Contemporary Muslim Travel Cultures by Hall, C. Michael; Seyfi, Siamak; Rasoolimanesh, S. Mostafa;

Short description:

This timely volume brings together various issues in Muslim consumer cultures and provides a comprehensive account of Muslim tourism and tourist behaviour.

Long description:

This timely volume brings together various issues in Muslim consumer cultures and provides a comprehensive account of Muslim tourism and tourist behaviour.

Islam is a major international religion and Muslims are a majority of the population in many countries in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The growth of a substantial middle class, the development of Islamic consumer cultures, rising Muslim market consumption in non-Muslim majority destinations and the growing significance of intra-Muslim traffic and rising outbound tourism expenditure in emerging Muslim markets have all contributed to substantial interest in Muslim tourism. However, travel by Muslims is about far more than the Hajj and Umrah, as important as they are as acts of devotion. Instead, although often portrayed in the West as a monolithic religion, Muslim travel and leisure behaviour is very diverse, with different traditions and cultures leading to a range of expressions of tourism-related consumption culture and practices. Drawing on a range of empirical studies undertaken in different social and economic contexts and countries, this book provides a well-balanced portrayal of the Muslim tourism experience and practices.

This book makes a substantial contribution to an improved understanding of Muslim travel culture and will be required reading for anyone interested in this fast-growing market.

"This is a very timely and much needed book that covers many diverse and important topics on Muslim travel cultures and Muslim consumer behaviors. This book should help researchers and industry executives better understand Muslim consumer behavior and expectations. Congratulations to the editors and the authors on producing this valuable book."

Prof. Dr. Fevzi Okumus, University of Central Florida

"This book not only expands the literature linked to Muslim travel, it also presents an excellent collection of different perspectives linked to the growing Muslim travel market and Halal tourism such as women travel specifically solo, cultural complexities and impact. It is a must read for destinations planning to be Halal friendly beside academics."

Assoc. Prof. Asad Mohsin, University of Waikato, New Zealand

"The editors have put together a high quality volume that not only takes readers to different Muslim cultural spheres, but also deftly considers the diverse ways in which Muslim tourists consume tourism in the context of religion, gender, and motivation. A must read for those interested in this ever burgeoning niche market."

Dr. Daniel H. Olsen, Brigham Young University

Table of Contents:

Part 1: Introduction and context, 1. Muslim travel cultures: introduction and context, 2. Contemporary Muslim travel and tourism: cultures and consumption, 3. Muslim tourism: A systematic literature review, Part 2: Non-religious travel and tourism, 4. Travel motivation of Muslim tourists: Are they really different?, 5. Exploring Turkish tourists' motivation and perception toward Muslim-friendly tourist destinations, 6. Tourism motives, tourism experience value and cultural change: A focus on Egyptian tourists, Part 3: Pilgrimage and religious travel and tourism, 7. A study on pre-trip experiences of Fijian Pilgrims' Hajj performance, 8. Material religion in Twelver Shiite pilgrimage: resources, values, and dynamics in contemporary Mashhad, 9. An ethnographic study of lived experience of Iranian Arbaeen foot-pilgrims in Iraq, Part 4: Women's travel, 10. Complexities of women solo travelling in a conservative post-soviet Muslim society: The case of Uzbek women, 11. The silent and unseen. Two examples of women's restricted travel in Pakistan, 12. The travel pattern and experiences of Turkish female outbound tourists, 13. The travel motivations and experiences of Turkish solo women travellers, Part 5: Interrelationships between consumers and business, 14. Muslims' perspectives on tourism boycotts - a complicated relationship, 15. Questioning Halal tourism motive: In between Da'wa, business, and life story, 16. Interaction between Muslim attendees and non-Muslim staff: A study of the Islamic MICE market in Thailand, Part 6: Conclusions, 17. Conclusion: Emerging trends and future prospects in the Muslim travel market