Halal tourism beyond 2020: concepts, opportunities and future research directions

Abstract

Purpose The current research work investigates the concept of halal tourism through research articles published during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of what halal tourism means, while traveling following the Islamic law. This study also contributes to the discussion on its definition and the shared understanding, as it is extremely important toward the sustainable development of this niche tourism section. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review of total 47 number of existing literature, extracted from two major databases, namely, Scopus and Web of Science, was conducted. For data collection, the time frame from January 2020 to January 2023 was chosen, which represents the pandemic times during which those articles were published. Findings Although being a growing segment, halal tourism is still at a nascent stage in business research. It is potentially an attractive and niche segment of tourism. Current research work highlights the major contents related to halal tourism, dominant theories used in literature, publishing authors, journals and research gaps for further research. In this line, future research directions are also proposed toward the end of this paper. Originality/value This study highlights the conceptual development and discusses the opportunities and implementation of halal tourism in post-pandemic world. Current research work presents interesting contextual data and presents insightful knowledge in a new context. This paper offers a systematic analysis and provides both an academic as well as the managerial implications.

Mixing FIFA World Cup alcohol sponsorship agreements with Islamic host countries: a conceptual framework

“…Muslim tourists seeking a Halal experience would thus be more likely to travel to attend a World Cup where alcohol was not served at stadia, as their experience would be in line with their religious beliefs. Halal tourism is a growing field (Ekka, 2023; Rhama, 2021) as potential Muslim tourists are a large market segment to be considered (Ekka, 2023). For its own success, this significant potential audience’s needs should be considered by FIFA.…”

Perceptions of Halal-friendly attributes: a quantitative study of tourists’ intention to travel non-Islamic destination

“…, 2019). “Halal” can be used for more than just food/beverages alone in various contexts (Ekka, 2023; Sofyan et al. , 2022; El-gohary, 2016).…”

“…The rapid rise of Halal tourism can be partly attributed to the continued growth of the global Muslim population (Ekka, 2023). Muslim tourists are a growing segment of international travellers who cross borders (Wibawa et al, 2021).…”

Factors influencing halal tourism destinations revisit intentions among Muslim travelers of Bangladesh: the mediating role of emotional attachments

“…Besides, Mursid (2022) defines halal tourism destinations revisit intentions as the customers' favorable behavioral intentions to re-explore the halal tourism destinations in the future. Also, Yuliviona et al (2019) and Ekka (2023) posit that halal tourism revisit intention is behavioral outcomes based on the travelers' past experiences and satisfactions. state that halal tourism destinations revisit intentions are reflected in terms of positive word of mouth influence, recommendations and repeat purchase.…”

“…hospitality, social recreational services, food, leisure, food and dress code) in tourism industry, which are permitted, acceptable and allowed in Islamic Sharia law (Al-Ansi et al, 2023;Akhtar et al, 2020). Besides, Ekka (2023) and Wibawa et al (2021) define halal tourism as subcategory of religious tourism, where visitors go for religious motives or for products such as architecture, traditions, art and culture. Further, Rahman et al (2020) define halal tourism as offerings (e.g.…”