samia has opened new opportunities that were previously closed off for the solo Muslim female traveler. A majority of female Muslim vacationers prefer private villas for example, but a solo traveler may have difficulty finding other female Muslim travelers.

Samia Bwana in Zanzibar. Photo provided by Bwana.

Through Halal Safaris Africa, “a group of female travelers or a solo traveler can easily stay in a private villa away from male guests, have a female chef to cook halal foods, a female tour guide for game drives, and a separate swimming pool,” Samia said.

She has partnered with CrescentRating, a Singapore-based company that rates travel and tourism services for their Muslim friendliness.

Now she is training hoteliers on halal practices so that they can cater to the growing number of millennial Muslim travelers, who are the latest fast-emerging market, according to a report published by Mastercard and CrescentRating in 2018. The report predicts online travel expenditure by Muslim travelers globally will exceed $180 billion by 2026. Halal Safaris Africa has operated throughout the pandemic as domestic tourists seek staycations outside their homes during different phases of lockdown.

Even women from different faiths or those with no faith but who prefer modesty and sobriety are joining in Samia’s trips.

“They call and say, ‘I’m not Muslim but I want to hang out with other women in places with no alcohol where I cannot be misunderstood,” Samia said.

A traveler with Halal Safaris Africa poses for an Instagram-worthy picture. Photo provided by Bwana.

Different travelers demand different halal services.

“For instance, those from Oman in the Middle East prefer Zanzibar hotels which are halal but still offer activities such as big game hunting. African Muslim travelers are straightforward. They just want halal food and private pools that will allow them to swim in modest wear [a burkini] without being stared at,” Samia said.

The rise of Muslim travel bloggers and influencers, the cultural relaxation of male guardianship of Muslim women, and the rise of Airbnb rentals have also increased the desire of the younger generation to book international trips.

Kwawlah Habib, a mother-of-four who started traveling as a teenager, said a widespread fear of going to airports or train stations, especially at night or early morning, is one thing that hinders Muslim women from traveling to far away destinations.

To ease their fear, Habib launched a female-only taxi company.

“We have over 100 female drivers picking and dropping female travelers to and from airports, game parks and beaches within Kenya,” she said.

The Uber-like women-only taxi-hailing is called An-Nisa, meaning “The Women” in Arabic.

“When they see a woman’s face in a taxi, it is an assurance that they are safe,” Habib said.

Diana Mwango is a journalist based in Nairobi. She is currently working as an Editor at Business Daily.