**3. Halal tourism and Islamic tourism terminology**

Malaysia, the UAE and Singapore lead the Halal Travel Indicator that focuses on the health of

There is now a growing interest in Halal tourism from the perspectives of both industry and academic research. Many stress the fact that any strategy to develop or market Halal tourism products and services must be guided by Islamic teachings and principles in all their aspects [3, 6, 7]. There are several terms that define the concept of Halal tourism and provide a suggested guideline to help clarify the matter. Building on this foundation, this chapter proposes that there exist differences in the meaning of the terms 'Halal', 'Islamic' and 'Muslim-friendly' in the context of tourism. It is hoped that a clearer understanding of the above terms will address the concern among many researchers and marketers regarding Muslim traveller behaviour in Halal tourism.

One challenge faced by academicians and practitioners is to identify the right terminologies as well as the proper clarifications of the concepts. At the moment, the most commonly used terms are 'Halal tourism' and 'Islamic tourism'. At the moment, due to the multidisciplinary scope of the subject matter, there exist confusions regarding the two terms. As a result, the terms are often used interchangeably by researchers in both conceptual and empirical papers as if the two concepts are similar [1, 3, 6, 8–12]. However, since the Quran does differentiate between the terms 'Mu'minoon' ('Islamic person') and Muslim (persons who profess to be Muslims), it is necessary to clarify the difference between the terms 'Islamic', 'Halal' and 'Islam related'. At the outset, it must be understood that 'Islam' is the name of the religion, whose first prophet was Adam and whose final prophet was Muhammad. One of the meanings of the term Islam is 'a state of peace achieved through surrender to God' [13]. Another meaning of the term Islam is 'submission'. Therefore, the term 'Muslim' means a person who submits to God and

the family-friendly/Halal travel ecosystem a country has relative to its size.

**Figure 1.** Global Muslim market. Source: State of the global Islamic economy 2014–2015 [5].

4 Mobilities, Tourism and Travel Behavior - Contexts and Boundaries

**2. Is it Halal or Islamic?**

is used for an adherent of the Islamic faith.

According to UNWTO definition, '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' [20]. Cook et al. ([21]; p. 3) defined Tourism as 'the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs'. It is noted from the previous definition that the tourism includes the movement of people—either Muslim or non-Muslim tourists—which represents the demand side and activities/facilities to cater to tourists' needs (destination) which represent supply side. The point here is, to understand Muslim tourists' behaviour, marketers need to understand the demand side: the needs of Muslim travellers in the context of Halal tourism.

Some researchers have tried to define Islamic tourism and Halal tourism in tourism and destination marketing literatures [1, 3, 12, 22–24]. However, most have not taken into consideration the Islamic law (Sharia), the target customers (i.e. Muslims or non-Muslims), the location of activity (i.e. Muslim vs. non-Muslim country), the product and service offered (i.e. food, facilities) and the purpose of travel. Most of these definitions are loosely defined and used interchangeably. In other words, Halal tourism and Islamic tourism are treated as similar concepts. For example, Jafari and Scott [1] defined Islamic tourism as 'The encouragement of tourists likely to meet the requirements of Sharia law'. The definition focuses on Islamic law and its requirements to meet the tourist needs but ignored the religion of tourists (Muslims) and other dimensions. In our opinion, Jafari and Scott's definition is more appropriate for 'Halal tourism' rather than 'Islamic tourism'.

When Muslims travel to another destination for leisure less than one year, this travel is considered as tourism. The question that is often asked is whether the activity is to be referred to as Halal tourism or Islamic tourism. In our opinion, the activity can be referred to as Halal tourism if all the activities, facilities, actions and objectives are permissible according to Islamic teachings. The same thing applies in the case of non-Muslim tourists. So a non-Muslim tourist can claim that he/she consumes Halal food and attends Halal entertainment outlets as long as the activities related to his claim are genuinely permissible in Islam. However, to describe the traveling activities as being 'Islamic tourism' requires another very crucial element, that is, whether the activity is accompanied by *Niyyah* or intention on the part of the traveller.

If the intention of travelling is to seek the pleasure of God or in order to strengthen his faith, then it will be both Halal and Islamic. Therefore, the term 'Islamic tourism' is more appropriate. However, the place may not necessarily be located in a Muslim country or in religious locations. For example, if a man travels to London to visit the London museum in order to study the history of British colonization of the Muslim world for the sake of God, the travel can be classified as *Ibadah* (a religious act) deserving rewards from God and therefore can be appropriately referred to as 'Islamic tourism'.

However, if the intention is not in accordance with Islamic teaching, then the travelling is not Islamic. For example, even if a man travels to the holy city of Makkah or Madinah during Hajj seasons, but with the evil intention to steal things from *Hajj* or *Umrah* travellers, then the action cannot be classified as Islamic. To reinforce my point of the importance of the element of *Niyyah* or intention, I would like to highlight the fact that the term 'Islamic food' does not exist. The reason is food is not a living object and will never have any aspect of 'intention'. For food, therefore, the term to be used is *not* Islamic food but rather 'Halal or non-Halal food'.

The term 'Muslim-friendly' in tourism industry denotes an attempt to make the tourism experience enjoyable to observant Muslims. As such it is close to the concept of 'Halal tourism' but not the same. Using 'Halal' is a wider context than 'Muslim friendly'. So when the company provides Halal products and services, it should be fully Halal and not allowed to provide non-Halal products and services. However, Muslim-friendly company could provide both Halal and non-Halal products and services but not in same place or section. In other words, Muslim-friendly destinations offer plenty of 'Halal' services (such as Halal food and beverages, sex-segregated swimming pools, etc.) along with comfortable places for Muslims to perform their daily prayers. Finally, the case of non-Muslims travelling to destinations in Muslim countries to visit Islamic historical religious and cultural sites could be an argument. Is it Islamic tourism? It is suggested NOT be referred to as Islamic tourism but rather 'Islamrelated tourism'.
