BY DR MOHMED RAZIP HASAN
PREAMBLE
We are now in the month of Zulhijjah, the last month in the Islamic calendar, when the pilgrims perform the hajj practices, prayers, rites, and rituals wholeheartedly.
During this period, Muslims who have met and fulfilled the religious requirements, travelling terms and conditions are expected to perform their hajj in Makkah (Mecca), Saudi Arabia.
It is one of the five pillars of Islam, an obligation on every Muslim at least once in their lifetime if they have the means and capacity to do so, physically, emotionally and financially.
I congratulate those pilgrims performing their hajj this year, 2024/1445H. May Allah bless and reward them with Hajj Mabrur (accepted).
To all Muslim readers, I wish you Eid ul Adha (Selamat Hari Raya Haji) that falls insha-Allah on 10 Zulhijjah 1445H or on 16th or 17th June 2024 (subject to the announcement by the authority) and I seek your kind forgiveness.
In this article, Insha-Allah, I use the hajj and umrah as a case study to illustrate the importance of reputation and resilience management in Islamic or religious tourism.
HAJJ AND UMRAH PILGRIMAGE – CASE STUDY
Performing Hajj and Umrah involves inseparable travel, tourism, and hospitality elements. It requires proper planning and early preparation, physically, mentally and psychologically.
This is a sacred journey for a particular purpose, even though the basic travel arrangements are no different from an ordinary trip but with more scrutiny. The cost of performing the hajj and umrah is high despite advancements in technology and means.
A lot of investment is still being made in pilgrimage convenience. During the Hajj season alone, we still see queues for check-in, formality requirements, passport and visa screenings, and safety and security measures.
There is extensive use of facilities – airport terminals, airlines, tour coaches, trains, frequent engagement with tour leaders, check-in and out of hotels, lines at café, restaurants and eating outlets, ATMs and money changers, frequent transfers and visits to holy and historical sites, and not to forget shopping at modern malls and bazaars, especially for perfumes, dates, apparels and religious items.
From my experience as a pilgrim, one has to do a lot of physical movement and travel to and from sacred places like Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina. They must also perform the circular row (tawaaf) around Ka’abah in the Grand Mosque (Masjid al Haram) and Sa’ee between Safa and Marwah, prayers (saalah) and spiritual activities throughout the hajj season.
While during umrah, almost similar activities and movements occur in Mekkah and Madinah, especially at Masjid Nabawi and Mount Uhud, Masjid Kuba and surroundings. The sweltering weather, quality of services, logistics, crowd controls, cleanliness, language barriers, health and tiredness and enforcement and patrol are among the significant challenges that pilgrims may not be familiar with.
These are the tests for an individual pilgrim, hajj and umrah operators, service providers, officials and the host country to cope and succeed.
Ultimately, all these journeys, activities and challenges of duration between two weeks and two months (depending on travel arrangement) require knowledge, understanding, self-motivation & leadership, guidance, energy, physical fitness, wellness and, mindfulness and mental toughness, patience and resilience, and more importantly, always trust in Allah SWT and ask for His guidance and protection through prayers, supplications and invocations, among others to reap the best reward.
In other words, hajj and umrah are the primary examples of how Islamic tourism and hospitality operate in religious settings in Makkah and Madinah. Nonetheless, hajj and umrah have their challenges and merits.
Crisis planning and management are critical and crucial due to the massive size of local and international pilgrimages of one to three million a year (subject to change), massive provision and delivery of resources for pilgrimages and support services. It needs a resilient team, a robust and well-tested support system and effective leadership to manage various premises, facilities, security and logistics and human behaviours involving different nationalities, backgrounds and attitudes.
I envisage that with Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 in place, many things related to Hajj and Umrah will improve significantly to cater for the needs and requirements of an increasing number of pilgrims yearly.
POTENTIAL CHALLENGES AND RISKS
In a global network, holistic and universality are among the fundamental principles in Islamic tourism’s supply chains, product development, services delivery system and pricing mechanism.
As we know, tourism is a complex industry with different categories of tourists and expectations. Thus, service providers must be knowledgeable, mindful, sensitive, and skilled in the process involved.
Today, Islamic tourism has gone global and is recognised as a new source of national economic income. But it has challenges, including managing its reputation in normalcy and crisis.
Competition and collaboration among Islamic tourism business networks are growing in OIC countries and established destinations across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania.
They have many business risks that may emerge throughout the business environment. Some are straightforward, and some are complicated. Hence, a good and reliable crisis management capability must be put in place and effective.
This is essential to safeguard and manage their good reputation, now and in future, as the price of a bad reputation is costly and may lead to seizure in business.
Islamic tourism is concerned not only with economic returns but also with faith-based obligations to adhere to. It deals with precision and standards.
This makes the sector not unique, but more importantly, it must instil strong confidence and trust in consumers’ minds about the presence of Islamic values and requirements in the products and services. Beyond that, it must also be transparent in its business dealings, partners, investments, and supply chains in compliance with Sharia requirements, business ethics, international laws, and moral duties and responsibilities.
Any uncertainty, apparently perceived as abusive, misconduct, or illegal practices in the eyes of regulators, auditors, and consum ers, may lead to strict crisis management for companies and agencies to remain relevant in the business. In this regard, the resilience and agility of the destination and travel suppliers are among the critical factors for business survival.
PRE-CRISIS SIGNALS
The world keeps turning and sending signals to us in different forms. We must be able to read and interpret those religiously and professionally with our given knowledge and beliefs. This is a talk of survival and an ongoing process in life and business.
Tourism and travel businesses are sensitive to natural or manufactured adverse events. Innovative blueprints, strategies, and sophisticated tools and technologies may not insulate the risks and guarantee the crisis’s survival. Still, they can minimise the risks and manage the aftermath for the destination and businesses.
Some events may pose challenges that must be monitored and managed before negatively impacting a destination or an entity.
Some common areas of concern that provide early warnings are natural events, health and environmental, technological breakdowns and advancement, economic and market forces, trade and employee disputes, public resistance, new industrial standards and political upheaval.
Those in Islamic tourism businesses may expand the abovementioned areas to religious rules and regulations (fatwa) related to halal and Islamic practices that may impact product development, pricing, promotion, delivery, industry standards and human resources for better services, improvement, and consumer benefits.
We can observe and learn many examples from security and safety cases, travel formalities, and policy changes that disrupt businesses’ reputations and operations.
Trade disputes, entry visas and permits issues, political unrest, regional conflicts and wars, maritime safety, big floods, volcano eruptions and earthquakes, boycotts and sanctions, and competitors’ new brands and advertising strategies are some events and policies that require deep monitoring and assessment of their impact on destination, business, and recovery plans.
CRISIS AND CONTINGENCY PLANNING
As the importance of crisis and reputation management rises, the industry needs proper crisis planning. We may be unable to avoid and stop the crisis, but insha-Allah, we may minimise the potential negative impact through contingency planning.
The impacts may not be on physical structure but on thinking and perceptions. There are methods and steps to establish effective contingency plans, but the following serve as the basic steps:
• Establish and organise a crisis/contingency team,
• Evaluate the scope or parameters of the identified problem,
• Develop a plan,
• Test the plan, and update the plan,
• Keep regular records and review for action and learning.
In designing an effective plan, the leaders and implementors must remember that communication is critical. They must be quick and decisive in action, physically fast and in contact at the event’s location, with people as a priority, and communicate clearly and honestly.
Crisis Manuals or Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) are essential documents that companies must have in addition to their existing financial and human resource manuals.
Although many versions and formats are available, we must adjust them to fit our business principles and priorities and acknowledge the sources from which we get those formats.
In the travel industry, organisations like the Pacific Area Tourist Association (PATA), World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN), to name a few, have their respective crisis manuals or guidelines in the form of Bounce Back by PATA, Tourism Crisis Tools Box by UNWTO and ASEAN Tourism Crisis Communication Manual for reference and implementation.
With today’s technological and digital advancements, Islamic and halal tourism and Muslim-friendly enterprises and supply chains are encouraged to venture into data management systems to support their decision-making, business expansion, and reputation.
CONCLUSION
Every crisis offers an opportunity. It tests patience, resilience, perseverance, and other qualities. These can be spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically challenging for an individual, an enterprise, and a nation/destination.
However, these challenges provide us with new experiences and knowledge in our life and business. As a person, it is an opportunity to become closer to the Creator during regular and trying times by appreciating what we are given and blessed to live in harmony and peace.
Thus far, Malaysia and other related destinations are geared and have gradually developed well-thought and refined tour packages and hospitality practices to promote respect, justice, sustainability, quality, balanced life and responsibility among local and foreign tourists.
Hence, at any time, reputation and holistic, resilient management are among the integral and crucial strategies to maintain and elevate quality, holistic and universal positioning of Islamic tourism towards improving an individual developmental stage, national economy and cultural advancement in this transformational and digital era. Insha-Allah. Wassalam.
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