Archer & Gaher Adventures on selling halal-friendly holidays and inclusive travel
Husband-and-wife duo David Archer and Hafsa Gaher, founders of Archer & Gaher Adventures, are working hard to promote halal-friendly holidays and inclusive travel. Abra Dunsby finds out more.
Africa specialist tour operator and agency Archer & Gaher Adventures, run by husband and wife team David Archer and Hafsa Gaher, has spent years catering to the halal travel market.
And during lockdown, to spread the word among agents and clients about halal-friendly travel and its business potential, Gaher has set up a Halal Travel Network on Facebook as a platform to “share ideas, promote inclusivity, offer support and education about what halal experiences can be, and grow this untapped market,” she says.
Gaher set up the Halal Travel Network Facebook group with an agent friend, Sarah Saleh of the Savvy Travellers, one month ago.
While the network is currently operating virtual discussions via Zoom, Gaher hopes once the pandemic allows it, the group will be able to meet in person and organise events to promote halal-friendly travel.
“We want the network to include individuals who will be able to grow and inspire others, regardless of their own faith,” explains Gaher, adding that there will be many non-Muslim travel agents currently catering to Muslim clients who might need advice and selling tips.
She hopes the group will also include specialists who sell different parts of the world, so that knowledge and expertise can be shared.
“The more agents we can get – whether they already sell halal-friendly travel or not – the faster the message will spread about halal-friendly travel’s potential,” adds Gaher.
Growing market
Gaher, who is originally from Tanzania, and Archer, who has travelled the continent with Gaher, both have a passion for Africa, and have dedicated time in recent years to working with partners across the continent to promote halal-friendly tourism, including in destinations such as Uganda and Namibia, which aren’t typically Muslim countries.
“Traditionally there are a limited number of countries which Muslim travellers could go to because they weren’t deemed halal-friendly,” explains Archer. “Actually we’ve seen through our conversations with various tourism boards that that appetite to grow that market is there. Before Covid hit, halal travel was worth £200 billion a year and was growing, so the demand is definitely there.”
The pair has forged relationships with tourist boards and hoteliers in Uganda, South Africa as well as New Zealand in recent years, to arrange halal-friendly tours and trips for their clients.
The operator also sells twin-centre holidays to Middle Eastern destinations including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman and Ajman, which Gaher says allow clients to combine different experiences in one holiday, such as safari and beach or safari and culture.
Tailored approach
It’s vital that agents selling halal-friendly trips ask as their Muslim clients as many questions as possible to ensure they can tailor a trip to their specific needs, the pair advise.
“Halal-friendly trips can vary massively depending on requirements and as Muslims ourselves, we are aware of the different aspects clients might be looking for.” says Archer. “Some are looking for halal food and no alcohol at their hotels, others for separate pools for men and women, for example.”
Muslim travellers will also want to ensure they are travelling to a destination where they feel safe, he adds. “When talking to Muslim travellers, you get some asking ‘is it safe for me to go there with a hijab?’
“We try and push the idea of a destination being welcoming and accepting of different travellers and their different perspectives. Everybody should feel comfortable on holiday.”
Archer & Gaher Adventures’ inclusive sentiment is extended beyond its trips for Muslim travellers, adds Archer. “Each experience is built around the client. We don’t want to stop somebody having the holiday they want based on their circumstances, such as having accessibility needs, for example.”
Both Gaher and Archer hope that their work to promote halal-friendly travel, including via the new Halal Travel Network, will allow the niche to become more mainstream.
“At the moment, halal-friendly travel is on the fringe, with agents not sure how to offer it,” says Archer. “We’re aiming to build up their knowledge and make them comfortable selling it.”
Three halal-friendly African destinations to consider
Zanzibar: “Some clients might think it’s all about the beaches and little else, but Zanzibar has a rich Muslim heritage,” says Archer.
South Africa: “This has become one of our top-selling destinations after we visited last year,” says Archer. “Cape Town has lots of history of Muslim heritage in particular, especially in the Bo-Kaap area which has a strong Malay influence. Many hotels around the area, Hilton included, are halal-friendly.”
Uganda: “We recently had conversation with parties within Uganda including the tourist board and are delighted that that destinations across the country are now sourcing halal meat,” says Gaher.
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