Conceptual framework for Islamic spiritual tourism development: a proposed research plan

Spiritual tourism is now becoming a popular trend. The development of spiritual tourism is seen clearly within the past decade in the world, specifically in Asia. Spiritual tourism which known as one type of special interest tourism activity based on expectations related with spirituality is now continuously developing and demanded by the tourists. Keeping in view the phenomenal growth this research reviews the very high-quality research literature on Islamic spritual tourism to consolidate its findings and recommendations. It performs a thematic analysis of 40 (articles, book chapters, manuscripts, etc.) published between the period 2003 to 2023 i.e.. It consolidates research methodologies, themes, and variables, which ultimately lead to a master conceptual framework of Islamic Spritual Tourism research based on Maqasid al-Shariah. The statement emphasizes that the study of Islamic spiritual tourism is still in the early phases of development, with new topics emerging in recent years. Lastly, this thematic analysis underlines the interconnectedness of social values, tourism services, and Islamic guidelines, serving as a path for future research and advancements in the field of Islamic tourism

Research Themes for Islamic Tourism

The intent of this book is to give you some insights on current research on Islamic Tourism in Malaysia. Its demonstration an empirical research trend in Islamic Tourism among the tourist in Malaysia. The research topic cover on DIY Umrah, Religious Tourism, Muslim Friendly Tourism, Spiritual Tourism and Hospitality. The readers of this book will acquire a good understanding of the Islamic tourism products, trend and tourist need as well as relevant information on Muslim Friendly Tourism and religious tourism practices. Hence, this book also sheds light on contemporary developments in Islamic Tourism. Chapter 1 focus on the do-it-yourself (DIY) Umrah preferences among the young generation. There is a significant rise of backpacking and solo travelers as young Muslim combine their adventurous spirits with the technological era they have been brought up in, where there is a gold rush for tech innovation as the next opportunity of the Umrah market will be in the evolution of the digital space. The study is unique due to the focus on the youth preference as a potential young Muslim traveler towards a DIY Umrah guide and mobile application to provide them a platform to access their suppressed demands and increase new visitors for Islamic Tourism. Chapter 2 examine the current level intention of Muslims in Malaysia on pilgrimage during the pandemic Covid19 and to investigate the significant relationship between security and monetary towards pilgrimage intention of Muslims in Malaysia. Due to the virus itself easily transmitted from one person to another and from a place to another place it had causes serious threat to tourism activities including religious tourism side. Chapter 3 discovers the spiritual expectations and experiences of pilgrims during their Umrah pilgrimage and providing description briefly on pilgrimage ambience as well as its meaning to an individual participant travelling from Malaysia. Chapter 4 identify the level of tourist’s satisfaction in a Muslim friendly hotel. Satisfaction is derived from the expectation and their perception towards some product. Satisfaction is very important which is act as a tool to measure some element in hospitality. The researcher wants to emphasize the hotel attributes that connect with the tourist's satisfaction in a Muslim friendly hotel. Also, the researcher makes the Muslim friendly hotel as an indicator since Muslim tourists have chosen in this research to collect the data. Chapter 5 describe on several issues have arisen in the Halal industry such as inappropriate hygienic practices at the premises and the expiration of the Halal logo certificate which has confused the consumers whether to eat at the premises or not. Halal logo certificate problems occur when countless kinds of Halal logo are existing in the industry, and this has led to confusion among Muslim youths to identify which one is the actual Halal logo certified by JAKIM. This confusion will not only affect their daily routine in selecting Halal food but also their food selection when they are travelling. Thus, the research aims to identify the significant relationship between religious belief, health reason, and Halal logo certificate towards Halal food selection among Malaysian Muslim youths while travelling. In sum this book was written by academics for researchers, undergraduate, postgraduate students, and scholars as it provides a thorough literature review on various relevant topic in Mosque Tourism. written by academics for, researchers, tourism

Educational philoshophy of Ibnu Sahnun.

Ibn Sahnun became a productive scholar respected for his God-consciousness, generosity, and kindness. Above all, Ibn Sahnun became a visionary educator when he deliberated on education

Digital games and religious studies in the new era: challenge or opportunity?

Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern in religious studies. What Can You Do With a Religious Studies Degree?. The 'digital’ generation just isn’t interested in religious studies at al

The relationship of halal food consumptions and psychological features of muslim students in Malaysian Public Universities

Food has been identified as an important risk factor for health, yet many people overlook the effects of what they eat every day which are beyond their physical need. The previous studies show that most people still have a low level of awareness on the effects of food towards their psychological development. Expanding upon this issue, the present study was designed to investigate the relationship between halal food consumption and psychological features of Muslim student in Malaysian public universities. Specifically, this study has five objectives: first, to investigate the level of halal food consumption awareness among the university students; second, to examine significant differences in predictive ability in determining halal food consumption based on demographic characteristics; third, to determine the predictive ability of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behaviour control, and religious belief on halal food consumption via intention; fourth, to determine whether halal food consumption has any contribution in the development of psychological features of student; and fifth, to analyse the overall association between constructs proposed in the theoretical model from literature. This study involved 730 Muslim student between 18 to 36 years old who were randomly selected among Malaysian students of public universities in Peninsular Malaysia. All respondents have completed a set of self-developed questionnaire consists of “informed consent” and “three main sections”, namely demographic, halal food consumption, and psychological construct. Questionnaire contents were validated by five experts from various fields who constructed the validation using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) before being distributed to all respondents. The tools for statistical analysis employed in this study were descriptive, t-test, ANOVA, and regression using IBM SPSS 20.0 together with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling in AMOS 21.0. The result showed that the majority of Muslim student in Malaysia have a high level of awareness in consuming halal food (93.8%). Significant differences were discovered between gender in their attitude, perceived behavioural control, and intention in halal food consumption (p0.05). Concerning the predictor of halal food consumption, subjective norm, religious belief, and intention were found to be significantly correlated with the halal food consumption. This study also identified that intention plays a role as a mediator for predictor and halal food consumption (p=0.001). The analysis of data in this study has successfully proven that halal food consumption contributes in the development of psychological features of Muslim student in Malaysia. Finally, in conclusion, for the test model hypothesis, the development model is accepted and confirmed through the SEM AMOS analysis. Overall, the study has shown the importance of halal food towards the psychological development of the students

Latest research trends on Islamic education.

Al-Ghazali’s aim of education as “To cultivate man so that he abides by the teachings of religion and is hence assured salvation and happiness in the eternal life hereafter” (p. 5

TikTok, does it matter? Content and impact of TikTok influencers on youths' motivation to travel

In recent years, social media platforms have spawned many influencers and internet celebrities who actively engage in marketing and promotion strategies. The trend of incorporating social media influencers into marketing strategies is rising. In the current technological era, these influencers, especially those on TikTok, have gained immense popularity and are crucial in influencing people, particularly the younger demographic of social media users. This study aims to investigate the content of TikTok and the impact of TikTok influencers on young people's travel motivation. This study employs descriptive and Pearson correlation analyses as the chosen quantitative research methodologies. A structured instrument using a survey was distributed to Malaysian youth. The purpose of the survey was to examine the relationship between TikTok influencers and the travel motivation of young people. The results of this study indicate a correlation between TikTok influencers and youth travel motivation. The captivating content created by these influencers, which includes visually appealing travel destinations, exciting activities, and one-of-a-kind cultural experiences, has a substantial effect on shaping the travel motivation of young people. By leveraging the power of TikTok influencers, travel-related businesses, organisations, and entrepreneurs can improve their marketing strategies to reach and engage the youth demographic. Understanding the impact of TikTok influencers on the travel motivation of young people can aid in developing marketing campaigns that resonate with this demographic. This research supports the growth of the tourism industry by providing insights for stakeholders to enhance their marketing strategies and cater to the preferences of young travellers. It emphasises the influential role of TikTok influencers in encouraging youth to travel and shaping their destination preferences. Incorporating these influencers into marketing efforts can effectively engage with the youth demographic, leading to improved outcomes and contributing to the expansion of the tourism industry

Travel Mobile Apps MUSAFIR: Explore the world one step at a time.

One of the primary concerns when traveling to new places is finding the route and allocating time between each attraction. Previous studies have focused on mobile application usage, satisfaction, and quality during travel. However, there is a need for mobile apps that focus on the routes between attraction places, notifying users if these places are crowded, and recommending alternative destinations. Additionally, there is a need for a single platform where service providers can offer promotions and vouchers to attract customers. This study addresses these needs in collaboration with input from users and attraction place service providers. The mobile app 'MUSAFIR' is designed to help end-users plan their road trips efficiently during travel. The app provides information about alternative routes, estimated arrival times, recommended alternative destinations if the initial choice is overcrowded, and the option to book and communicate with service providers for the latest promotions. The apps allow tourists to explore Malaysia in a better way and up-to-date information about tourism destinations thus improving tourists' overall travel experience