TURKEY has been named the fifth European destination that Muslims from the Middle East and the Far East would like to visit as their next holiday, in an index topped by France.

The Muslim Travel Index Europe 2014 has shown that Turkey is only fifth in the list of countries that appeal to Muslim tourists as a future place to visit, according to a statement released by the Halal Tourism Conference organizers.

According to the research, France topped the list with 30 percent of popular destinations while Italy and Britain shared second spot with 28 percent. Germany and Turkey made the top five with 26 percent of the vote each, the statement said.  

Experts say the study shows the potential for Turkey of halal tourism which could be worth billions of dollars to the economy annually, especially due to its strong Islamic heritage. 

The index revealed 93 percent of those traveling abroad said it was important that the country they were visiting had facilities that catered to a halal lifestyle.

The halal tourism sector was worth 103 billion euros in 2013, representing around 13 percent of global travel expenditures. This figure is expected to reach 141 billion euros by 2020.