Why Not Travel to Malaysia? Variations in Inbound Tourists’ Perceptions toward Halal-Friendly Destination Attributes

Abstract

The importance of halal tourism has prompted countries and business operators to place more emphasis on this lucrative sector. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of halal-friendly destination attributes on inbound tourists’ behavioral intention in the context of Malaysia. Furthermore, a comparative analysis was conducted to investigate the similarities and differences between Chinese and Indonesian Muslim tourists. A total of 666 observations were collected using surveys and the data sets were analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling. The empirical results show that both countries have indicated variations in terms of preferences for social environment, services, and facilities. We contribute to the knowledge on the constitutive attributes of the halal-friendly destination, while providing theoretical explanations for the differences among Muslim tourists in the Asian markets. Finally, directions for future research are proposed.

Measuring Revisit Intentions of Green Resorts in Malaysia: The Role of Perceived Value and Environmental Concern

“…For example, disseminating information on the tourist attractions voluntarily and revisiting them (Lukuyu et al, 2012). Similarly, past tourism studies also found that post-visit evaluations would lead to higher levels of tourists' intentions to revisit a particular destination and recommend it to their families and friends (Azali et al, 2021). In this study, researchers explore the importance of influencing factors such as environmental issues and values in Ia customer's intention to return to a green resort.…”

Destination Competitiveness and Human Development: The Compelling Critical Force of Human Agency

“…Several studies have been conducted using Malaysia as a case study. These studies have mainly examined the inbound tourism demand revolving around income, tourism prices, exchange rates, and Halal tourism (Azali et al, 2021; Tang, 2018; Wong, 2017; Zainuddin et al, 2016). However, they have not looked at destination competitiveness, the impact of institutional involvement, or the human agency’s role in destination competitiveness.…”

Comparing older and younger adults' valuation of friendly destination attributes: a mixed-method empirical study

“…The friendliness of a destination is typically a factor considered by tourists when making decisions (Azali et al , 2021; Han et al , 2019). Anuar et al (2012) defined a friendly tourism destination as one that meets the needs and expectations of tourists without difficulty by integrating and optimizing the use of space, activities and products.…”

“…Numerous destinations rely on friendly services to appeal to tourists; for example, countries such as Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong (Crotti and Misrahi, 2017) have introduced friendly services and successfully attracted tourists to their destinations. Destinations that provide tourist-friendly environments and services can increase the value perception (Al-Ansi and Han, 2019), satisfaction (Abd Jalil et al , 2013; Cruz-Milán, 2021) and behavioral intentions (Azali et al , 2021; Ho et al , 2022) of tourists. Therefore, developing a framework for friendly tourism destinations is critical for management and marketing.…”

“…The construct of a visitor-friendly environment was first introduced by Kotler et al (1993). Scholars have since applied this concept to different disciplines to explore eco-friendly (Ahmad et al , 2020), Muslim-friendly (Azali et al , 2021; Han et al , 2019), senior-friendly (Lee and King, 2019) and dementia-friendly destinations (Connell and Page, 2019). For example, Han et al (2019) determined five major attributes of Muslim-friendly destinations: Muslim-friendly social environments, facilities, food and beverages, services and locals and staff.…”