Development of Halal Tourism in the World and in Turkey: SWOT Analysis of Antalya Province

Abstract

The main purpose of the study is to evaluate the development of halal tourism in the world and Turkey. The sub-purpose of the research is to investigate the current halal tourism potential of Antalya province and to evaluate it using swot (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. The study is important in terms of determining the factors affecting the development of halal tourism through swot analysis in the context of the opinions of academics and managers who are associated with tourism and identifying the factors that must be considered in developing new strategies and making decisions related to halal tourism. The sample consists of the managers of 11 hotels that provide services in compliance with the "Halal Concept" and the academics who work at tourism faculties of universities in Antalya. The data were collected through a questionnaire administered to a total of 125 people, including 74 managers and 51 academics. SPSS and SAS version 9.4 were used for the statistical analysis of the data obtained in the study. According to the findings, opportunities affecting the development of halal tourism in Antalya can be listed as the state’s increasing interest in halal tourism and inclusion of halal tourism in the 2023 strategy, tourists’ easy access to halal certified products, Turkey’s being a Muslim country and Muslims’ preference for Turkey for their vacation with the increasing Islamophobia in the West, qualified and experienced employees and managers in the field of tourism; the strengths can be listed as socio-cultural-geographical proximity to Islamic countries, Antalya’s developed transportation infrastructure, and Antalya’s brand value, and its being a well-known and reliable destination. The threats include the increased interest of non-Muslim countries in this field as well as Muslim destinations, insufficient number of halal concept hotels in the city, and the likelihood of the Russian and German markets being affected by Muslim tourists; weaknesses can be addressed as the lack of direct flights from Arab countries to Antalya in winter, the lack of investors investing in halal tourism, and the lack of education on halal tourism in universities and vocational schools.