Exploring the Challenges and Potential for Islamic Edu Tourism at madrasah institutions in Malaysia

Abstract

The existence of madrasah or pondok education in Malaysia has come a long way since before the independence in 1957. It was all started as part of religious education alternative to the secular and modern education in the country and now are getting more popular among parents as an alternative to formal education provided by the government. Despite that, often a lot of these madrasahs are self-sufficient, not profit-oriented, and often relies on donations and the minimum fees paid by the parents. The amount will have to be divided into meeting education needs like teaching, facilities, and operation expenses. In many instances, they will have to operate in destitute and to the extent unable to sustain their existence. Due to this financial restriction, these institutions need to make the effort to generate their own funding without anticipating for any help from any parties (Fazial & Bahari, 2018). Economic wellbeing is important in this institution to ensure they have the necessary capabilities to build financial knowledge and skills, enhance their chances towards access of viable economic resources for generating income and asset building. It is an assurance that the management together with the students in these madrasahs will have the financial security and able to sustain themselves. Tourism has the potential for enhancing economic wellbeing with many has increasingly turning to tourism as a vehicle for development, either at micro or macro level. (Giaoutzi & Nijkamp, 2017). Thus, it is believed that with careful analysis on the potential resources available, a new and viable Islamic tourism product can be suggested as a mean for generating income and eventually enhance the economic wellbeing of these institutions. Keywords: Islamic tourism, Islamic Edu-tourism, madrasah tourism, Muslim-friendly, Edu-tourism