Adoption of Halal Tourism Concept in Star Rated Hotels in Mombasa County, Kenya: The Role of Perceived Benefits

Abstract

Globally, halal tourism has been acknowledged as one of the tourisms segment whose growth is exponential. Halal tourism has been identified as one of the highest spending tourist markets. The hospitality industry is recognising the need to adopt Halal-compliant facilities around the globe. Halal tourism can be understood as the offer of tourist services designed to meet the needs of Muslim tourists following their religious commitments. Halal destinations serve Halal food, have a no-alcohol policy and have gender-segregated swimming and spa areas, among other Halal compliant products. Consequently, in Kenya, the hospitality industry is gradually embracing the Halal tourism concept. Mombasa County has identified Halal tourism as a key growth area. Its rich Islamic influence would make it a preferred Halal destination for Halal tourists worldwide. However, Mombasa County has some restaurants currently only providing Halal food. Subsequently, the country is missing out on the growing global Halal tourism. Hence, the study sought to examine the influence of perceived benefits on the intention to adopt the Halal tourism concept in star-rated hotels. The study population was 15 star-rated hotels in Mombasa County. The respondents consisted of hotel managers, supervisors and operatives. The study embraced a cross-sectional research design where primary data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis by computing frequencies and means and inferential analysis using correlation and multiple regression analyses. The coefficient of determination from the multiple regression model showed that perceived benefits explain 62.2% of the intention to adopt the Halal tourism concept. The study found that perceived benefits is a significant determinant of the intention by star hotels to adopt Halal tourism. The study recommended the need for the hotels to undertake a cost-benefit analysis before adopting Halal products and services. Keywords: Halal tourism, halal concept adoption, perceived benefits