What Makes Muslim Friendly Tourism? An Empirical Study on Destination Image, Tourist Attitude and Travel Intention

Abstract

The demand for supply of Islamic tourism industry has been affected positively by the increasing number of Islamic followers globally and positive tourism trends. The purpose of this paper is attempted to examine the interrelations among Muslim Friendly Tourism (MFT), tourist attitude toward destination, destination image, and travel intention in the tourism industry. After questionnaire survey, the structural questionnaire was used to collect data from the members at Muslims’ tourists. Valid responses from the survey was 161 with a 92.5 % of respond rate. The empirical results from the structural model suggest that: (1) Muslims friendly tourism positively and significant impact tourist attitude, destination image, and travel intention; (2) tourist attitude and destination image have a significant relationship with travel intention; (3) destination image positively affects tourist attitude. (4) The opportunities and suggestions in developing and destination marketing for Halal tourism are also discussed. JEL classification numbers: K1, M3, O2, Z1Keywords: Halal tourism, Islamic tourism, Marketing management, Consumer behavior.