DEVELOPMENT OF THE “HALAL DESTINATION CONCEPT”: ASSUMPTIONS OF TOURISTS IN KAKABAN ISLAND–INDONESIA

Abstract

Since 1999, the government has been promoting Kakaban tourism. However, Kakaban Island only went viral in the 2010s through advertisements on several content such as Instagram and YouTube. At the same time, preferences have emerged regarding "halal destinations" from some world tourism. For tourism managers in Kakaban, this topic is adopted as an alternative for Muslim tourists during recreation, in the middle of a visit, or after traveling without worrying about matters of worship. The essence of this paper is to reveal the expressions of 576 tourists towards trust, religious values, commitments, and halal destination produced in Kakaban. The data collection technique used was accidental sampling. Then, the triangulation approach was operated by combining informants' opinions as outlined in the questionnaire. As a result, we found two facts: (1) religious values and commitment significantly influence halal destination; (2) religious values mediate trust to grow halal destination significantly. Halal destinations are also an appreciation for non-Muslim tourists who prioritize attractive and excellent service without any intervention that triggers rejection.