Value of Islamic Tourism Offering: Perspectives from the Turkish Experience

Teoman Duman, Ph.D. Deputy Rector for International Relations

Editor – Journal of Economic and Social Studies International Burch University

Francuske revolucije bb. Ilidža 71210 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Phone: + 387 (0) 33 782 100(work)

Fax : + 387 (0) 33 782 131 E-mail: tduman@ibu.edu.ba

The aims of this presentation are twofold. One is to propose a framework to better understand

the term “value” for islamic tourism offering. Marketing scholars have long studied the term

“product value” and proposed clear presentations of the term. However, further explorations

are needed to broaden the concept as it should fit to the needs and expectations of islamic

tourism markets throughout the world. Although muslims make up one of the largest tourist

markets in the world, value of tourism offering oriented towards this market has not been

clearly defined. Therefore, a framework to present an islamic view to the concept constitute

the first aim of this presentation. A secondary aim of this presentation is to provide an overview

of islamic tourism market in Turkey. Current developments in the Turkish islamic tourism

market and the value of Turkish tourism offering is discussed as part of the presentation.

Current issues and proposals for solutions are overviewed at the end of the presentation.

What China can do for Islamic tourism?

By

Ma Zhan Ming

Abstract

Marco polo and Ibn Battutah left their tour books for world to know China at that

time while Duhuan of the era of Tang dynasty went to Muslim world and came back

to China with a book in which he wrote down what he saw in Muslim societies and

this book became one of the important resource for scholars to refer. Today, in the

condition of globalization, people in the world, especially in china and Muslim world,

need to know each other, and tourism is one of the most important ways for the

purpose. China has opened its door since 30 year for people in China to go abroad

and for people in all over the world to come to China. As a result of that, there many

Chinese studying, working, touring in the different countries, meanwhile, we have

many foreigners here came from varied countries to China for the same purposes,

some of them got married local men or women and preferred to stay here. China is

welcoming people from all over the world to China for tourism and put very positive

policy in order to save tourist’s rights during their staying in China. Beijing, Shanghai

and other big cities are well known in the world, I think that many of you have been

there. However, I am sure that you know very little about Ningxia and very few of you

have been there. In fact, it is a place that should not be ignored especially by people

in Muslim world. One third of the populations of Ningxia are Muslims, we have more

than 4000 mosques and some of them had a long history; we also have some

beautiful sights to visit. In brief, Ningxia, its people and government – is ready to

welcome all people in the world especially from Muslim states to come.

The Emerging Islamic Tourism Global Market: Rethinking the Concepts, Challenging the Practices

Dr Ala al-Hamarneh

Center for Research on the Arab World Institute of Geography Mainz University, Germany

Islamic tourism has been developing rapidly in the last 10 years along three main

trajectories: economic trajectory (intra-regional tourism growth), cultural trajectory

(inclusion of Islamic cultural and religious heritage sites in tourism programs), and

lifestyle trajectory (organization of tourist spaces to match conservative Islamic

values).

The emerging intra-regional and intra-Islamic global tourism markets have their roots

in the fact that international tourism is spatially organized as an intraregional tourism:

the WTO numbers show that about 85% of the international European tourism and

90% of the North American take place in same region. Long distance international

tourism is rather an exception that is declining due to increasing prices, economic

crisis, environmental considerations and demographic changes in the main out-

bound markets. The issues of global security, visa issuing and social distance are

increasing the pressure towards more intra-regional motilities. The emerging of a fast

growing middle class and the social acceptance of international tourism as

recreational activities in Muslim societies are opening wide possibilities for an intra-

Islamic tourism market.

The major challenges are embedded in the established economic and organizational

structures of the tourism economies in the Muslim countries as well as in the local

social perceptions and stereotypes of international tourism. The domination of the

“western” discourse in international tourism in Muslim countries needs to be radically

challenged, restructured and reorganized.

Indonesia as a Potential Center of Attraction for the Islamic Tourism Market

Dr Marzuki Usman

Former Minister of Tourism, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Indonsian Archipelago has become a major destination long before the period of silkroad.

Located in the tropic and cleaved by the Malacca Strait, as one of the main links between

eastern and western continents. The merchants met and mostly stay six months or more to

wait for the changes of wind direction to return to their native country. While staying, they

thought religion that also enriched the local culture. Religion spread trough individual to groups

and evolved into the kingdoms. And through the course of time, many historical sites remain

exist and are frequently visited with the aim spiritual significance (Pilgrimage). In the modern

way, pilgrimage expanded not just for shrine or place for prayer but include journey to other

place that inspiring and show the greatness of Allah. The place called 'Nature". Devotees visit

the place to achieve some spiritual benefits and feeling connected with the divine. Allah

created nature with its inhabitants, represented by forest and ocean, from ridge to reef with is

beauty and benefits for human. Such a scenery and unique ecological places shows the marks

of Allah's hand. Nature with billions of creations, and although one three prays for Allah. So is

person who find the journey to heal the mind and give satisfaction by loving the nature,

especially to those who strive to preserve it, and he or she would say Allahu Akbar!!

Islamic Tourism: Understanding Its Meaning, Multi-Dimensional Enterprise and Global Significance

Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Osman Bakar Deputy CEO, IAIS Malaysia

Since the term ‘Islamic tourism’ was first introduced more than a decade ago, there has been a growing interest and curiosity in what it actually means. The wide interest shown is not merely academic in nature. Guided by their own respective understandings of the term, various parties and organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, have sought to promote Islamic tourism industry by offering tourists packages which they think fulfill the definitions and requirements of Islamic tourism. In the current general usage of the term ‘Islamic tourism,’ the understanding of it is limited to visits to Islam’s holy places and to the religious and historical sites in the different Muslim countries that are normally associated with the history of Islam and the Muslim community in each of those countries. A pertinent question that may be asked here is whether this is all what we mean by Islamic tourism. It is the well-considered view of the organizers of this conference that there is a need to broaden the current mainstream understanding of Islamic tourism and that this more comprehensive and universal understanding of the term actually finds strong support in the Qur’an itself. It is in the light of this awareness of the need for new perspectives on Islamic tourism that the organizers of this conference have decided to organize this two-day event. It is our sincere hope that these new perspectives would provide a new impetus for the healthy growth of Islamic tourism on a global scale that would help promote not only a deeper understanding of Islam and its civilization which is characterized by unity in diversity but also a deeper mutual understanding between the world’s cultures and civilizations that is so essential to world peace. In Islamic intellectual tradition, the Islamicity of things is judged in the light of two principles: tawhid-compliance at the level of ideas and beliefs and shari’ah-compliance at the level of practices and ethical values. These two principles determine the scope of Islamic tourism. Their universality, save for certain aspects of the Shari’ah that are meant only for Muslims such as those pertaining to halal food, would help guarantee the broad scope and the global significance of Islamic tourism. A tawhid-compliant Islamic tourism would be based on the Quran’s universal spiritual and religious history of mankind that began with the first man, Adam, whom Islam also regards as the first Prophet. In the light of this universal understanding of Islamicity, Islamic interest in the religious and cultural legacies of the past would extend well into the pre-Islamic eras. Consequently, Islamic tourism would acquire a new broader meaning than currently understood.

The ideal Islamic tourism packaging: Identifying the essential ingredients.

Prof. Dato’ Dr. Abdul Kadir Haji Din

Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok

Abstract

This paper discusses the notion of ‘ideal islamic tourism packaging’, viewed from different

perspectives which reflect a spectrum of roles and interests to be further differentiated along

physical, social, psychological and spiritual dimensions. By identifying the essential ingredients

of the normative secular practice and comparing them with those sanctioned by Islam, the first

part of the paper attempts to delineate ideal Islamic tourism packages, although such

configurations are by no means final, subject to further interpretation and refinement. The

second part examines visitor satisfaction as a key concept which when framed within the

context of Gidden’s notion of ontological security, may offer a viable approach towards defining

an inclusive ideal standard of practice of destination management in Islamic contexts.

Keywords: Islamic tour package, Muslim traveller, ontological security

Islamic Hospitality: Fundamental Elements, Core Values and Ethics

Professor Dato Dr Jamil Osman

Rector, INSANIAH University College

Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Hospitality has been seemed as the way the hosts greet and treat their guests. It has religious

as well as cultural bound. Today, the concept of hospitality has involved into a business

ventures and the hospitality industry range from club management to ownership of a bed-and-

breakfast, including homestay, operation. The major item in hospitality organization to the eye

of the consumers is the service offered. Hospitality property may have several outlets, each

with its own environments and elements to operate it profitably. Each of these outlets has its

own core values that guide or motivate attitudes and actions. Most of these core values are

western based philosophy and have been dutifully adopted by major hotels and tourism

organization. Hospitality ethical values are concerned with what is intrinsically good or bad and

the way one should act.

The invent of Islamic hospitality is not as something new. It can be traced to several haddiths of

the Prophet (saw) about treating and providing hospitality towards guests. Hotels in the

Muslim World are now encouraged to adopt Islamic values and ethics due to high demand for

Islamic travel, food and accommodation. Hotel practitioners are re-branding their hotel

properties to cater for the Muslim markets.

This paper will try to examine the various elements of hospitality operations, such as the front

office, housekeeping, sales and marketing, foods and beverages, entertainment, financing and

human resources from the Islamic perspectives of managing the hospitality business.

Key words: Islamic Hospitality, Halal, core values, hospitality ethics, service personal, syariah

compliant, hotel operations

Tourism and the Halal Industry: A Global Shariah Perspective

Mohammad Hashim Kamali

Summary

This essay presents the Shariah concepts of halal and haram and their manifestations in the

halal industry and tourism in two main parts, the first of which discusses market

developments of interest to halal tourism internationally and then similar developments

that have taken place in Malaysia. The market developments under review depict the halal

concept not just of concern to halal food but also to entertainment, cultural activities, attire,

cosmetics and business ethics. Other topic of concern to us here are halal certification

procedures, the role of fatwa in the determination of halal, and more generally the return of

Islamic values to the market place. Some of the questions raised are of concern not only to

Shariah but to food purity and the norms of morality and custom. It is of interest to note

that the international profile of halal tourism acquired prominence after the 9/11 attacks

and the ensuing new restrictions imposed on travel and visa arrangements to western

destinations. Halal industry in Malaysia also manifested the same pattern which, in turn,

enabled Malaysia to project herself as a halal hub regionally and worldwide.

The second and larger part of this essay provides an analysis of Shariah principles of interest

to the halal industry and tourism. Here we begin with a discussion of halal and its related

Shariah principles, which also entails a review of related terminologies, such as ja’iz and

mubah, in the Qur’an and the fiqh literature respectively. Then follows a discussion of

istihalah: whereas the rules of haram and halal are basically permanent, there is recognition

in the fiqh principle of istihalah (lit. transformation) whereby a haram object can transform

and change into halal. Istihalah acquires special significance in relationship to scientific

interventions in food production, preservation and processing and the questions they raise

over the permissibility or ritual cleanliness of the end-product from the Shariah perspective.

This is followed by an overview of the principle of original permissibility (ibahah) and its

applications to foodstuffs and tourism. A similar attempt is made with reference to the

Shariah principle of original cleanliness (taharah) and its relevant applications.

The review of Shariah principles attempted in this essay is not all-inclusive and would still

leave outstanding issues of concern to halal and haram, cleanliness and dirt that are

discussed below under the mashbuhat (doubtful matters). The final segment of this

presentation addresses the role of custom, culture and religion as to how they are

manifested in the behavior of Muslim travelers and tourists. What we are saying here is that

Shariah-related questions are only a part of what halal tourism and industry are all about.

Halal tourism is naturally not confined to Shariah nor to legalities as such. Ethical principles,

religion, customary attitudes and culture are far more pervasive and what we are witnessing

seems to signify a return of Islamic values vis a vis the hitherto western ethos that

dominated market developments in the Muslim world.

Islamic Tourism in Malaysia: Development & Prospects

YB Dato’ Seri Haji Idris bin Jusoh

Abstract

The development of Islamic Tourism in Malaysia has been splendid. The increasing numbers of

Muslim tourists have been very encouraging. It is shown by the mushrooming of the Arabic food

outlets, Islamic economic events such as the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIFE), Malaysian

International Halal Food Showcase (MIHAS) and Islamic Fashion Shows. It is also being strongly

supported by the strong syariah compliant financial services, transportation and communication

systems.

The tourists can easily find the halal food in Malaysia. The welcoming masjids which act as the place

of worship can be found almost everywhere. People are also properly dressed. These factors provide

the so called Islamic friendly environment that make the tourists feel welcome and at ease. Since half

of the population of Malaysia is Muslims, Muslim women do not feel awkward if they don the

Muslim gown and cover their heads in Malaysia.

Beautiful eco parks throughout the country provide the serenity needed in tourism industry. The

tranquility of the lush tropical islands just adds to the list.

Not forgetting the other potential areas such as health tourism, edu tourism, multi culturalism,

Malaysia has a great deal to offer for Islamic tourism.