Re-experience Japan Post Covid-19 Pandemic: The Impact of Muslim-friendly Japanese Street Food on Malaysian Muslims Tourists Behavioral Intention

Abstract

Several chapters of the Holy Quran have mentioned that tourism is a "Muslim's right." The Quran also revealed that Muslims could visit non-Muslim countries for entertainment, religious, and educational purposes; but has warned its followers to avoid indulging in any behaviors against Islamic law, potentially diluting their faith. Food is a significant component of tourism. However, information about non-Muslim country's local street food effects on Muslim tourists' intention to revisit the destination is somewhat limited. Therefore, this study aims to understand Muslim-friendly Japanese street food's impact on Malaysian Malay Muslims' intention to re-experience Japan post-Covid-19 pandemic via the extended Theory of Planned Behavior. The research may perhaps be part of the early initiatives toward examining Malaysian Malay Muslim tourists' fondness for Muslim-friendly street foods in non-Muslim nations (such as Japan). It may well be an indication of their desire to revisit those countries post the Covid-19 pandemic. Recognizing the variations of food choice behaviors, especially across cultures, denotes a vital information source for relevant agencies in Malaysia and Japan involved in marketing and promoting Japan as a tourist destination post-Covid-19. Japanese street food may well act as the catalyst to revive the tourism economy of both nations.

Consumers' willingness to share digital footprints on social media: the role of affective trust

“…Unlike previous TAMs with scant attention to the joint effects of attitudes (cognitive and affective) on behaviour, the results of this study show that attitudes involve not only cognitive but also more affective attributes (Yarchi et al, 2021;Abdul Manan et al, 2020;Park and Kim, 2014;Diffley et al, 2011). Combining both types of attitudes provides a comprehensive understanding of consumers' attitudes in a particular context (Alwi and Kitchen, 2014).…”

“…In addition to the cognitive aspect of attitudes, psychologists widely argue that the affect or emotional part of attitude is also important. Affective components of attitudes such as enjoyment, SE, fear and trust (Yarchi et al, 2021;Abdul Manan et al, 2020; The role of affective trust Chen et al, 2014;Hau and Kim, 2011;Nov et al, 2010) have been identified and discussed as affective attitudes. Therefore, it is essential to consider these affective attitudes in addition to cognitive attitudes in this study.…”

“…Affective attitudes are emotional experiences or preferences composed of affective components such as enjoyment and delight (Abdul Manan et al, 2020;Kwon and Vogt, 2010). Positive emotions such as enjoyment, pleasure and SE arise from positive social media experiences, which make consumers' attitudes towards sharing digital footprints on social media more favourable.…”

Determining Halal Food Preferences among Muslims Living in Osaka, Japan

“…Both participants adopted a conservative strategy by cooking their meals to have greater control over their food preparation, ensuring that their meals adhere to halal standards (Janti, 2020;Handani, 2021;Maknu et al, 2021;Iklima et al, 2021;Raffi et al, 2022). Additionally, by shopping at imported shops, both participants took an exploratory approach to finding a more comprehensive range of halal-certified products, demonstrating their willingness to explore different options to meet their dietary needs.…”

“…Seeking Muslim-friendly products was a priority, but the limited availability of information in English posed a challenge (Maknu et al, 2021;Kurniawan & Jatmika, 2021). Both participants adopted an exploratory strategy, using mobile applications like Halal Japan and Google Translate to gather information about product ingredients, ensuring compliance with halal standards (Said et al, 2022).…”