Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,

Kuala Lumpur (IINA) : Though Muslims make up only 60 percent of the population, Malaysia now ranks first on a global list of Muslim-friendly tourist destinations, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Malaysia has specifically courted Muslim travelers with small tweaks, such as making halal food and prayer rooms readily available and clearly marked. The government’s dedicated Islamic Tourism Centre says the country of 30 million now receives about 5 million Muslim tourists a year.

“After 9/11, it became difficult for many Muslims, especially from the Middle East, to travel to many traditional tourist destinations like Europe and the US,” said Fazal Bahardeen, founder of Crescent Rating, the travel company behind the ranking. “Malaysia was one of the first countries to realize the potential of this market.”

The halal market has become a global market with a very rapid growth rate, economists say that the sector has achieved a growth rate of two digits, an estimated growth rate of 12 percent for 2014, and still has significant potential, given the growth of the world Muslim population by nearly 2.5 percent per year.

The halal food industry alone has an economic potential of around $150 billion, and the halal sector accounts for about 16.4 percent of the world’s total food expenditure. Whilst, the halal tourism is highly regarded as one of the fastest growing areas of global tourism estimated at $219 billion.