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Online disclosure practices of halal-friendly hotels

Ikram Nur Muharam (Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia)
Mehmet Asutay (Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, Business School, Durham University, Durham, UK)

Journal of Islamic Marketing

ISSN: 1759-0833

Article publication date: 23 May 2019

Issue publication date: 7 January 2022

824

Abstract

Purpose

This research analyses the online disclosure practices of halal-friendly hotels, denoting their service provision within “halal” expectancies. This study aims to discover the halal attributes commonly used in the online marketing practices of halal-friendly hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

The methods used in this study include a deductive approach through literature, which was then followed by an initial investigation of several random samples that produced 24 points of halal-friendly attributes, and then content analysis to find out the online disclosure practices of 55 halal-friendly hotels. Further insights gathered through analysis of the use of Islamic images and symbols; also, by examining the nexus between the disclosure level and other variables such as halal-friendly certification level, star-level and guest ratings.

Findings

The results show that most hotels classify themselves as halal-friendly by providing information that articulates Islamic identity or by informing the existence of prayer facilities. Information displayed includes halal food, halal places, alcohol-free policy, prayer facilities and Qibla direction. Furthermore, image analysis shows that almost all hotels use human photographs, and the preferred gender is male; only a few hotels expose Islamic symbols. Most hotels maintain a neutral impression by avoiding “Islamised gender” and not overly emphasising Islamic images. Otherwise, halal-friendly certification level is positively correlated with the disclosure level.

Practical implications

The results provide a fresh insight regarding the online marketing practices of the halal-friendly hotels and could be used as a benchmark by the practitioners.

Originality/value

This topic is still unexplored; it shows this research originality.

Keywords

Citation

Muharam, I.N. and Asutay, M. (2022), "Online disclosure practices of halal-friendly hotels", Journal of Islamic Marketing, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 119-132. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-12-2018-0239

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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