Halal Tourism Factors, National Image, and Behavioral Intention: Perceptions of Muslim Community in South Korea

Abstract

This study examines two models of halal tourism which test the influence of halal tourism factors (involving halal attributes and availability of halal services) and national image (involving national characteristics and destination image) on behavioral intention, collecting empirical data from the Muslim community in Korea. Data was collected from (N=230) respondents through face-to-face questionnaire survey. The results showed that halal tourism factors and national image had a positive significant correlation with behavioral intention. Hierarchical Linear Regression analysis indicated that halal tourism factors model had a less significant contributory factor on behavioral intention, and national image model had a major significant contributory factor in the behavioral intention of Muslims. This study contributes that national characteristics and destination image have an influence on the Muslim community’s behavioral intention. This empirical evidence shows that Korea builds a positive image as a tourist destination rather than a Muslim-friendly destination among Muslims. This could be a reference for the government, tourist marketers, and stakeholders in enhancing the adoption of halal attributes and catering halal services to draw Muslim tourists to promote halal-friendly tourism.