The purpose of this paper is to investigate Thailand’s halal tourism concept from non-Muslim students’ perspective and explore their perceptions and awareness of local community toward Muslim tourists.
This study used a qualitative survey with 75 participants who were representatives of non-Muslim students majoring in tourism in their second semester at Mahasarakham University in Thailand. Constructivist grounded theory is applied inductively to data analysis, with support from NVivo software (V.12).
The findings showed that the notion of halal or halal tourism is less widely understood as a whole and, at the same time, is an expression that is less commonly used in student participants’ locations. Much of the understanding is perceived through an accidental acquisition where the concept of halal tourism or halal takes place. In addition, much focus is placed on honoring and offering additional options for those who want to experience halal tourism and equality in every religion.
Qualitative survey adopted does not optimally capture the views of student participants. Furthermore, this research was conducted exclusively on students majoring in tourism and hospitality at Mahasarakham University in the northeastern region of Thailand. This resulted in a limited understanding of research results.
This study suggested the large surge in the global Muslim population demands further understanding and education regarding halal principles and Muslim tourism for the benefit of students and the tourism industry, undertaken by local academic institutions, particularly those offering tourism and hospitality programs.
Meeting the needs of Muslim tourists does not eliminate their responsibility for the demands of adapting to cultural attributes and beliefs in the host community environment.
This study promotes comprehension regarding the perceptions of non-Muslim students regarding the notion of halal tourism and their preparedness to establish themselves as halal tourism destinations. In addition, it provides an overview of participants’ knowledge of the local community environment and halal tourism and contributes to the voids in halal tourism research, particularly regarding its weaknesses and challenges to the industry’s future development.
