Harmonising the Attributes of Shariah Compliant Hotel with the Concept of Sustainable Hotel Development Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976

Abstract

Hotel industry forms a larger part of halal tourism. If development of a hotel is not properly regulated, it can cause adverse impact to the environment. Adherence to the planning procedures particularly on the aspects of sustainable development can also be considered as part of criteria of a Shariah Compliant Hotel (SCH). As a Khalifah in this universe, it is the responsibility of the men to protect the environment by controlling development activities. This paper will discuss the aspect of harmonising the attributes of SCH with the concept of sustainable development provided under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976. In completing this paper, a qualitative research method was employed. The data for the study was collected using library-based method together with semi-structured interviews with the local planning authority. Observation was also made on the Shariah compliant hotels. The finding reveals that the concept of sustainable development in the planning system should be integrated with three accreditation standards important for the implementation of SCH which are MS1500:2009, MS1900:2005 and MS2610:2015 in order to strengthen the implementation of halal tourism.