definition of islamic tourism
TRANSCRIPT
VALUE OF ISLAMIC TOURISM OFFERING
Perspectives from the Turkish Experience
World Islamic Tourism Forum (WITF), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 12-13 July 2011
International Burch University
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Teoman Duman, Ph.D.
Aims
1. To propose definitions of Islamic tourism and halal
tourism
2. To propose a framework of perceived value for
Islamic tourism decision making process
3. To provide an overview of halal tourism market in
Turkey
For details of the presentation
Please request a copy of my conference paper
through;
Introduction
Yearly international tourist arrivals have reached to one billion threshold.
Technology is making everything easier today.
Travel is becoming a way of life for most people.
One of the largest segments of travelers is Muslim travelers.
Muslims have special needs due to their belief system.
There is a lot of misunderstanding about Islam and Islamic values.
Whatever the reasons for misunderstanding, it is our duty as muslims to
convey the true message of Islam and set good examples.
Introduction - continued
Tourism is one of the realities of contemporary life.
People travel for many reasons.
Many see tourism as satisfaction of some basic needs.
Others see it as an expression of unacceptable extremes.
Maybe, there is truth in each of these perceptions.
The main question for Muslims is; What is the status of tourism in Islam?
Does it represent satisfaction of basic needs for us as Muslims too? Or,
Does it represent extremes which are unacceptable in our value system?
Introduction - continued
So far, the West has established tourism as a strong sector of the economy and as an
academic discipline.
But, we, Muslims, seem to act too slow to define its role in Muslim societies.
Some of the preliminary questions that come to my mind are,
How does Islam and tourism interact? And, how should we define Islamic
tourism?
Who is the Muslim tourist and what does s/he look for in his/her tourism
experience?
What does value mean for Muslim tourists? What makes products valuable for
them?
How do Muslim countries handle tourism as a sector?
Questions?
Three specific questions I intend to tackle in my speech today
are,
How should we define Islamic tourism and halal tourism?
What does value mean for Muslim tourists? What makes
products valuable for them?
As a special case, what are the historical, political and
sectoral dynamics of halal tourism industry in Turkey?
Definition of Tourism
Before I attemp to define Islamic tourism, I will provide the
definition of tourism in general.
According to WTO, “Tourism comprises the activities of
persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual
environment for not more than one consecutive year for
leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise
of an activity remunerated from within the place visited.”
(Medlik, 2003).
Definition of Tourism
Tourism has three key characteristics. These are,
the movement of people (make up the demand side)
a sector of the economy or the industry (makes up supply
side)
a broad system of interacting relationships of people, their
needs to travel outside their communities and services that
attempt to respond to these needs by supplying products
(Page and Connell, 2009, 65; Chadwick, 1994, 65).
Definition of Islamic Tourism
There are still definitional ambiguities with regards to
Islamic tourism concept (Henderson, 2010).
Henderson (2010) distinguishes between Islamic
tourism, non-Islamic tourism and un-Islamic (anti-
Islamic) tourism.
Previous Definitions of Islamic Tourism
Some of the previous definitions of Islamic tourism include:
All product development and marketing efforts designed for and directed at Muslims
(Henderson, 2010).
Tourism mainly by Muslims (Henderson, 2009).
Islamic tourism as an economic, cultural and religious (conservative) concept (Ala-
Hamarneh , 2011).
All forms of tourism except those that go against Islamic values (Shakiry, 2006).
The type of tourism that adheres to the values of Islam (Hassan, 2007).
A new ethical dimension in tourism (Hassan, 2004).
Islamic tourism covers tourism activities by Muslims in seaside destinations for the
purposes of relaxation and entertainment in hospitality enterprises that apply Islamic
principles (Dogan, 2010).
Definition of Islamic Tourism
Previous definitions give reference to,
participants of the activity (i.e. Muslims)
locations of the activity (i.e. Islamic destinations, countries)
dimensions of the activity (i.e. economic, cultural, religious
dimensions)
products offered to the markets (i.e. accommodation facilities, trips,
food and beverage)
management of the service production process (i.e. marketing and
ethics)
Motivational perspective to Islamic tourism
In an excellent review, Din (1989) talked about the
role of travel and tourism in Islam.
In this classical article, Din argued that travel in Islam
is a purposeful (goal-oriented) activity and
motivations are at the center of the activity (p. 552).
Motivational perspective to Islamic tourism
Muslims travel to achieve physical, social and
spiritual goals by travelling.
Also, in Islam, deeds are valued according to
intentions (Sahih-Al Bukhari, 2011).
Motivational perspective to Islamic tourism
Accordingly, it can be argued that travel and tourism in
Islam are goal-oriented activities that originate from
Islamic motivations (e.g. acting in the cause of God (fi-
sabilillah), submission to the ways of God, realization of
the smallness of man and the greatness of God and
encouraging and strengthening the bond of sillaturrahim
(muslim fraternity) (Din, 1989)).
Motivational perspective to Islamic tourism
Islamic motivations deviate from generic motivations to
travel in most instances.
Examples of Islamic and generic motivations are in Table 1.
Table 1. Examples of Generic and Islamic Tourist Motivations Motivations Sources
Generic
Motivations Conducting business, visiting friends or relatives, pursuing other
personal business activities (i.e. shopping) and pleasure Experiencing culture, pleasure-seeking, fantasy, relaxation, physical
participation Relaxing mentally, discovering new places and things, avoiding the
hustle and bustle of daily life, relaxing physically, being in a calm
atmosphere, increasing knowledge, having good time with friends,
being with others, building friendships with others, using imagination,
gaining a feeling of belonging, challenging personal abilities, using
self abilities and skills in sports, developing close relationships. Climate, relaxation, adventure, personal reasons (i.e. nostalgia),
educational motives
Goeldner and Ritchie
(2006)
Kozak (2002)
Ryan and Glendon
(1998)
Bansal and Eiselt
(2004)
Islamic
Motivations Acting in the cause of God (fi-sabilillah), submission to the ways of
God (through the Hajj and the Umrah), realization of the smallness of
man and the greatness of God, encouraging and strenthening the bond
of sillaturrahim (muslim fraternity), conducting business
Seeking health (relaxation), education (learning-teaching-information
sharing-visiting scientists), realization of other cultures, business
Declaration of Islam (Tebliğ), seeking scientific knowledge,
educating others, work for halal earnings, taking lessons from past
Din (1989)
Aglamaz (2009)
Kusursuz (2011)
A Proposed Definition of Islamic Tourism:
Motivational Perspective
From this perspective, I propose to define
Islamic tourism as:
All tourism activities by Muslims that originate from
Islamic motivations and are realized according to
shariah principles.”
Tourism vs. Islamic Tourism
If we apply this definition to the WTO definition, then,
Islamic tourism can be defined as “the activities of
Muslims travelling to and staying in places outside their
usual environment for not more than one consecutive year
for participation of activities that originate from Islamic
motivations which are not related to the exercise of an
activity remunerated from within the place visited.”
Islamic Tourism as an Economic Activity
Categorization of tourism related goods and services that are
designed, produced and presented to the markets according to
Islamic rules (shariah) can be considered under halal tourism.
Such use of the terminology is already common in daily usage
halal trips
hotels
airlines
food etc. (Hassan, 2008; halaltrip.com; Wikipedia, 2011).
Islamic Tourism Decision Making Process and
Perceived Value
Based on previous discussion, I propose the
following perceived value model for Islamic
tourism decision making process
decision
making-
Sheriah
compliance
decision
making
affective
aspects
quality
aspects
monetary
aspects
non-
monetary
aspects
satisfaction
value
behavioral
intentions
motivations
A Proposed Model of Perceived Value for Islamic Tourism Decision Making Process
Denotes Tourism Participation and Evaluation Process for Non-Muslim Tourists
Denotes Tourism Participation and Evaluation Process for Muslim Tourists
decision
making
black box
future
behavior
post-
purchase
evaluation
service
consumption
islamic
motivations
for
travelling
non-islamic
motivations
for
travelling
generic
motivations
for travelling
Halal Tourism in Turkey
Turkish tourism industry
Turkish tourism product
Halal tourism industry in Turkey
Historal perspective
Political perspective
Legal status
Major types of halal tourism
Seaside
Hot-spa (thermal)
Market description
Turkish Tourism Industry
One of the top ten destinations in the World
28 million international tourists in 2010
$21 billion tourism receipts
$630 average tourist spending
By 2023, 63 million tourists, $86 billion
earnings
Turkish Tourism Product
Possible to find all kinds of tourism
Around 600,000 touristic bed capacity
2600 touristic accommodation facilities
These numbers are up from 56,000 bed capacity and 500
facilities in 1980.
Antalya, Istanbul and Mugla are the three major destinations
accommodating around 50% of international visitors to the
country (Duman and Kozak, 2010).
Recent History of Tourism Development in Turkey
A Review of Recent Tourism Development
History in Turkey is given in Table 2.
Number of Halal seaside hotels increased from 5
to 39 after AKP took over the government (2002).
Halal hot-spa facilities doubled during the same
period.
Table 2. A Review of Recent Tourism Development History in Turkey
Before 1980s 1980-1992 1992-2002 2002-2011
Political
environment
Political
turmoil
Turgut Özal –
ANAP
Political stability
Political turmoil
Economic
downturn
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan -
AKP
Political stability
Economic development
Rising of middle class
Scope of
tourism activity
Very limited
tourism
activity
Establishment of
tourism
legislation
Planning and
infrastructure
Upsurge in
tourist numbers
Recognition in
European
markets
Building of
superstructure
Rising promotion
activities
Increasing supply
Popularity in
Russian markets
Increasing tourist
numbers
Popularity of all-
inclusive
vacations
Decreasing
tourism earnings
Increasing tourism
supply and demand
Tourism product
diversification
Increasing thermal
tourism supply
Holistic tourism
planning (Turkish
Tourism Strategy
2023)
Upsurge in
participation of
Muslims in tourism
activity
Types of Halal Tourism Facilities in Turkey
Primarily, there are two types of halal tourism
facilities in Turkey
Seaside facilities
Hot-spa (thermal) facilities
Popular terminology that connotes these
facilities is given in Table 3.
Table 3. Terminology used by hospitality enterprises to describe vacations
and tourism products to attract Muslim tourists in Turkey
Terminology in Turkish Terminology in English
İslami tatil yerleri Islamic vacation destinations
Islami oteller Islamic hotels
Muhafazakar oteller – tatil köyleri - tatil Conservative hotels – resorts - vacation
Alternatif tatil -oteller Alternative hotels - vacations
Tesettürlü oteller Veiled (covered) hotels
Dini oteller Religious hotels
Islami termal oteller Islamic hot-spa (thermal) hotels
Islami kaplicalar Islamic hot-spas
Kaplıcalar Hot-spas
Dindar tatil Religious vacations
İçkisiz oteller Alcohol-free hotels
Bay-bayan ayrı havuzlu oteller Hotels with separate pools for man and women
Islami konseptli otel Hotels with Islamic concept
Table 4. Selected Seaside Hospitality Enterprises in Turkey Targeting Muslim Populations
Note : Categorization of hotels is based on web-site descriptions.
Sources : Doğan (2011); islamitatil (2011); tesetturluoteller (2011) and islamioteller (2011).
Table 5. Selected Hot-spa Hospitality Enterprises in Turkey Targeting Muslim
Populations
Note : Categorization of hotels is based on web-site descriptions.
Sources : Islamitatil (2011); tesetturluoteller (2011) and islamioteller (2011).
Capacity of Halal Tourism Facilities in Turkey
Total hospitality enterprises in Turkey (100%)
600,000 beds in 2600 facilities
Hospitality enterprises using halal tourism
concept (5.6%)
33,781 beds in 64 facilities
Legal Status of Halal Tourism Industry in Turkey
No direct reference to selling of alcoholic beverages
Four-star holiday villages have to have an open or closed bar
Five-star holiday villages have to have a discotheque or a night
club
Halal hotels use these facilities for their own purposes
They are criticisized to separate beaches illegally for men and
women.
Market Description
Three major markets
Turkish citizens living and working in European countries
(Around 2.4 million)
Upscale customers with conservative Islamic lifestyles
(rising middle-class)
Foreign Muslim tourists especially from Middle Eastern
countries
Consumer Behavior
Internet based survey of halal tourism participants
Generally positive views - majority of participants;
find halal hotels Islamically acceptable (59%)
think vacation is a need (66%)
search for price, cleanliness and quality of service in choice
find prices expensive
keep religious sensitivity during vacation (70%) and
spend most of the time swimming and suntanning.
Consumer Behavior
Complaints are generally about
high prices
low service quality
common usage of beaches with non-Muslim
tourists
fake halal hotels
Conclusion
Future projects about Islamic tourism may
include,
graduate research (master-doctoral thesis)
consumer behavior studies
edited book
special issue in journals
e-library
certification and standardization practices for
industry
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
International Burch University
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Teoman Duman, Ph.D.