Muslim-friendly hotel booking portal Tripfez and Malaysia’s leading digital marketing specialist, Media Prima Digital, a subsidiary of Media Prima Group, have launched a new Umrah package booking feature on popular Islamic app Raudhah, made possible by the industry’s first Umrah API.
The API connection gives third-party travel sites access to an Umrah feed with Raudhah the one of the high-profile channels taking advantage of Tripfez’s new direct digital distribution offering.
Raudhah’s 250,000-plus existing users and Muslim travellers who download the free app can search for flights and hotels for Umrah travel according to multiple criteria, including date of travel and the number of travellers in their group, thanks to live supplier feeds facilitated by Tripfez. Once they have selected each component of their Umrah package, bookings can made via an online order form.
Online Travel Agents can also access the API connection, enabling them to access and digitally package Umrah travel more easily.
“This new Raudhah app feature marks an exciting development in the Islamic travel and marketing space, with two dynamic Malaysian-headquartered companies working together to pioneer the digital distribution of Umrah packages, which until now, has been a traditional, non-digital business,” said Tripfez Founder & CEO, Faeez Fadhlillah.
“Our collaboration with Media Prima Digital will not only make it easier than ever for Muslim travellers – in just a few taps of their smartphones or devices – but also facilitate the future growth of the Umrah travel sector, catering to pent-up demand for digital Umrah solutions, which today is driven by tech-savvy Muslim Millennials.
“At the same time we are giving third-parties access to the API connection, enabling them to access the direct feeds to create and sell Umrah packages more efficiently and effectively than ever before.”
Raudhah provides users with easy access to exclusive videos from popular religious programmes such as Al- Kulliyyah, Tanyalah Ustaz and Halaqah, as well as prayer times based on location, azan notifications and listings of nearby mosques and restaurants.
The app has 14 features in total and is designed to cater to the religious needs of Muslims in Malaysia and around the world, providing them with accurate and verified lifestyle- and education-driven content.
The introduction of Raudhah’s Umrah feature is timely, with the number of Umrah visas issued to Malaysian travellers via official agents reaching an all-time high of 248,117 between 2016 and 2017, according to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. This compares to 188,487 between 2013-2014.
Of the estimated 18 million visitors to Saudi Arabia in 2017, around 6.75 million performed Umrah during the Hijri year 1438 (October 2, 2016 to September 20, 2017), according to figures released by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics.The kingdom aims to increase total Umrah visitor numbers to 30 million by 2030.
Raudhah is the brainchild of Media Prima Digital, part of Malaysia’s leading fully-integrated media company Media Prima Group, and one of its most successful apps to date.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Umrah feature into the Raudhah app in this latest update. Performing Umrah is now much easier with the advancement in technology and we look forward to embracing it as we take a digital-first approach as an organisation,” said Rafiq Razali, CEO, Media Prima Digital.
The new Umrah package app feature launch will be supported by an extensive social media campaign and broadcast coverage on select Malaysian TV stations.
