UK: Luxury Halal Sun & Beach Resort Holidays

March 2011 Issue – Sisters Magazine

In 2009 a group of visionary Muslims with senior management experience from travel and bluechip companies came together to realise the Crescent Tours vision – Holidays with an Islamic ethos. Since then Crescent Tours has established a reputation as the UK’s leading independent Halal Tourism specialist, offering high quality halal Sun & Beach Holidays in the Mediterranean and Islamic Heritage Tours in Turkey.

“We founded Crescent Tours with an aim of offering high quality halal holidays” said Mr Enver, the managing director of Crescent Tours Ltd. He continues: “All accommodation facilities are operated in full accordance with Islamic norms. Our resorts do not serve alcohol and have segregated swimming pools, leisure areas and spa facilities for men and women. Islamic dress code is followed on the resorts’ private beaches. There are evening entertainment programmes in accordance with Islamic norms for kids and adults.

Various sport activities are available too – both on land and sea, and it goes as far as scuba diving for women in Islamic dress code.

We only offer high quality holiday packages, meeting high levels of European quality standards. We ensure this quality by having a simple policy – we do not offer resorts we would not stay in ourselves. We visit and stay in resorts ourselves and every resort we are offering has been selected for a reason – some are luxurious properties with very upmarket dining and leisure facilities, some are beach holiday villages offering wide range of diverse activities or small boutique hotels selected for their unique atmosphere and friendly service, while others offer access to some of the region’s best therapy and spa centres. We also offer our customers luxury villas with private swimming pools and stunning sea views. In addition we offer Islamic Heritage Tours to Istanbul, the capital city of Ottoman civilisation.

Our resort holiday packages are all inclusive. Flights, airport transfers, food and drinks throughout the day are all included, so our packages are great value for money.

Our expertise and quality of service are what set us apart. . We have strong understanding of UK Muslim customer base and we are experts in holiday business to Turkey. Our local representatives in Turkey provide our customers with a wealth of local knowledge and ensure you get the most out of your holiday. Our reps are far more than just company representatives – they are your hosts in Turkey!”

Hussain (IT professional, 35) and his wife Leila, (33) from London talk about their experience of halal holidays with Crescent Tours. They went on beach resort holidays on the Mediterranean twice with Crescent Tours.

“There’s no alcohol, no scantily dressed people and certainly all food is halal. Unlike mainstream resorts, I feel more comfortable here” Leila says. The characteristic thing about this holiday is that between enjoying the beach, restaurants, the segregated spa and pool, guests hear calls to prayer (athan).” I want to thank Crescent Tours for providing a service, which allows Muslims to enjoy themselves in a suitable environment.”

The Qureishi family from Thames Valley – Hassan, a senior manager from a blue-chip company, and Saima, a housewife with 2 kids, – also booked their holiday with Crescent Tours. Hassan commented: “We had a great time. Food was excellent and separate women-only swimming pools and spa made it a very special experience for my wife. The resort was by the beach and had great facilities. Saima added: “We also visited Istanbul as a part of our package. A guided tour to Istanbul’s magnificent palaces and grand mosques was invaluable to our understanding of the Islamic civilisation. It was culturally enriching especially to our kids.”