Islamic Tourism Research Articles

Fourth World Islamic Tourism Conference (WITC) 2024: sustainable development of Islamic tourism ecosystem

Fourth World Islamic Tourism Conference (WITC) 2024: sustainable development of Islamic tourism ecosystem

Exploring Gastronomy Tourism as Potential Halal Tourism Products: Preliminary Study of Tourist Perception on Baba Nyonya Cuisines

Gastronomy tourism has gained prominence globally, offering local and international tourists unique experiences for their taste palettes. The demand for Halal food among Muslim tourists has significantly increased as more people seek authentic and culturally appropriate dining experiences when travelling. This paper examines gastronomy tourism from the perspective of Islamic tourism, focusing on the Baba Nyonya cuisine; a combination of Chinese and Malay flavors as a viable Halal tourism product, aligned with the growing demand for Halal-certified options in the tourism industry. Factors of Halal certification, cultural familiarity, food awareness, and involvement, were explored. A structured survey was distributed to 385 tourists around Banda Hilir, Melaka, to explore Baba Nyonya cuisine's potential as a gastronomy tourism attraction. Baba Nyonya cuisine was found to be a promising attraction for Halal-conscious tourists. Interestingly, the Baba Nyonya cuisine appealed more to non-Halal food enthusiasts compared to a Halal option among Muslim tourists, since few of the Baba Nyonya restaurants were not Halal certified. This study underscores opportunities to increase the variety of Halal-certified foods and provide insights for travel marketers and local cuisine operators to capitalize on Baba Nyonya cuisines, thus pinning Malaysia as a leading destination for Halal gastronomy tourism.

Peningkatan Literasi Zakat bagi Masyarakat Muslim di Malaysia

Al-Fateh Mosque (MMAF) - Taman Jati, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia along with Amil Zakat and also participants of Ummatic Festival 3.0. The partner problems include Zakat literacy is still low, community participation in Zakat management is low, there is no Zakat literacy program involving mosques working with different communities, and international universities doing community service activities based on community empowerment. In relation to the three partner problems, the solutions to the problems that have been implemented include efforts to increase zakat literacy through zakat socialization, conducting zakat literacy enrichment activities for muzzaki at MMAF, and collaborating and being actively involved with MMAF, DRB-Hicom University, the ASNAF community, Islamic tourism volunteers around Ipoh and Kuala Kangsar, and several universities from Indonesia and internationally in a series of Ummatic Festival 3.0 activities. The method used in ICS activities is Participatory Action Research (PAR). After carrying out the activity; the muzzaki know the importance of paying zakat through official zakat amil institutions, the muzzaki play an active role in zakat collection and distribution activities at MMAF, and the muzzaki together with all Ummatic Festival 3.0 stakeholders were very enthusiastic to carry out ICS activities for these eight days. In addition, this program succeeded in restoring the role of the mosque as a community institution that plays a role in community activities, especially in collecting zakat for the welfare of the community.

The Importance Level of Islamic Tourism Attributes: Will Religiosity Distinguish?

Research Originality: How Islamic attribute fulfilment may influence Muslim tourists' preferences has been widely known. Yet, the way the model is examined the other way around is relatively scarce in halal tourism literature. The originality of this research lies in the model use in testing the effect of companion type and destination choice, moderated by different levels of religiosity, on Muslim tourists’ assessment of the importance of Islamic attributes in halal tourism.Research Objectives: This study aims to examine the effect of Muslim tourists’ preferences in terms of companion type and destination choice, moderated by their level of religiosity, on their assessment of the importance of Islamic attributes in halal tourism. Research Methods: Friedman and Cochran's Q non-parametric tests were conducted on 189 data collected online to examine the direct effects of companion type, destination choice, and religiosity on Muslim tourists’ assessment of the importance of Islamic attributes. Model 1 of the Hayes Process Macro with binary logistic was employed to examine the moderating effect of religiosity.Empirical Results: The results showed that companion type, religiosity, and destination choice significantly affected Indonesian Muslim travellers' assessment of the importance of Islamic attributes. However, the moderating role of religiosity was not observed.Implications: The findings have implications for Muslim travellers' decision-making literature and may offer better strategies for tourism businesses to attract and retain more Muslim tourists.JEL Classification: C14, C83, Z12, Z32How to Cite:Suci, A., Wiyati, R., Siregar, I. F., & Nanda, S. T. (2024). The Importance Level of Islamic Tourism Attributes: Will Religiosity Distinguish? Etikonomi, 23(2), 433 – 448. https://doi.org/10.15408/etk.v23i1.34369.

Unlocking the Potential of Halal Tourism in Bandung City: A Qualitative Analysis of Public Diplomacy and Economic Growth

In this study, it was discussed about the role of sharia tourism as a means of Indonesian public diplomacy to increase the number of tourist visits and the regional economy, especially in Bandung City which is a sharia tourist destination. The research method used is qualitative with an approach to the concept of public diplomacy and Islamic tourism. The results showed that Indonesia's public diplomacy efforts in promoting itself as a sharia tourist destination have succeeded in attracting foreign tourists, especially Muslim tourists, as well as investment. In addition, sharia tourism has also experienced a positive increase, so that the increase in the number of tourist visits and investment can be used to develop the regional economy, especially in Bandung City as a sharia tourist destination

Climate change and the impact of religious tourism in Saudi Arabia’s energy landscape

ABSTRACT This study aims to illuminate the intricate dynamics among religious tourism, energy consumption, and climate change within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which stands as one of the globe’s principal reservoirs of petroleum energy resources. To accomplish this, we employ an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, utilizing a dataset that spans a pivotal political transition in the KSA. Notably, we undertake an examination of two temperature specifications, linear and non-linear, to discern their influence on the relationship between Islamic tourism, temperature variations, and electricity consumption. Our findings reveal a noteworthy contrast between the linear and non-linear models, bolstering the significance of our investigation. Furthermore, the results establish a robust long-term connection among these variables. Importantly, our analyses indicate that a surge in tourist numbers during periods of elevated temperatures positively correlates with heightened energy consumption, thereby contributing to environmental degradation. These findings bear significant implications for energy and tourism policies within Saudi Arabia, particularly in the context of the nation’s 2030 vision. By shedding light on these intricate interrelations, our study offers a valuable perspective for steering sustainable practices in the realms of energy consumption and tourism in the KSA.

A Comparative Study of Strategy Development Model Halal Tourism for Economic Growth in the Islamic Tourism Industry Sector Indonesia and Malaysia

A Comparative Study of Strategy Development Model Halal Tourism for Economic Growth in the Islamic Tourism Industry Sector Indonesia and Malaysia

Islamic destination to millennials in Bandung: Islamic attributes and destination image on tourist satisfaction with visiting decision as mediator

PurposeThe study aims to explore millennial tourist satisfaction in an Islamic tourism destination, which this research will clarify the relationship between Islamic attributes and destination image on visiting decisions and their influence on tourist satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe quantitative research approach with exploratory by applying structural equation model techniques, which method of collection data by surveys. Purposive sampling was used to 400 Muslim millennials tourist who visit Islamic destination in Bandung, Indonesia. The questionnaire used in this study based on a review of previous studies.FindingsThe findings show that a destination’s Islamic attribute has substantial influence on destination image and millennials’ choice to visit the tourist site. Then Islamic attributes have positive influence on millennials’ willingness to visit Bandung as visitors. A strong identification with a location’s destination image has been demonstrated a positive impact on visiting destination. This research revealed that the visiting choice had a favorable and substantial influence on Islamic visitor satisfaction through visiting decision to Bandung.Research limitations/implicationsThis research focuses on millennials tourist whoever visit Bandung tourist destination, the research findings may be limited in their generalizability. As a result, researchers are encouraged to explore the offered hypotheses further.Practical implicationsIslamic tourism business players who are targeting the millennial generation as their target market are urged to pay close attention the Islamic attributes and destination image, because according to the research results. These variables have an impact on visiting decisions and tourist satisfaction. Then the online travel agent should maintain the destination image by promoting the destination in offline and online media.Social implicationsThe findings of this study are expected to enrich the literature on consumer behavior, especially in the tourism industry in the Tourism 4.0 era.Originality/valueTo the best authors’ knowledge, the research model is never been explore by other researchers in the field of Islamic tourism literatures. For further studies, the authors’ can modify this research by using different objects so that comparisons can be made and using other determinant factors that can affect the satisfaction of Muslim tourists.

The impact of Islamic tourism on the satisfaction of local tourists

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Islamic tourism intention on local tourists.Design/methodology/approachThis research used quantitative methods. Online questionnaires were distributed and collected from those who know about Islamic tourism, have visited Islamic tourism in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, and people who have the intention to visit Padang City as an Islamic destination. A total of 405 valid responses were gathered using non-probability purposive sampling and snowball sampling methods.FindingsThe results show that reputation significantly affects brand equity in terms of Islamic tourism for the satisfaction of local tourist. In addition, reputation significantly affects trust, intention significantly affects reputation and intention significantly affects trust regarding the impact of Islamic tourism on local tourist satisfaction.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the originality of this research is that it is the first to integrate the dimensions of brand equity (awareness, image, quality, value and loyalty) mediated by trust and reputation towards Islamic tourism intention.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Islamic Business Ethics in the Context of the Global Economy

This study employs bibliometric analysis to explore the scholarly landscape of Islamic business ethics within the context of the global economy. Through systematic data collection from major academic databases and the use of VOSviewer for network visualization, this research identifies key thematic clusters, author collaboration patterns, evolving research trends over time, and highlights underexplored areas with potential for future investigation. The findings reveal a robust focus on Islamic business ethics' application in banking and economic growth, the integration of technology in finance, and the sector's response to global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Less saturated topics identified include Islamic tourism and culture, Islamic social finance, and comparative studies between Islamic and conventional banking systems. The study also maps out author collaborations, emphasizing the community's role in advancing research. These insights provide a comprehensive overview of the field, revealing both its current state and promising directions for future scholarly work.

AL-KHAWARIZMI ASTRONOMY COMPLEX AS AN ASTROTOURISM DESTINATION AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO ENHANCING LOCAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

The Al-KhawarizmiAstronomy Complex is one of the observatories located in Malaysia. The complex was constructed by the Malacca State Government, starting in 2002 in phases, and was fully completed in 2008. The primary goal of establishing the Al-KhawarizmiAstronomy Complex is based on three aspects which areresearch, education, and tourism. Therefore, this study is conducted with the aim of discussing the astrotourism aspects that contribute to the potential of making the complex a new tourist attraction in Malacca. This study is qualitative research that utilizes document analysis, interviews, and observation as research methods. The findings indicate that Al-KhawarizmiAstronomy Complex has become a significant element contributing to the economic growth of the local population. Additionally, the complex is also seen as an internationally recognized astrotourism destination through the participation of many foreign visitors in the organized astronomical activities. Currently, the Malacca State Government recognizes Al-KhawarizmiAstronomy Complex as one of the Islamic tourism products in Malacca.

Implementations of Shariah Compliant Homestays in the Islamic Tourism Sector to Improve the Community Socioeconomics in Sabah

Implementations of Shariah Compliant Homestays in the Islamic Tourism Sector to Improve the Community Socioeconomics in Sabah

Analysis of Islamic Tourism Potential Development in Kerinci

Analysis of Islamic Tourism Potential Development in Kerinci

Factors that Influence Malaysian Muslim Travel Preferences

Tourism has become an important industry that contributes to a country’s economy. Currently, the Muslim tourist segment is viewed as one of the important segments in the tourism industry. In addition, there has been a growing interest in understanding the preferences and motivations of Muslim travelers. This is due to the increasing number of Muslim travelers worldwide and the recognition that catering to their specific needs is essential for successful tourism development. The number of Muslim tourists from a Muslim-majority country increases significantly. Muslim travelers are looking for destinations in which the majority of the population are Muslims. This study is aimed to determine the factors that influence Muslim traveler preferences and to determine the most dominant factor that influences Muslim traveler preferences. Therefore, a survey of 100 Malaysian Muslim travelers in Shah Alam Selangor was done to determine the factors that influence Muslim traveler preferences. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) is used to analyze the multiple regression to test hypotheses on the factors that influence Muslim traveler preferences. The result of the survey suggests that halal certification is a significant factor in explaining Muslim traveler preferences. The availability of halal food and Sharia-compliant hotels were found not to have a significant relationship with Muslim travel preferences. This study provides evidence of the detailed needs and preferences of Muslim travelers and enhances the knowledge of tourists, government, and service providers about Islamic tourism

Halal Tourism in West Sumatera: a Bibliometric Study

West sumatera is a halal tourism destination in Indonesia. It was acknowledged by Global Muslim Travel Index in 2016. All stakeholders have given more intention to this halal tourism. Beyond the strengthening district regulation on it, the studies on halal tourism in West Sumatera have been increasing every year. This study aims to map the research about halal tourism in West Sumatera. Bibliometric approach was conducted to map the different studies on this topic. By using Publich or Perish, the data were taken from Google Scholar database. Several keywords were used to do it, i.e. halal tourism in West Sumatera, Islamic tourism in West Sumatera, wisata halal di Sumatera Barat and wisata Sariah di Sumatera Barat. The metadata were described by tables and graphs. Again it is also visualized by VOSViewer to find the research cluster on the topic and trend of relationship among the keywords. The study found that the research on Islamic tourism in West Sumatera is still limited. It only found 35 journal articles or proceeding in tens of years. The theme is also limited on description of the opportunity and challenges and stakeholders perception about Islamic tourism in West Sumatera.

UNCOVERING THE DETERMINANTS OF ISLAMIC TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS’ INCOMPREHENSION ABOUT ISLAMIC MUAMALAT

Robust growth of halal industry and its components including Islamic tourism is an aftermath of Islam being the fastest growing religion. Despite the thriving success, stakeholders are facing greater challenges in fulfilling the market demand. Incomprehension about Islamic tourism and Muamalat concept among Islamic tourism stakeholders has adversely affected the Islamic tourism growth. Hence, employing content analysis, the researchers were keen to identify the factors affecting Islamic tourism stakeholders’ poor understanding about Islamic muamalat and how it affects Islamic tourism’s growth. Findings indicated that misunderstanding about Islamic Muamalat among Islamic tourism stakeholders stem from both internal and external factors. Under the Internal factors, demographic profile was found to be the most significant determinant affecting the Islamic tourism operators’ incomprehension about Islamic Muamalat. Besides, lack of understanding about Islamic Muamalat even among Muslim stakeholders was attributed to poor Syariah comprehension. As for the external factors, government policies and business opportunities contributed significantly towards the issue. Consequently, we found that the substandard conception has adverse effect towards the Islamic tourism sector’s growth which reflects its overall credibility and effectiveness. Hence, further explain the potential business owners’ and operators’ reticence to penetrate the market.

AI Adoption in Islamic Tourism Stakeholders’ Business Orientation

Despite the expanding worldwide Islamic tourism market, the industry is still largely untapped. As Islamic tourism market comprises of the technology-driven market dominated by the millennial, followed by gen Z and gen Alpha as the next successors, Islamic tourism stakeholders are urged to capitalize cutting-edge technology in their business orientation to gain competitive advantage and business sustainability. As such, this content-analysis paper aims to determine Islamic tourism stakeholders’ adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their business orientation. Findings indicated that Narrow AI is the most common AI types used by most of the Islamic tourism stakeholders. It was also found that both internal and external factors strongly influenced the AI adoption and it types among the stakeholders. Nevertheless, the organization’s financial health, the business size and scope, and the target market’s needs profoundly affect AI implementation by the business operators. As for the customers, the expected delivery performance, the service facilitating conditions and the expenses they have to pay were found to be significant in influencing them in their AI acceptance. AI adoption positively influences the Islamic tourism stakeholders’ business orientation and the organizations’ sustainability. Capitalizing AI in Islamic tourism business orientation helps to redress Islamic muamalat misconception and other religious related issues and practices, promote understanding about divine religions, allows for greater flexibility in the differences in Fiqh implementation, pooling stronger and sound Muslim experts manpower capitalization and empowerment in various fields as technology and business, ensure Syariah compliance and conformance which results to greater efficiency, increase performance, competitive advantage and Islamic tourism business sanctity and sustainability. As AI is evolving, it is projected that the industry will fully capitalize this technology and establishes legal measures to cope with the industry standard and business sustainability while at the same time ensuring experience and value-driven service to the customers.

The Religious Tourism Education With The Concept of Bioregionalism (Comparative Study of Bali Traditional Tourism Education and Islam Based Tourism)

Bali is onel of thel world-class tourist attractions in Indonelsia. Thel nicknamel Bali as thel island of thel gods shows Bali as a relligious island. Thel objelctivels of this relselarch includel thel delvellopmelnt of relligious tourism elducation baseld on Balinelsel customs and Islam and elducation on thel concelpt of relligious tourism baseld on tourist arelas baseld on "biorelgionalism". Thel melthod useld in this writing is a litelraturel relvielw melthod which is delscriptivel analysis through various litelraturel studiels to strelngtheln thel analysis which is supporteld by various sourcels which havel theloreltical delpth from elxpelrts. Thel findings show that relligious tourism elducation, such as tourism baseld on customs and Islam, nelelds to bel provideld in accordancel with thel delvellopmelnt of Islamic tourism in Bali. It will not belcomel morel advanceld if thel problelms faceld by managelrs of Islamic tourism selrvicels arel not bridgeld. Thelrelforel, thel delvellopmelnt of relligious tourism elducation which elmphasizels thel concelpt of Biorelgionalism is elxplaineld by thel elffelctivelnelss of relgulating spacel utilization in thel delvellopmelnt of tourist arelas baseld on local wisdom, which doels not yelt relflelct thel concelpt of sustainablel delvellopmelnt with a compleltel and comprelhelnsivel elnvironmelntal pelrspelctivel, namelly by taking into account elcological, elconomic and socio-cultural factors

Halal and Islamic tourism: science mapping of present and future trends

Purpose This study aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of halal tourism structure using bibliometric analysis. Halal tourism interest has increased due to the high demand for tourism products adhering to Shariah law. Furthermore, the vast Muslim population has increased the demand for halal tourism products and destination factors in this niche tourism segment. Design/methodology/approach A network visualization through bibliographic coupling and co-word analysis, this review presents a science mapping analysis to reveal the knowledge structure of emerging and future trends in halal tourism. Findings The current and emerging trends demonstrate three themes: the fundamentals of halal tourism, communication via word of mouth in halal tourism and Muslim tourist satisfaction and loyalty. At the same time, the co-word analysis presents the four themes primarily associated with halal tourism challenges: tourist satisfaction, service quality and Muslim travellers’ attraction. Research limitations/implications The findings serve as crucial implications, contributing to halal and general tourism theory and application. Originality/value This review serves as crucial fundamental knowledge for future studies in halal tourism and its relevant themes for further development in tourism management. The most significant emerging theme in halal tourism is the intervention needed to increase Muslim tourist satisfaction and loyalty through halal-friendly service, customer-service quality, foods and beverages, facilities and privacy. The co-word analysis suggests increasing tourists’ engagement in halal tourism by invigorating the religiosity domain among tourists, improving service quality and perceived value and discovering new Muslim-friendly attractions. The most crucial finding from this study is to ensure that halal and Muslim-friendly tourism are at the same level, to the extent of better service according to Islamic practice. This approach would elevate the value and status of halal tourism as a trending product in Muslim and non-Muslim markets.

Challenges in Developing Pondok Institutions As Islamic Tourism Destinations

Challenges in Developing Pondok Institutions As Islamic Tourism Destinations