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1 – 10 of 153Erose Sthapit, Peter Björk and Senthilkumaran Piramanayagam
This study aims to explore non-Muslim tourists’ general halal food preferences, motivations for tasting halal food during their recent trips, positive and negative emotions and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore non-Muslim tourists’ general halal food preferences, motivations for tasting halal food during their recent trips, positive and negative emotions and memorable dimensions associated with their recent halal food experiences after returning from holiday.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using the authors’ personal networks and Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) using a questionnaire. An email containing a link to the questionnaire was sent to the authors’ personal networks and posted on MTurk in January 2021.
Findings
Of the 311 non-Muslim respondents, more than half considered themselves as food neophiliacs and considered halal food experiences as imperative whilst travelling. However, tasting halal food was not a major travel motivation. Novelty and taste were the two main motivations for tasting halal food whilst at a tourism destination. Emotions elicited by halal food experiences focussed on “joy” and “love”. The proposed conceptual framework for memorable halal food experiences comprises several dimensions: taste, spending time with family and friends, novelty, quality and safety, hospitality, ambience (setting/servicescape) and experiencing others’ culture through food.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to explore non-Muslim tourists’ motives, emotions and memorable dimensions of halal food experiences.
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Mohamed Fawzi Afifi, Asad Mohsin and Mustafa Farouk
The study investigates perceptions and debate that are linked to the relationship between religion, alcohol, tourism and hospitality within the context of an Islamic tourist…
Abstract
Purpose
The study investigates perceptions and debate that are linked to the relationship between religion, alcohol, tourism and hospitality within the context of an Islamic tourist destination. An analytical approach involving a review of literature, assessment of conservationists’ attitude representing Islam and Christianity, and current trends using a student sample to determine intentions is used. The study findings suggest that alcohol and religiosity are not compatible, use, abuse and dependency are more common among non-believers than believers. A tense dispute continues in the Arab World around alcohol. The study contributes to the literature by highlighting economics, social practice, theoretical and managerial implications related to alcohol service in Egypt and suggests a way forward for global Muslim staff working in the hospitality, tourism, and travel industries.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses an analytical approach involving a review of literature, assessment of conservationists’ attitude representing Islam and Christianity and current trends using a student sample to determine intentions.
Findings
The study findings suggest that alcohol and religiosity are not compatible, use, abuse and dependency are more common among non-believers than believers. A tense dispute continues in the Arab World around alcohol.
Research limitations/Implications
The study is assessing the relationship between religion, alcohol, hospitality and tourism within the context of Egypt, advances knowledge about halal tourism and hospitality by explicitly linking religious obligations and the implication on tourism. The findings should be used with caution considering the subjectivity of responses and the size of the sample.
Practical implications
The service/hospitality industry managers could be Muslims or non-Muslims representing major airlines, hotels and restaurants where alcohol is served by Muslim employees. These managers should consider avoiding the sale or serving of alcohol completely, and if not, they must not force their workers to serve alcohol if they chose not to.
Social implications
Faith-based (e.g. Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists and Mormons), ideological or ethically driven alternative services should be created for the staff concerned with alcohol service/consumption. Employment is to be provided to adherents of these faiths or ideologies as an alternative resort.
Saeid Abbasian, Gustaf Onn and Denice Nordberg
This paper aims at from the perspective of the social exchange theory (SET) gaining an understanding of how promotion of halal concept in Sweden is perceived by Swedish hoteliers.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims at from the perspective of the social exchange theory (SET) gaining an understanding of how promotion of halal concept in Sweden is perceived by Swedish hoteliers.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods approach has been used consisting of 62 completed surveys with closed-ended and open-ended questions, follow-up comments and five in-depth interviews with hoteliers in the mid-Sweden region. Content analysis has been employed.
Findings
Three categories of meanings are the main findings: general perception, safeguarding Swedish secular values and financially unjustifiable have been discovered. Most of the respondents have been sceptical towards halal and Muslim-friendly hotel concepts due to financial and cultural challenges these two concepts have for the Swedish tourism and hotel industries. Based on the SET, this entails more costs than benefits and is especially at odds with Swedish-rooted secular values.
Practical implications
This study provides practical implications and increased knowledge for tourism stakeholders including hotels in Sweden.
Originality/value
This is one of the very few studies on halal tourism in Scandinavia and the first Scandinavian study on hoteliers' attitudes towards halal tourism.
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Anismar, Deddy Satria and Muhammad Ali
Purpose – This research aimed to identify the ideal concept of tourism development in Aceh Singkil, Indonesia, and to explain how the application of religious tourism is based on…
Abstract
Purpose – This research aimed to identify the ideal concept of tourism development in Aceh Singkil, Indonesia, and to explain how the application of religious tourism is based on the society as a community. The community included three parties, namely, government, community, and private.
Methodology – For this research, both a qualitative approach and a phenomenological method were used to get the accurate results. Although the recent method used was a qualitative research approach, the data were discovered through three instruments: observation, interview, and documentation. Observation involved observing a variety of tourism activities in the field study as well as informants. While the interview was conducted by participant method, the data found were familiar without being engineered by the informant.
Finding – Aceh Singkil is one of the areas in Aceh Province that has good tourism potential including natural beauty resources, geographical location close to any district, and a diverse of community culture. However, the local government does not have ideal concepts to develop these resources. The pattern of development is still done in traditional ways without the involvement of private parties and the community. The local community is only used as an object of tourism activity and its existence is not so obviously involved. As a result, tourism in Aceh Singkil has no direction of development. Based on this research, it was found that the relevant tourism concepts to be developed in Aceh Singkil are based on religious tourism (Halal Tour), as Halal Tourism is a reflection of the culture of the Aceh Singkil community.
Research Limitations – This research has limitations on non-specific religious tourism and limited quantitative data as well as a vast range of research areas.
Originality/Value – Religious tourism research is the mainstay of research concepts in Islamic countries as well as in Indonesia especially in Aceh provincy, so it is necessary to find the ideal concept for its application and become an example for other regions in the future.
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Syed Ahamed Suban, Kumar Madhan and Shameem Shagirbasha
Halal and Islamic tourism is gaining attention in the tourism literature in recent years. This study uses bibliometric analytical techniques to explore all the publications…
Abstract
Purpose
Halal and Islamic tourism is gaining attention in the tourism literature in recent years. This study uses bibliometric analytical techniques to explore all the publications indexed in the Scopus database in the broad subject of Halal and Islamic tourism from 2004 to 2021.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors found 238 publications that fit the function, subject and set criteria. The papers were analysed in terms of publication by knowledge area, number of studies published every year, contribution by countries, number of authors and most influential journals. VOS viewer was used to perform a visual analysis on co-occurrence of keywords and document citations.
Findings
According to the findings, the Scopus database includes 151 (34.40%) documents on business, management and accounting, and 89 (20.27%) documents on social science. It was reported that 29 documents were published in 2018, followed by 54 documents in 2019 and 56 documents in 2021. Malaysia has contributed 86 documents on Islamic tourism, whereas Indonesia has contributed 64 documents. The paper also discusses other interesting findings.
Research limitations/implications
The bibliometric analysis carried out was confined to Scopus data. Other national and international databases were not taken into account for this research.
Originality/value
Between 2004 and 2021, this study examined relevant studies on Halal and Islamic tourism. The study presents a concise review of the literature accessible to researchers working in this area and provides recommendations for future research.
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Ahsan Kamal and Muhammad Kashif
Over the years, shrines have been ignored as a destination by islamic marketing scholars. However, shrines can be classified as Islamic spiritual destinations which are visited by…
Abstract
Purpose
Over the years, shrines have been ignored as a destination by islamic marketing scholars. However, shrines can be classified as Islamic spiritual destinations which are visited by people to serve various purposes. Moreover, in the country context of Pakistan with its beautiful cultural traditions and the religiousness among people, the visit to a shrine as a destination experience is scantly examined. This study fills this void and aims at exploring Muslim tourists' spiritual experiences of visiting shrines as Islamic spiritual destinations.
Design/methodology/approach
An interpretive qualitative inquiry is used based on phenomenology as the leading methodology for this exploration. Following a purposive sampling technique, researchers interviewed 10 informants who regularly visit shrines. The collected data are analyzed based on thematic analysis.
Findings
The results of a thematic analysis reveal six themes that emerged from tourists' experiences of Islamic spiritual destinations. These include: religious and spiritual values, spiritual belief system, commercial experience, hospitality and support experience, socialization experience and obstruction experience.
Practical implications
The findings of this study can be used by policymakers managing Islamic tourist destinations. It will help them to improve tourist experiences.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to both theory and practice of destination marketing by exploring the factors influencing tourists' perceptions about their experience of Islamic spiritual destinations.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide comprehensive, theoretical and practical knowledge that will assist decision-makers in making informed decisions when promoting several…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide comprehensive, theoretical and practical knowledge that will assist decision-makers in making informed decisions when promoting several religious sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Specifically, this study examines the popularity of several religious sites, the personas of prospective visitors and their intentions to visit.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses several methodological approaches to fulfil its main objective, namely, Google Trends analysis, K-means cluster analysis and linear regression analysis.
Findings
The results reveal that several religious sites in the KSA are popular and have potential for further consideration by various stakeholders. In addition, four personas were identified which can aid decision-makers and marketing practitioners in designing suitable plans for prospective visitors based on the participants’ motivation and demographics. Furthermore, a significant association was observed among three motivational variables (self-esteem, relationship and physiological needs) and the participants’ intentions to visit.
Originality/value
This study makes an original contribution to the literature, as it examines several religious sites in Saudi Arabia in addition to the sites that are part of the practices of Hajj and Umrah. Furthermore, this study provides comprehensive knowledge in this area to assist both future researchers and practitioners.
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Noorshella Binti Che Nawi, Abdullah Al Mamun, Noorul Azwin Md Nasir, Azwan Abdullah and Wan Nurulasiah Wan Mustapha
This study aims to examine the factors affecting brand image and consumer satisfaction towards Islamic travel package in Malaysia.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the factors affecting brand image and consumer satisfaction towards Islamic travel package in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a cross-sectional design and quantitative method in examining the factors affecting the brand image and consumer satisfaction on Islamic travel package. This study has chosen Google form as a platform to collect the data.
Findings
The findings revealed that product quality, Islamic physical attribute and Islamic belief have a significant positive effect on brand image and consumer satisfaction. The findings confirmed that product quality, Islamic physical attribute and Islamic beliefs are the crucial tools for brand image that leads to the satisfaction of Muslim consumers on the Islamic travel package.
Originality/value
This paper addresses understudied aspects of brand image and consumer satisfaction towards Islamic travel package in Malaysia. It provided useful insights into the product quality, Islamic physical attribute and Islamic belief on brand image and consumer satisfaction towards Islamic travel packages. Tourism companies should improve and update their package based on the religious perspective to attract Muslim consumers.
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