The Halal Tourism Trajectory: The Emergence and Challenges the Case of Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

Halal tourism has attracted a lot of attention in contemporary tourism and hospitality research. However, only a few studies have been conducted to understand the emerging process and challenges in practising halal tourism in a specific geographic location. This article attempts to investigate the new emerging halal tourism that has been taking place in Aceh, post-tsunami 2004. This paper is based on the fieldwork conducted in 2016 and 2017 in Aceh applying interview and focus group discussion with the tour guides, tour agents, community, and local government. Moreover, additional online interviews were performed in 2020. By understanding the process, this article suggests that a new niche of ‘halal tourism’ can also be driven by the community needs rather than tourist’s market needs. Moreover, the implementation of halal tourism under the Sharia Law has been challenged by both internal and external factors. Internally, it is challenged by the risk of natural disaster, the possibility of political instability, and institutional certification problems. Meanwhile, externally, practising halal tourism is challenged by the misperceptions of Islam (Islamophobia) and marketing label.