The determinants of Muslim travellers’ intention to visit non-Islamic countries: a halal tourism implication

Abstract

Purpose Many non-Islamic countries are approaching halal tourism as the tourism strategy. However, studies examining Muslims’ attitudes and intentions to visit non-Islamic countries remain scarce. The purpose of this study is to test what factors influence Muslims’ intention to visit non-Islamic countries by considering their perception of halal risk and Islamic value of non-Islamic country destinations. Design/methodology/approach By distributing questionnaires to Muslim respondents, in total, this study collected 436 respondents. The hypotheses are tested using a structural equation modeling approach. Findings Results revealed that religiosity significantly affects perceived risk, but it does not have an effect on perceived Islamic values and attitude. It is also found that Muslims’ intention to visit non-Islamic countries are mainly influenced by their attitudes. Perceived halal risk and Islamic value strongly affected their attitudes toward non-Islamic countries. Interestingly, the results show that Muslims’ intention to visit non-Islamic countries is not directly influenced by perceived halal risk and Islamic value but indirectly through attitudes. Research limitations/implications The equal distribution of respondents becomes the main challenge to achieve. It cannot be controlled by researchers. Thus, the disproportionate respondents’ distribution in terms of age, gender, occupation and, most importantly, the country selection becomes the limitation of this study. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by evaluating perceived Islamic value and perceived halal risks in influencing Muslims’ intention to visit non-Islamic country destinations.