Volume 5 Issue (2)

Muslim-friendly tourism has emerged as a significant segment of the global tourism industry, driven by the increasing number of Muslim travellers seeking destinations that accommodate their religious and cultural requirements. While Malaysia, Indonesia, and the UAE have established themselves as leading Muslim-friendly destinations, non-Muslim-majority countries such as Vietnam remain relatively underexplored in this regard. Although Hanoi city in Vietnam has experienced a growing influx of Muslim tourists, the development of Muslim-friendly tourism infrastructure remains limited. This study aims to identify the key factors influencing Muslim tourist satisfaction through a systematic literature review of 109 studies on Muslim-friendly tourism. The findings highlight several critical determinants, including the availability and quality of Halal food, the provision of prayer facilities, service quality, cultural awareness among hospitality staff, destination image, perceived Muslimfriendliness, and perceived value. By addressing these factors, this research contributes to academic discourse on Muslim-friendly tourism while also offering practical insights for enhancing Vietnam’s tourism industry.

This study explores the interconnection between Islam and ecotourism, emphasizing the integration of Islamic ethics into tourism practices. It highlights how Islamic tourism reflects the religion’s moral principles through responsible travel and environmental care. The concept encourages Muslims to travel for knowledge, health, and sports, guided by ethical and spiritual values. A major aspect of Islamic tourism is pilgrimage Hajj and Umrah to Makkah, considered a core religious duty. During these journeys, Islam strictly forbids harmful acts such as hunting and deforestation, promoting environmental preservation. Thus, Islamic tourism combines worship with ecological responsibility. It serves both spiritual and environmental purposes enhancing faith while sustaining nature. Islam views travel as a form of worship when done ethically. Beyond rituals like prayer and fasting, it invites reflection on creation. Nearly one-sixth of the Quran encourages contemplation of the universe and natural phenomena. Therefore, Islamic tourism fosters harmony between faith, humanity, and the environment. In conducting this research, there will be an emphasis on qualitative analysis of the existing literature regarding ecotourism in Muslim-majority countries. Thus, by using a comparison and case study approach, the analysis covers Indonesia, Oman, and Algeria as the main cases because these represent different "ecotourism" scenarios based on the ‘Eco-Islam’ paradigm. The outcomes of the analysis reveal that Islamic ethical standards contribute meaningfully to sustainable tourism practice, and there was strong evidence in the domains of environmental protection, temperance, and social responsibility. At the same time, there was evidence that Indonesia scored the most in terms of people-focused ecotourism, Oman progressed in terms of supporting sustainable development guided by Vision 2040, and Algeria presented significant potential in ecotourism but needs further support in terms of infrastructure, marketing, and policy framework adoption. Ecotourism in Muslim majority countries can therefore gain meaningful impetus by basing its ethical standards on ‘Islam’.