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Malaysia has done it again. Another year, another laurel, another chance to prove to the world that when it comes to Muslim-friendly travel, the country doesn’t just compete, it wins, struts and smiles while doing it.

The Global Muslim Travel Index 2025 has once again crowned Malaysia number one, making it a full decade of consecutive wins. That’s ten years of saying to the rest of the world: “Thanks for coming, better luck next time.”

To underline the point, Malaysia is staging Islamic Tourism Month (ITM) 2025 from 18 August to 30 September, six weeks of celebration, spectacle, and, yes, plenty of shopping. In Malaysia, why win when you can throw a party about it, too?

Tourism, But Not As You Know It

If you’re picturing a couple of dry seminars and a press conference with lukewarm satay skewers, banish the thought. ITM 2025 is no polite afternoon tea. It’s a full-scale festival across eight categories, each bigger and bolder than the last:

Mosque Open Day: Think stained-glass cathedrals in Europe, but with minarets and Malaysian hospitality. Doors flung wide, guides on hand, and community warmth to spare.
Accommodation: Resorts, hotels, and retreats dangling packages in front of families, honeymooners, and “treat yourself” travellers alike.
Travel Packages: No need for spreadsheets and highlighters — packages roll convenience and discovery into one neat bundle.
Spa, Wellness & Healthcare: Traditional Malay massage meets 21st-century therapy. And yes, services are gender-sensitive so that everyone can relax in peace.
Food & Beverages: The crown jewel. Malaysians don’t eat to live; they live to eat. Expect halal dining promotions that will have you loosening your belt and planning your next meal while still chewing the last bite.
Events & Exhibitions: From the Global Halal Summit (16–18 September) to MIHAS (17–20 September), serious business happens too, with enough networking to keep LinkedIn in business for months.
Shopping & Retail: If tourism is the show, retail is the encore: discounts, promotions, and all the justification you’ll ever need for a new pair of shoes.
Tourism Products & Theme Parks: From cultural icons to the dizzy heights of Berjaya Times Square Theme Park, equal parts heritage and high-octane fun.

Mosque Open Day: The Soul of ITM

Of all the delights, Mosque Open Day is the standout. There’s something quietly moving about walking into a place that’s sacred, social, spiritual, and everyday. These aren’t dusty relics or tourist props but living, breathing spaces.

Guided tours let visitors experience the architecture and heartbeat of Malaysian Islam, which is warm, welcoming, and refreshingly open. It’s tourism at its most human.

Money Talks (and ITM Knows It)

If ITM is a festival for travellers, it’s also a golden handshake for businesses. The Islamic Tourism Centre has issued a clarion call for hotels, spas, retailers, event organisers, and more to join the movement.

And they’re not shy about the benefits. As Nur Alyssa Coraline Yussin, Acting Director-General of ITC, says:

“The seeds planted in 2022 have blossomed into an event that reflects Malaysia’s warmth, diversity and hospitality. We invite businesses to be part of this growing movement. By aligning with ITM 2025, partners gain access to a strong branding platform, a rapidly expanding Muslim tourist market and the chance to support Malaysia’s journey toward VM 2026.”

That’s not just a quote; it’s a sales pitch wrapped in silk. And judging by the track record, 300 organisations and RM5 million in value since ITM began, plenty are buying in.

TikTok Joins the Minarets

Of course, no modern festival is complete without a nod to the social media gods. Enter the ITM TikTok Challenge.

The rules? Visit. Video. Viral. Simple as that. Sling on the hashtag #ExperienceITM2025, you could pocket part of the RM50,000 prize pool, including a trip to Xi’an, China, and a cruise with Aroya.

The takeaway? Faith may move mountains, but TikTok moves audiences.

ASEAN, Assemble

Here’s where timing becomes artful. Malaysia is currently the Chair of ASEAN, which means the neighbours are paying attention. And given the shared cultural values and rising appetite for Muslim-friendly travel across the region, ITM 2025 has every chance of becoming an ASEAN-wide calling card.

If the 2020s are about experience-rich, inclusive tourism, Malaysia is angling to be the regional HQ.

The Road to 2026

Let’s not kid ourselves: Visit Malaysia 2026 looms large. ITM is effectively the dress rehearsal, and the nation is determined to look good in its opening act.

The lights are being tested, the costumes pressed, the orchestra tuned. When the curtain rises in 2026, ITM 2025 will have paved the way.

Who Should Step Up?

Hotels, spas, theme parks, retailers, mosques, trainers, if you have a product that is ” Muslim-friendly,” ITM is your stage.

Registration is open now at the official ITC link.

Final Thoughts

Islamic Tourism Month 2025 is Malaysia flexing its tourism muscles with a grin. It’s faith, fun, food, and commerce stitched together with a distinctly Malaysian thread. Once again, it proves that being Muslim-friendly is not a niche but a mainstream, lucrative, and deeply human way of welcoming the world.

And after ten years at the top of the GMTI ladder, Malaysia seems in no mood to step aside. Why would it? When you’re number one, the only thing left to do is celebrate, preferably with good food, a few new friends, and maybe a TikTok or two.