Irhal, an Arabic/English mobile app, has been launched for Muslim travelers. The app not only guides users to tourist attractions and shopping places in 90 cities around the world but also lists the nearest halal restaurant and mosque.
Prayer timings and a compass showing the direction of Makkah are also included in the app, which can be downloaded free from the Apple or Android store by searching for the word, Irhal.
“One of my biggest worries as a tourist has always been locating halal restaurants. On Fridays, I also worry about finding a mosque for Juma prayers,” said Irfan Ahmad, CEO and founder of Irhal.com travel website and mobile app based in Dubai. “We launched the Irhal.com website several years ago and in 2014, we received over one million unique visitors. But our users wanted to have the information on their smart phones so we developed the Irhal app.”
According to a recent Thomson Reuters study, Islamic tourism is a $137 billion market and tourists from the GCC spend $40 billion every year. With more than 70 percent mobile penetration and a lack of Arabic mobile content, Irhal aims to become the must-have resource for all Muslim travelers.
“Hotels and tourism organizations from Switzerland, Ireland and even Korea are contacting us to list their Muslim friendly offerings,” added Irfan who has been invited to speak at a halal conference being organized in Cordoba, Spain, in March 2015, to promote the city among Muslim travelers.
The Irhal app recently won the Best Islamic Economy Startup prize given by Dubai Silicon Oasis.
Source: Arab News
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