Effects of faith-based attributes on hotel prices: the case of halal services
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 6 July 2021
Issue publication date: 9 August 2021
Abstract
Purpose
For more than 40 years, researchers have examined an exhaustive set of attributes as price determinants in tourism and hospitality. In extending this rich research stream, this study aims to propose and empirically assess a new set of hotel attributes, namely, faith-based attributes that allow tourists to continue following the activities and rituals guided by their religions while on vacation.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the Bayesian quantile regression for the first time in the field of hotel pricing, the hedonic pricing models examine both internal and external faith-based attributes, namely, halal services, which cater to the needs of Muslim tourists, in a sample of 805 hotels across the top three non-Muslim country destinations (Singapore, Thailand and Japan).
Findings
By exploring the effects of faith-based (halal) attributes available in hotels located in the biggest cities of the above-mentioned destinations, this study provides evidence for the significant role of faith-based (halal) attributes in determining hospitality prices.
Practical implications
This study’s findings offer a resource for several implications for tourism and hospitality scholars, practitioners and policymakers, especially within the field of Muslim/halal tourism, to develop action plans and strategies.
Originality/value
This study is the first to introduce a novel set of faith-based hospitality attributes and empirically assess their impact on hospitality price formation. Additionally, it contributes to the hedonic pricing method by being the first to use the Bayesian quantile regression.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to Mr Hans Keukenschrijver, CEO of Olery company for kindly providing them with the Guest Experience Index data for this study. We also want to acknowledge the contribution of Dr Dries Benoit (Center of Statistics, Ghent University) and Dr Mingxiang Li (College of Business, Florida Atlantic University) for kindly providing their comments on the R package “bayesQR and Bayesian quantile regression, respectively.”
This study was not funded by any organization.
Citation
Papastathopoulos, A., Koritos, C. and Mertzanis, C. (2021), "Effects of faith-based attributes on hotel prices: the case of halal services", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 33 No. 8, pp. 2839-2861. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-01-2021-0044
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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