The index provides insights into the flexible and fast-growing market of Islamic travel and examines some of the key drivers that will propel it.

Egypt's ranking on the index has significantly improved, compared to its previous ranking of 12th out of 138 countries in 2022. The index also indicated that Egypt is leading the way among North African nations.

The Global Muslim Travel Index applies four criteria: access, communications, services, and environment.

According to the index's report, Southeast Asian destinations ranked among the top 10 in all four of these criteria, with Indonesia coming in first place, followed by Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey.

In terms of overall performance, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Egypt stand out as the top three performers this year, according to the report. 

On the other hand, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Vietnam ranked last in the respective order.

Last week, the 2023 Travel Industry Trends report, which is issued by Mastercard Economics Institute, declared Egypt among the top ten traveler destinations in 2023.

According to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the revenue generated from tourism in the first half of FY 2022/2023 increased by 25.7 percent, from $ 5.8 billion in 2022 to $ 7.3 billion in 2023.   

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Egypt's tourism industry has made substantial progress toward recovery. 

In April 2023, the country welcomed a record-breaking 1.35 million tourists, which indicates a positive trend for the future of the industry.