Halal Tourism: Strategies for Non-Muslim Countries, Hotels

This report delves into the multifaceted realm of halal tourism, focusing on the experiences of Muslim travelers and the strategies employed by hotels in non-Muslim countries. It begins by defining halal and its significance in Islamic culture, highlighting the increasing importance of halal services within the global travel industry. The report identifies key issues faced by Muslim travelers, such as access to halal food, prayer facilities, and culturally sensitive services. It then explores the current perceptions of hotels regarding halal services and the demand from Muslim tourists. A comprehensive literature review examines Islamic perspectives on tourism, halal hotel services, and the perception of tourists. The research methodology includes a proposed research model, hypotheses, and sampling techniques. The results section presents data analysis, findings from hypotheses testing, and managerial implications. The report concludes with a discussion of limitations, future research suggestions, and ethical standards for conducting research, providing a valuable resource for understanding and improving halal tourism practices.

Table of Contents
1.
ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................5
2. Introduction..................................................................................................................6
3. literature Review...........................................................................................................7
3.1 ISLAMIC PERCEPTION:..................................................................................................8
3.2 VISIT INTENTION...........................................................................................................9
3.3 WORD OF MOUTH.........................................................................................................9
3.4 WILLINGNESS TO
PAY…………………………………………………………………………..9
3.5 DEMAND.......................................................................................................................9
3.6 PERCEPTION OF THE TOURIST.....................................................................................10
4.Theoretical Framework................................................................................................11
4.1 WHAT DOES HALAL MEAN?..........................................................................................11
4.2 HOTEL HALAL SERVICES..............................................................................................12
4.3 PRAYER FACILITIES.....................................................................................................12
4.4 HALAL FOOD SERVICES...............................................................................................12
4.5 HOTEL ROOM SERVICES...............................................................................................12
4.6 STAFF SERVICES..........................................................................................................12
4.7 COMPLEXITY AND PROSPECT THEORY-........................................................................12
4.8 THE COMPLEXITY THEORY WHICH WRITTEN BY OLYA MODEL.................................12
4.9 THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR (TPB),( WRITE ABOUT IT INCLUDE THE MODEL)
........................................................................................................................................12
5. Research Methodology...............................................................................................13
5.1 PROPOSED RESEARCH MODEL.....................................................................................13
Page 1 of 32

5.2 HYPOTHESIS................................................................................................................13
5.3RESEARCH DESIGN AND APPROACH..............................................................................14
5.4 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE................................................................................................15
6. Results........................................................................................................................16
6.1 DATA COLLECTION AND SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS.....................................................16
6.2 DATA ANALYSIS AND SAMPLE PROFILE.........................................................................16
6.3HYPOTHESES TESTING..................................................................................................18
7. Discussion...................................................................................................................18
7.1MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS.........................................................................................18
7.2 RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS............................................................................................19
8. Conclusion.................................................................................................................19
8.1 LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH.........................................................................19
8.2 FUTURE RESEARCH SUGGESTIONS...............................................................................19
9. Ethical standers for conducting research....................................................................20
10. References................................................................................................................20
11. Appendix:.................................................................................................................23
Page 2 of 32

Page 3 of 32

List of Tables
TABLE 1: DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS……………………………………………..
….1
List of Figures
Figure 1: Proposed
Framework………………………………………………………….1
Page 4 of 32

1. Abstract
This study was designed to identify the attributes of a halal-friendly hotel and evaluate
the role of these attributes in motivating the behavioral intentions of Muslim customers.
Qualitative and quantitative approaches identified 30 validation and reliability items
involving five distinctive dimensions, which included halal-friendly service, facilities,
foods and beverages, privacy, and customer-service equality. The findings from the
structural model indicate that the proposed model sufficiently explains the variance in
intentions; three attributes were positively related to cognitive evaluation, and four
attributes had significant influence on affective evaluation. In addition, the results
indicated that cognitive and affective evaluation worked as mediators.
Page 5 of 32

2. Introduction
Considering the fact that religion is the key fundamental features of the human
culture which is very much directed with our lifestyle as well as our preferences. While
considering the religious aspects of Islam it is noticed that, Muslims are very much
influenced by the concept of halal services and by knowing the fact the Muslims make
up one of the wildest developing divisions of the world travel industry it is very
essential to effectively analyze the significance of the halal services into the hotel and
travel industry (Han et al., 2019).
Followed by these identifications it is noticed that among the Muslims halal
culture is very much the essential as they rely too much on the halal services. Making
allowance to this concern it is noticed that among the other service sectors tourism
sector is one of the largest growing sectors with respect to profits, business growth and
staffing opportunities. Statistics has proven that tourism industries contributes almost of
9% of total domestic products however, while focusing on the contribution of Muslim
nations it is noticed that they only contributes 10% to the global tourism growth
(Battour & Ismail, 2016). However, considering the fact the Muslim populations are
increasing day by day thus it is very essential for the hotel industries to catch the
Page 6 of 32

market of Muslim travelers. Followed by these identifications it is noticed that the
Muslim traveler faces several problems whenever they visit any non-Muslim country.
Among those issues, conflicts related to the halal services are one of the most
significant issues that is faced by the Muslim people while travelling to non-Muslim
countries.
Followed by the identifications while analyzing the concept of halal for
Muslims it is noticed that Muslim people follows the culture as per the instructions
mentioned in Quran and according to the Shariah which is an Islamic law halal is
nothing but the lawful way of doing something. Along with these identifications it is
also noticed that similar to halal, haram is also one of the significant concepts for the
Muslims as haram is the opposite concept of halal. Considering these aspects, it is
identified that in order to perform lawful activities the Muslim people takes the
initiative towards halal services. Moreover, from this identifications it is noticed that
when Muslim people visits non-Muslim countries they expects halal services by the
hotels with the purpose to maintain their halal activities (Waehama et al., 2018).
Research Objectives:
Followed by these identifications the aim of this research is to discuss about the
key areas that are related to this research. The objectives of this research paper are
listed below:
 To determine the current perceptions of hotel about halal services.
 To identify the issues faced by Muslim traveler from non-Muslim countries.
 To recommend effective strategies that will help to address the identified issues.
Research questions:
 Identify the current perception of hotels in non-Muslim country about the
demand of halal services by Muslim tourist?
 What are the issues faced by the Muslim tourists while travelling to any non-
Muslim country?
 What strategy will help to address the identified issues with the purpose to meet
the demand of the Muslim tourists?
Page 7 of 32

3. Literature review
This literature review will focus of the discussion of all aspects that are relatable
with the selected research topic. The discussion will consist of a discussion on Islamic
perception, halal tourism as well as the discussion on the perception of non-Muslim
countries on the selected area of the research.
WHAT DOES HALAL MEAN?
The term Halal is an Islamic word used in the holy Quran which means any act
that is permitted by Islamic Law. Haram on the other hand is just opposite to the Halal,
meaning something illegal, unlawful and prohibited by the Islamic law. The items
which are included in the Haram are the pork meat, carrion, blood, and any type of
inconsumable intoxicants. As per the Islamic law, the act of halal and haram must be
applied on all the objects such that the right and the wrong can be disintegrated
accordingly (Battour & Ismail, 2016). The Islamic law or the Sariah stares that the holy
Quran along with the Halal and Haram concept is highly effective as it provides a
direction and guidance to all the greater aspects of the life. It has been seen that by
abiding by the rules and regulations imposed by the Halal and Haram, it has been
possible for the people to avoid the impurities and toxic objects and stay safe and
healthy. According to the holy Sunnah, the prophetic tradition of the religion, by
following the halal and the haram one’s religion is saved along with his or her honor.
3.1 ISLAMIC PERCEPTION
According to the authors (Gabdrakhmanov et al., 2016), Muslim tourists are
attracted by several Muslim as well as non-Muslim countries offering services of Halal
tourism. Malaysia is considered as first country which initiated such type of tourism.
The halal tours need separate pools, food, entertainment, halal drinks, no music,
announcing of prayer time and prayer rooms. Work is done by whole industry for the
segment: cosmetics and food. Individual storehouses are used, so that halal products do
not come in contact to prohibited goods (Kamaruddin et al., 2012). It is remarkable that
still there is no certain definition of halal tourism. The product implies usually
accommodation services with respect to Islam norms. Though there are more clients of
hotel group who are non-Muslims, the halal hotels observe usually strict code for dress
and men cannot encounter with women in the public places. If institution gives services
Page 8 of 32

to both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, every equipment, food supplies and personnel
must be divided in two sections (Nisthar & Mustafa, 2019). Against background of
such trend, several hotels tend in tailoring the services for the Muslim visitors.
Intentions for developing halal hotel extend beyond Muslim countries. Untapped and
huge market is ceasing slowly for being purely niche market. In 2009, enterprising
Muslims’ team, top managers of leading travel organizations and largest companies of
world, proposed idea to arrange tourism along with recreation with respect to Islam’s
rules (Olya & Al-ansi, 2018). Halal resorts give separate swimming pools, beaches and
spa facilities for men as well as women, along with swimming pools and beaches for
the families with dress code of Islam. Every food complies with the halal standards,
restaurants and cafes offer soft drinks only and there is availability of prayer premises.
Entertainment programs also are consistent with Islam’s norms and the villas are
designed specifically for the Muslim families. Additionally with comfortable interior,
there are huge swimming pools along with the sun decks that are fully protected from
the prying eyes, which allows Muslim families relaxation as well as enjoy the beautiful
view of nature and sea (Ainin et al., 2020). Halal tourism is new product within tourism
industry that is geared for Muslim families abiding by Islam’s rules.
3.2 HOTEL HALAL SERVICES
3.3 PRAYER FACILITIES
3.4 HALAL FOOD SERVICES
3.5 PERCEPTION OF THE TOURIST
According to the paper by authors (Shakona et al., 2015), there are seven beliefs
of Islam. These beliefs are; belief in Allah, belief in Allah’s messengers, belief in
Angels, belief in Allah’s books, belief in the last day, belief in the divine decree and
Page 9 of 32

belief in the resurrection. A crucial role is played by behavioral practices to determine
where, how and when Muslims in USA will travel as well as use leisure time. Within
seven themes which reflect influences of the Islamic doctrines as well as practices on
travel behavior of Muslims, no difference was there in responses among those born in
USA and immigrant Muslims. The authors recognized ideological and political nature
of negative stereotypes that are associated with Muslims within USA (Michael et al.,
2017). It is observed that there is concern of Muslims about safety, especially while
travelling with woman wearing Hijab. From destination perspective, USA’s tourist
places should access viability to be Muslim friendly depending on ability for
accommodating religious beliefs as well as safety concerns of Muslim.
In spite of considerable growth in travel industry and tourist in Malaysia, few
barriers could be seen. Malaysia lags still behind all other leading destinations in
region, especially with respect to design appropriate strategy as well as being
concerned of satisfaction of halal tourist. Measuring satisfaction of halal tourist in
Malaysia is essential as satisfaction of halal tourist is quite crucial for successful
marketing (Stephens Balakrishnan et al., 2011). It is essential in ensuring that industry
of halal tourism gain significant development. This could be achieved through
managing quality of services for maintaining sustainable environment for halal tourism
as well as measuring satisfaction of Muslim tourists.
In the paper by (Butler, 2003), it is becoming totally clear that success within
growing halal tourism both internationally and domestically, results is issues of few
destinations not able in handling increase number at satisfactory level of Muslim
tourists. Muslim tourists avoid generally destinations which have risk of safety and
personal security issues (Alrwajfah et al., 2020). As for lack of awareness, there is no
trust upon big supermarkets which give halal meat, however they like to purchase the
halal meat from the smaller shops of local Muslim.
Muslim travelers of countries of Middle East like UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi
Arabia are top paying tourists within South Korea. Due to halal tourism’s growth
within South Korea, demands as well as needs of Muslim travelers while traveling
within South Korea also have been increased substantially with difficulties that are
related to facilities, accommodations, social environment and food (Han et al., 2019).
Halal restaurants as well as praying rooms gradually have increased in few tourism
Page 10 of 32

sites within South Korea. There are regulations of food labeling in most nations for
protecting the Halal certifications. After attacks on World Trade Center, Western
tourists’ number visiting the Islamic countries like Egypt, Jordan or Malaysia decreased
significantly. From perspective of economy, tourism’s expansion is assisted by Islamic
tourism in both Muslim as well as non-Muslim communities. From perspective of
culture, focus of Islamic tourism is on provision of tourism programs, facilities and
services that are Islamic friendly. Fancy fashion of tourism and Islam has reflected in
several directions of the geographic mobility within halal tourism.
4. Theoretical Framework
4.1 The theory of planned behavior (TPB),
According to (Jeaheng,2017) the behavioral intention is one of the most
important goals in hospitality which identify the tourist evaluation regarding the
services and products.
The behavioral intention had been indicated by Oliver (1999) which was
looking for a deeper level in tourist loyalty to repurchase the service or the product and
recommend it to others. Moreover, behavioral intention is a conception came from the
theory of planned behavior (TPB), the theory used to recognize the Muslim individual
behavior and to know their motivations regarding the product and the services provided
by non-Muslim country (Jeaheng,2017).
As Stated by (Jeaheng,2017), the behavioral intentions relate to consumer
repurchasing the same product and services and how the consumer have negative or
positive information, and their willingness to pay for the product or the services even if
it with higher amounts (Jeaheng,2017). In hotel halal tourism services, the behavioral
intention is used to indicate the Muslim loyalty in different filed for instant hotels and
restaurants. Therefore, behavior intention is important in hospitality productiveness, its
very important to understand the Muslims behavioral to deliver stronger understandings
of Muslims predilections.
Page 11 of 32

4.2 VISIT INTENTION.
According to (Som,2012), Intention to visit comes from consumption process’s
perspective, where the behavior was divided into three phases which is: pre-visit,
during the visit, and post visit. The behavioral of Muslins depend on the choice of their
destination to visit, following their evaluations which refer to their experience and
satisfaction, and the upcoming behavioral intentions to revisit which refer to the
Muslim judgment and the likeness of the same destination and willingness to
recommend it to their friends.
Several studies which had been mentioned by (Som,2012), indicate that the
tourism with positive satisfaction, which had positive traveling experience can
influence the tourism to repurchasing intention. The Satisfaction of Muslims is very
important for the Hotels which provide halal services in non-Muslims country’s it had a
positive impact on Muslims to revisit intention (Som,2012). According to (Zabkar et al.
(2010) he found that the complex relationship between both constructs and behavioral
intentions. Based on his model, he found that destination attribution can affect the
perceived quality which affects the satisfaction which can lead to revisit intention
(Zabkar et al. (2010). Both (Mostafavi Shirazi & Mat Som (2010) tested the effect of
destination attributes on the revisit intention. That repeating the visit is sign of the
tourist loyalty which is affected by the destination attributes. They found that the
diversification of attractions one of the most important condition to revisit (Mostafavi
Shirazi & Mat Som (2010).
4.3 WORD OF MOUTH
According to Shanka et al. (2002) confirmed that there is a positive effect on the
word of mouth on the destination chosen. For the Muslim who are interesting in
traveling they are interest in the recommendation of other Muslims who visit non-
Muslims hotels. The word of mouth is very critical in tourism marketing since the
words is reliable and this comes after the source of the potential tourists (Yoon &
Uysal, 2005).
Page 12 of 32

Other researchers argued that the tourists who was satisfied from the visit are
likely willing to recommend the destination to others rather than planning to revisit
(Hui et al. (2007).
4.4 WILLINGNESS TO PAY
Willingness to pay (WTP)’s most known definition states WTP is maximum
amount which individual states that they have the will in paying for services or good.
Users might not be that happy paying specific cost for halal services, however they
have the will for paying such amount instead of going without these services. As per
the authors (Kamaruddin et al., 2012), three ways are there for eliminating WTP, first
two ways are known as revealed preferences while third way is known as stated
preferences. First two ways are observed pries which people pay for the products
within several markets and observe the individual expenditures for time, money and
labour for obtaining goods or for avoiding their losses. While third way is that directly
ask people what they would pay for services or goods in future. Issue of WTP for
paying for the services of halal logistics is for the planners and policy makers is
ensuring that implementation of these services are accepted by public (Yousaf &
Xiucheng, 2018). It could involve predicting about what the users would be able as
well as willing in paying for the halal logistics. As for services of halal logistics, WTP
would incorporate few costs for achieving parameter of halal compliance. Logistics
infrastructure, administrative component and operation are covered by costs
components.
4.5 DEMAND
Dynamic environment of business has changed dramatically logistics industry’s
structure due to several separate requirements among trading nations (Shafaei &
Mohamed, 2015). Industrial customers and consumers are demanding much more with
several services and products. Halal logistics’ demand would have few spin-offs of
own, like need of more certain standards for determining parameters of halal
compliance in sector of logistics. There are different meanings of term “demand” to
several customers. Demand’s explanation could be differently categorised by the
Page 13 of 32

stakeholders (Jeaheng et al., 2019). Explanation of logistic players over demand is rise
of the demand and demand driven and Supply Chain Management (DSCM) could be
demonstrated by understanding only companies’ combinations are able in meeting
requirements of customer in more better and efficient way than the individual
organizations could realise (Michael et al., 2017). Collaboration among suppliers,
retailers and manufacturers could improve several satisfied customers through reducing
the lead times, decreasing costs and improving levels of service. Effective demand
could be defined as the demand for services and goods that is backed up by resources
for paying for this. If the people want something, this might not be backed up through
WTP for the service (Islam & Kirillova, 2020). There is demand of primary as well as
secondary transportation for halal services. There is increase in demand of halal
products all over the world.
4.6 PROPOSED RESEARCH MODEL
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
HHE1-I1: There is no statistical significant relation between the decoration of the hotel
and Muslim guests accepting to pay more(I1)
HHE2-13: There is no statistical significant relation between the Hotel providing
Ramadan services (HE2) and Muslim guests willingness to spend extra amount. (13).
Page 14 of 32
Halal Services Provided
Hotel Services
Prayer facilities
Halal food
services
Behavioral
Intention
Visit intention
WOM
Willingness to
pay
HE1,2
PF1
HF1,3
PF6

HPF1-12: There is no statistical significant relation between indicating the Qibla direction
in the hotel room and Muslim guests willingness to pay more(I2).
HPF6-14: There is no statistical significant relation between the availability of separate
prayer facilities (PF6) and Muslim guests willingness to stay in the hotel that offer this
services (14).
HHF1-17: There is no statistical significant relationship between the availability of Halal
food or products services in non-Muslim country hotels (HF1) and the Muslim guests
willingness to revisit hotel in non-Muslim country (17).
HHF3-18: There is no statistical significant relationship between the availability of
segregated Halal kitchen in non-Muslim country hotels and Muslim guests encouraging
their friends to visit the hotel(I8).
The research model proposed here discusses about three major type of Halal
services provided. These services include Halal services, prayer facilities, Halal food
services also consider the three outcomes which are the behavioral intention focusing
on three aspects which are visit intention, word of mouth and willingness to pay. The
study presents the impacts of all the services mentioned and the applications to achieve
the previously mentioned outcomes or a combination of them.
5. Research Methodology
The research philosophy is a part of the research methodology which provides
assistance to the researchers in determining the manner in which the research details
will be gathered. This stage of the methodology helps in identifying the assumption
procedure for the research. There are three main philosophy used in the research and
they are, Positivism, Interpretivism, and Realism. The positivism is the ways in which
the usage of the logical ideas and application of the facts about the research topic. The
interpretivism is the way in which complex structures are analyzed with the usage of
the analytics on the social world, along with some of the aspects of the social world.
The theory helps in gathering information regarding the law of nature. The last one is
the realism which is a mixed approach of the two above mentioned research philosophy
(Abdulkadiroglu et al., 2015). It makes use of the human interaction with the society to
deliver a link between the selected topics for the research.
Page 15 of 32

For the purpose of the research we have considered the Positivism. This
philosophy helps in analysis of the hidden facts related to the research. The philosophy
uses the existing facts related to the research topic to come up with the ideas and
develop hypothesis to test throughout the process of research. Due to the lack of time
budget we have avoided the usage of the other two theories.
5.1 RESEARCH DESIGN AND APPROACH
The research approach is considered as a guidance for researchers and so that
they may perform their research or study effectively to get desired outcomes. Research
approach is of two types, deductive and inductive approach. Deductive approach begins
with the statement of research and its questions are created through theories. The data is
collected through survey while inducted approach is used to create theory. For this
research, deductive approach is chosen as the data collected is real and various theories
were used to analyze the problem.
The research design guides the researcher with the framework of the research such that
better understanding of the research can be obtained. There are three main kind of
research designs which are taken into consideration. The first one is the exploratory
design. For using this design of the research, each and every idea have to be
acknowledged, which is very lengthy process. The explanatory research is the
techniques which is undertaken to summarize occurrences of the individual aspects of
the research events. Lastly, the descriptive design for the research. This is the research
design which is used for obtaining suitable details of the research and to determine the
occurrences of the events in the researches. It is capable of making decisions which are
used for the purpose of the research process (Henderson, 2016).
We have considered the descriptive research design for the purpose of the
research for obtaining more details upon the Halal services that are provided by the
hotels in the non-Muslim countries of the world. Different events and aspects of the
studies are given equal importance in this research design. Other two process of the
research are good as well for studying in the detailed manner, but due to less time and
budget we have discarded those research approach.
Page 16 of 32

5.2 Population
Ideally, during a research like this one, we may not be able to interact with everyone
within the target scope. It is quite critical that during a research like this where the
results of the research are of significance, the researcher is advised to collect data from
as many people as possible from the intended population. Considering the high
population in the United Arab Emirates and also the time available to carry out this
research, we shall use a sample to represent the population. This is because the
population is extremely diverse. Additionally, the general population has quite a
number of people who do not fit in the range of the required category for purposes of
this research.
For the purpose of this research therefore, we have considered a sample of 100 people.
However, we are going to make use of responses from 79 people only out of the whole
sample.
5.3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
This is the technique that is used for evaluation of the survey questionnaires
based on the scale of rating. For the purpose of the study and research we have
considered the simple random sample technique procedure. Here the participants are
chosen randomly and not based upon any certain criteria. Each participant is given a
chance to be selected as the subject of the research. It is considered to be one of the
most critical element of the survey and research process (Taherdoost, 2018).
For the purpose of this research we have consider a population of 60 people,
and with the help of the simple random technique we have chosen 79 participants for
the survey analysis using the SPSS.
Page 17 of 32

5.4 Data collection and sample characteristics
Data for this research were collected from individuals that falls within the study
scope which is Muslim travelers that is under 18 years old and has traveled and stayed
in a hotel in a non-Muslim country over the past 12 months, using a paper-based
questionnaire. One hundred and more questionnaires were distributed across the UAE
using convenience sampling.
Also known as opportunity sampling, convenience sampling refers to a type of
sampling that does not involve probability whereby a sample is drawn from a section of
the population which is readily and closely available. In most instances, convenience
sampling is best for piloting (Sedgwick, 2013). For research which may be time
sensitive like this one, this type of sampling is the best option because of its simplicity
in execution and its cost effectiveness. Additionally, it gives real-time results since it
uses the population section at hand. With the questionnaires distributed, data collection
from the target population sample would then commence.
6. Results
6.1 DATA ANALYSIS AND SAMPLE PROFILE
The process of collecting the data for analyzing the outcome is of the research is
known as the data collection method. There are two main sources of data that are used
for the purpose of the research and they are the primary sources of data and the
secondary source of data. The primary source of the data is gathered with the help of
the questionnaire, which is considered for this research as well. The other one is the
secondary data which is gathered form the top journals according to ABDC, ABS and
SCOPUS. The secondary data are often unreliable and hence they are discarded (Moser
& Korstjens, 2018).
After the data has been gathered, it is analyzed for obtaining the results. There
are two main way in which analysis can be conducted and they are qualitative and the
quantitative data analysis. We used to analyze the data of Qualitative approach, which
considers the responses gathered by the surveys and determines the results in the terms
of numbers. The approach is much more authentic and the rate of the accuracy of using
Page 18 of 32

this approach is high as well. So, we have considered the Quantitative approach of the
analysis of the data in this research with the help of the SPSS (El-Gohary, 2016).
Table 1: Descriptive Statistics
Mean
Media
n
Mod
e SD
Skewne
ss
Kurtosi
s
HE1_Decoration 2.960 3 1.427 -0.013 -1.353
HE2_Ramadan 3.920 4 1.259 -0.923 -0.375
HE3_Hand_Shower 4.510 5 0.860 -2.064 4.319
HE4_Prohibited_Foodstuffs 3.410 3 1.437 -0.244 -1.344
PF1_Qibla 3.960 4 1.171 -1.105 0.521
PF2_Prayer_Mat 3.670 4 1.174 -0.497 -0.749
PF3_Holy_Quran 0.300 3
16.15
6 -6.102 36.410
PF4_Azan_Room 2.840 3 1.325 0.209 -1.028
PF5_Ablution 3.110 3 1.368 -0.149 -1.107
PF6_Separate_Prayer_Room 3.650 4 1.368 -0.622 -0.873
PF7_Mosque_Info 2.480 4
11.62
4 -8.748 77.306
HF1_Halal_Food 4.570 5 0.728 -1.577 1.588
HF2_Halal_Certification 4.430 5 0.858 -1.342 0.781
HF3_Segregated_Kitchen 2.420 4
11.60
7 -8.769 77.572
HF4_Halal_Logo_Restaurants 3.240 5
11.67
0 -8.843 78.455
HF5_Info_Nearby_Halal_Rest 4.410 5 0.760 -1.019 0.145
HS1_No_Alcohol_Room 3.420 3 1.402 -0.271 -1.213
HS2_No_Alcohol_Hotel 2.890 3 1.320 0.249 -0.976
HS3_No_Gambling 3.350 3 1.340 -0.221 -1.039
HS4_No_Seductive_Music 3.380 4 1.408 -0.455 -1.015
Page 19 of 32

HS5_Controlled_TV 3.940 4 1.244 -1.067 0.181
HS6_Connecting_Doors 4.180 4 0.997 -1.084 0.458
HS7_In_Unit_Cooking_Faciliti
es 3.350 3 1.166 -0.135 -0.889
HS8_Moral_Codes_Guests 2.900 5
11.65
8 -8.780 77.693
HS9_Segragated_Leisure_Facil
ities 4.150 4 1.014 -1.146 0.891
HS10_Dress_Code_Guests 3.530 3 1.153 -0.388 -0.454
HS11_No_Nightclubs 3.370 3 1.179 -0.179 -0.603
HS12_Halal_Family_Activities 3.900 4 1.033 -0.868 0.550
HS13_Grocery_Shop 2.730 4
11.64
5 -8.767 77.534
HS14_Female_Transportation 1.890 3
11.57
1 -8.712 76.884
SS1_Staff_Halal_Rules 2.670 4
11.63
1 -8.783 77.730
SS2_Staff_Aware_Halal_Prod
ucts 4.320 4 0.708 -0.542 -0.846
SS3_Staff_Dress_Code 3.330 3 1.140 -0.151 -0.618
SS4_Staff_Multilingual 3.680 4 1.007 -0.559 -0.106
SS5_Staff_Moral_Codes 3.030 4
11.64
8 -8.838 78.391
SS6_Staff_Responses 4.100 4 0.995 -0.929 0.181
SS7_Staff_Muslims 2.440 2 1.196 0.415 -0.645
SS8_Staff_Same_Gender_Serv
ing 1.320 3
11.50
8 -8.707 76.843
SS9_Staff_Welcome 3.300 5
11.68
6 -8.822 78.193
SS10_Staff_Service 4.810 5 0.556 -3.260 10.924
SS11_Staff_Courtesy 4.850 5 0.483 -3.910 17.563
G_Willingness_Pay_Extra 5.230 6 12
12.46
9 -7.645 64.494
Page 20 of 32

I1_WPP1 3.460 4 1.072 -0.747 0.139
I2_WPP2 3.160 3 1.213 -0.368 -0.672
I3_WPP3 3.350 4 1.271 -0.433 -0.811
I4_VI1 4.060 4 0.852 -1.015 1.488
I5_VI2 3.810 4 0.975 -0.372 -0.469
I6_VI3 3.800 4 1.018 -0.778 0.466
I7_VI4 2.750 4
11.62
3 -8.821 78.195
I8_WOM1 4.030 4 0.862 -0.666 0.520
I9_WOM2 4.140 4 0.763 -1.129 2.869
I10_WOM3 4.100 4 0.841 -0.859 1.094
Gender 0.720 1 0.479 -0.643 -0.684
Age
29.14
0 26
23.09
8 -4.309 23.344
Length_of_Stay 7.580 10
30.50
1 -2.558 7.560
Education 4.040 4 1.018 -1.273 1.823
Marital_Status 1.660 2 0.658 1.052 2.302
Employment_Status 0.820 1
11.49
1 -8.611 75.734
Monthly_Income
-
0.420 6
23.08
7 -4.075 15.302
SD : Stander deviation
Analysis for the descriptive statistics
The table above shows the statistics that contain information that was collected or
gathered during the research. During the research, several questions were asked and
their responses compiled and then presented in form of the table shown. Taking a closer
look at the table, we see the mean, the standard deviation, the median, the mode,
Page 21 of 32

skewness and kurtosis. Generally, these are all parameters that are critical during the
carrying out of any survey or any research like in this case.
The mean column simply signifies the average responses. This means the average
response collected from the respondents that were involved in the research. For
instance, decorations in the hotel or hotels that was in agreement with halal needs of the
Muslim customers had a mean or an average of 2.960. This does not mean this is the
result for every respondent. Others could have given a result equivalent to a figure
higher that this or even lower than this. But when they were averaged, this is the result
that came out.
Further, there is the standard deviation column. This section explains the deviation or
how far a given response is from the general mean or average. For instance, for halal
foods with a general mean of 4.570, there is a standard deviation of 0.728. This
represents a positive result that was quantified from people whose responses ran above
the general mean.
6.2 HYPOTHESES TESTING
Ideally, hypothesis testing is an exercise whereby a given assumption is put under test
for confirmation of its truth or otherwise. In this research, the hypothesis is built around
the issue of how Muslim customers rates hotels with halal attributes or hotels that offer
halal services and those that do not. As discussed earlier or even as seen from the
statistics recorded, testing of this hypothesis is done using information provided by the
respondents about the halal products for example halal foods, halal decorations, the
Quran, Prayers, everything around the staff working in the hotels, that is if they are
aware of how they should conduct themselves when they’re with Muslim customers,
Page 22 of 32

their dressing code, their welcoming, if they are Muslims, if they are aware of all halal
rules, if they can identify halal foods and other halal products. Other fundamental
parameters include the issue of connecting rooms, no alcohol rooms, no alcohol hotels
completely, segregated facilities for leisure, moral code of conduct for guests or
visitors, no gambling, no seductive music, female guests’ transportation facilities
among many others.
From the attached spreadsheet for instance, responses were recorded on the availability
of segregated halal kitchens in the entire hotel and if there were rooms set aside in the
hotels specifically for use as kitchen in preparing halal meals. Additionally, this could
be done either between groups or within groups. As seen from the spreadsheet, the sum
of squares of the section of having the facility between groups was found to be 5.275
while the one for the facility within groups was recorded as 86.520 and a total sum of
squares of 91.795. Comparing the sum of squares for the two sets, the need to have
segregated halal kitchens in the hotels within groups is seen to be higher at 86.520
compared to 5.275 for it to be between groups. This means that most of the respondents
would prefer hotels to have segregated facilities for halal kitchen to be for members
within groups of guests visiting the hotels.
The same thing is seen in the parameter of the hotels being able to compulsorily
provide halal foods or generally halal products. The statistics here show that many
respondents were of the opinion that this be available to members within a group than
between groups. For members within groups, the quantified results stood at 36.529 as
compared to just 4.510 for the services to be available for members between various
groups. The total then stood at 41.038.
Page 23 of 32

Another crucial aspect is the availability of separate prayer facilities like a mosque or
rather a prayer room for Muslim customers. This could be available for members
within a given group of guests in the hotel or for members in various groups. From the
spreadsheet’s sum of squares section, 123.487 represents those who agreed that the
facility be available to members within a group. On the other hand, if the service was
availed to many groups, the result as quantified stood at 22.589. The total of the sum of
squares for the two sections according to the provided information is 416.076
7. Discussion
Halal services are the most essential services for any Muslim and the results
suggest that these services are looked up to by the Muslim tourists when they visit
foreign countries. On these Halal services the customer services are highly dependent.
The Muslim customers desire to get these services so that they can work as per their
religion. Being a religious matter, this needs to be taken up seriously by the hotels in
the foreign countries. The negative impact of not considering these services can be
disastrous to the business. It has been found the countries or hotels that provide Halal
services are preferred by the Muslim customers. The Muslim visitors’ willingness to
pay at hotels also depends on these services. The data obtained from the research is
evident that the Muslim customers are looking for Halal services and they are willing to
pay more for these services. Being attached with a religious perspective the customers
even do not mind searching for hotels and book the same over and over again if Halal
services are being provided by the same. Thus, the hypothesis that was considered can
be said to be proved right and that at tourist destinations also, Muslims want to go by
their religious beliefs and are strict in case of abiding by the rules and regulation laid
down in their religious texts.
7.1 MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
This has various implications on the side of management of the hotels. If the hotels and
tourist points are to attract these Muslim customers, then there is no doubt that they
Page 24 of 32

have to be ready to provide halal services to them whenever they visit. For those ones
who are already providing these services, they should ensure that the provision
continues. This is because it has been found out that Muslims would need to hold on to
their cultural believes whether at home, work places or even during vacations. Even in
countries where Islam is not wide spread, hotel managers should take the incentive of
introducing halal services in addition to their normal services. This way, they will
become hotels that Muslim customers from within their countries as well as
international Muslim tourists would visit and stay. These customers have also proved to
be willing to even pay more for the halal services. After their visits to hotels where
these services are available, the customers are likely to encourage their friends to visit
the hotels too. Generally, managers have a benefit from these services both in the short
run as well as in the long run.
7.2 RESEARCH IMPLICATIONS
For researchers, implications drawn here include the need for them to maintain and
uphold the laid ethical code of conduct before as well as during the research. With this
objectivity, they will be able to conduct a successful research as anticipated as it was in
this case. Additionally, researchers should be able to correctly identify their target
within the population. As seen in this research, with proper identification of the group
to work with, the whole research process of data collection becomes manageable. This
is because no time is wasted in collecting data or engaging anyone whose feedback may
not form part of the research results or anyone who was not intended to be covered in
the research. The method used to identify and engage the target group should therefore
be based on the kind of research to be carried out. As a matter of fact, the time duration
for the research is a critical factor that determines the success of the exercise. With
Page 25 of 32

proper schedules, data collection is made easy so that other stages of research like data
analysis can also be allocated enough time. This will guarantee a successful research
exercise.
8. Conclusion & Implication
8.1 LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
Limitations in a research study are widespread due to several reasons. The main
research limitation, in this case, is the time as the research could have been done in a
better way if we had extra time. The literature review is considered as one of the
essential parts for any research, and thus it can be said that more time to gather or
collect data on past researches could have yielded better qualitative results. One of the
limitations was the challenging in generalizing the conclusion because it is a
nonprobability sample, if this research was conducted in a different country, different
results would be discovered, another limitation was that the difficulty to reach the
responded for our research.
Moreover, the research was composed of sampling and data collected in the United
Arab Emirates; it may be challenging to generalize the findings for tourists universally.
Other destinations in different Muslim countries may have diverse outcomes due to
other factors.
For future researches’ suggestions is to explore more Halal attributes in other hotel
ranks which varies from 2 stars to 5 stars hotels. In future also, researchers need to
diversify their exercises and ensure involvement of other underlying factors that may
make it impossible for hotels to provide the Halal services to customers for example the
cost implication especially for countries where Islam is not wide spread. The research
may also in future be carried out to cover information on how Halal services
availability affects or influences the length of stay in the hotels by the Muslim
Page 26 of 32

customers. In future, researchers should also allocate more time for their research
exercises so that they can come out with research results that are both quantitative and
qualitative.
9. Ethical Standers for conducting Research
Maintenance of a strict ethical code of conduct is important in a research like
this. According to these codes, researchers are not allowed to pressurize any volunteer
for answering any question as it is their personal choice. The data collected must not be
used for any commercial, religious or political applications and must be used for
academic purpose only. Primarily, this research is performed while maintaining
anonymity, which means that the identity of the respondents of this research is not
revealed on any condition (Almeida et al., 2017). The data is not accessible to any other
person except for the researchers, thus maintaining its security.
Page 27 of 32

10. References
Abdulkadiroglu, A., Angrist, J. D., Narita, Y., Pathak, P. A., Andrews, I., Azevedo, E.,
Chamberlain, G., Chernozhukov, V., Hausman, J., Hull, P., Ichimura, H., Imbens,
G., Lalive, R., Lazear, E., Leshno, J., Mikuscheva, A., & Walters, C. (2015).
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES RESEARCH DESIGN MEETS MARKET
DESIGN: USING CENTRALIZED ASSIGNMENT FOR IMPACT EVALUATION
Research Design Meets Market Design: Using Centralized Assignment for Impact
Evaluation. http://www.nber.org/papers/w21705
Abodeeb, J., Wilson, E., & Moyle, B. (2015). Shaping destination image and identity:
insights for Arab tourism at the Gold Coast, Australia. International Journal of
Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 9(1), 6–21.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ijcthr-06-2014-0051
Ainin, S., Feizollah, A., Anuar, N. B., & Abdullah, N. A. (2020). Sentiment analyses of
multilingual tweets on halal tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives,
34(February), 100658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100658
Almeida, F., Superior, I., Gaya, P., Queirós, A., & Faria, D. (2017). Strengths and
Limitations of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods Innovation and
Entrepreneurship View project Observatory of Portuguese Academic Spin-offs
View project European Journal of Education Studies STRENGTHS AND
LIMITATIONS OF QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
METHODS. 369–387. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.887089
Alrwajfah, M. M., Almeida-García, F., & Cortés-Macías, R. (2020). Females’
perspectives on tourism’s impact and their employment in the sector: The case of
Petra, Jordan. Tourism Management, 78(November 2019).
Page 28 of 32

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104069
Battour, M., & Ismail, M. N. (2016). Halal tourism: Concepts, practises, challenges and
future. Tourism Management Perspectives, 19, 150–154.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2015.12.008
El-Gohary, H. (2016). Halal tourism, is it really Halal? Tourism Management
Perspectives, 19, 124–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2015.12.013
Gabdrakhmanov, N. K., Biktimirov, N. M., Rozhko, M. V., & Mardanshina, R. M.
(2016). Features of islamic tourism. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal,
20(Special Issue), 45–50.
Han, H., Al-Ansi, A., Olya, H. G. T., & Kim, W. (2019). Exploring halal-friendly
destination attributes in South Korea: Perceptions and behaviors of Muslim
travelers toward a non-Muslim destination. Tourism Management, 71(July 2018),
151–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.10.010
Henderson, J. C. (2016). Halal food, certification and halal tourism: Insights from
Malaysia and Singapore. Tourism Management Perspectives, 19, 160–164.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2015.12.006
Islam, M. S., & Kirillova, K. (2020). Non-verbal communication in hospitality: At the
intersection of religion and gender. International Journal of Hospitality
Management, 84(June 2019), 102326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.102326
Jeaheng, Y., Al-Ansi, A., & Han, H. (2019). Halal-friendly hotels: impact of halal-
friendly attributes on guest purchase behaviors in the Thailand hotel industry.
Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 36(6), 729–746.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1631940
Page 29 of 32

Kamaruddin, R., Iberahim, H., & Shabudin, A. (2012). Willingness to Pay for Halal
Logistics: The Lifestyle Choice. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,
50(July), 722–729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.08.075
Majid, N. H. A., Denan, Z., Abdullah, F. H., & Noor, M. S. M. (2015). Shariah
Compliance Hospitality Building Design: A Malay Muslim Oriented Architecture.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 201(February), 136–145.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.159
Michael, N., Wien, C., & Reisinger, Y. (2017). Push and pull escape travel motivations
of Emirati nationals to Australia. International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and
Hospitality Research, 11(3), 274–296. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-04-2016-
0039
Mohsin, A., Ramli, N., & Alkhulayfi, B. A. (2016). Halal tourism: Emerging
opportunities. Tourism Management Perspectives, 19(2016), 137–143.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2015.12.010
Moser, A., & Korstjens, I. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research.
Part 3: Sampling, data collection and analysis. European Journal of General
Practice, 24(1), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375091
Nisthar, S., & Mustafa, A. M. M. (2019). an Econometric Analysis of Global Muslim
Travel Index: a Study on the Perspectives of Permitted Tourism Industry in the
Global Context. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 9(5),
44–49. https://doi.org/10.32479/ijefi.8537
Olya, H. G. T., & Al-ansi, A. (2018). Risk assessment of halal products and services:
Implication for tourism industry. Tourism Management, 65, 279–291.
Page 30 of 32

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.10.015
Shafaei, F., & Mohamed, B. (2015). Involvement and brand equity: A conceptual
model for Muslim tourists. International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and
Hospitality Research, 9(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-06-2014-0050
Shakona, M., Backman, K., Backman, S., Norman, W., & Luo, Y. (2015).
Understanding the traveling behavior of Muslims in the United States.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research, 9(1), 22–35.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-05-2014-0036
Stephens Balakrishnan, M., Nekhili, R., & Lewis, C. (2011). Destination brand
components. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research,
5(1), 4–25. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506181111111726
Taherdoost, H. (2018). Sampling Methods in Research Methodology; How to Choose a
Sampling Technique for Research. SSRN Electronic Journal, January 2016.
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3205035
Waehama, W., Alam, M., & Hayeemad, M. (2018). Challenges And Prospects Of The
Halal Hotel Industry In Muslim- majority and Muslim-Minority Countries : The
Case Of Malaysia And Thailand. 1(November 2018), 1–6.
Yousaf, S., & Xiucheng, F. (2018). Halal culinary and tourism marketing strategies on
government websites: A preliminary analysis. Tourism Management,
68(February), 423–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.04.006
Sedgwick, P. (2013). Convenience sampling. Bmj, 347, f6304.
https://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6304.full.pdf+html
Page 31 of 32

11. Appendix:
Page 32 of 32