The art of inclusivity: how sense of community shapes Muslim journeys across Islamic and non-Islamic destinations

• Published in: JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC MARKETING
• Main Authors: Suhartanto, Dwi; Amalia, Fatya Alty; Sumarjan, Norzuwana; Lu, Carol Yirong; Nova, Muhamad
• Format: Article; Early Access
• Language: English
• Published: EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD 2025
• Subjects: Business & Economics
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001390001700001
• ISSN: 1759-0833; 1759-0841
• DOI: 10.1108/JIMA-05-2024-0217

PurposeThis study aims to explore the role of the sense of community in shaping Muslim tourists' experiences in both Islamic and non-Islamic destinations, using the experience quality-intention framework.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from 420 Muslim tourists visiting Islamic destinations and 371 visiting non-Islamic destinations, all of whom were Indonesian inbound or outbound tourists. Partial Least Squares analysis was applied to evaluate the sense of community's impact on factors influencing Muslim tourists' experiences.FindingsThe analysis reveals that integrating the sense of community into the framework enhances understanding of the factors affecting Muslim tourists' overall experiences, satisfaction and behavioural intentions across both destination types. Notably, the sense of community significantly shapes tourists' holistic experiences, satisfaction and intentions, though it affects attraction experiences differently between Islamic and non-Islamic destinations.Practical implicationsFrom a managerial perspective, findings suggest that destination managers can enhance Muslim tourists' experiences and promote positive behavioural intentions by fostering a sense of community, regardless of tourists' backgrounds. This underscores the importance of leveraging community connections to enrich experiences and encourage favourable intentions in diverse destinations.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature by expanding the Experience Quality-Intention framework to include the sense of community, providing fresh insights into predicting tourist experiences and intentions across diverse destinations.