A sustainable synergy

In the post-pandemic world, there is a heightened public focus on sustainability, with travellers increasingly seeking eco-conscious experiences that align with their values.

Given the growing global Muslim population, countries can leverage Muslim-friendly tourism to mitigate negative societal and environmental impacts while enhancing global prosperity. Aligning these efforts with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) provides a robust framework for these initiatives.

However, a gap exists due to limited literature and frameworks in this area. To address this, the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), as the champion of Muslim-friendly tourism and hospitality (MFTH), has collaborated with researchers from the International Center for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) to conduct a study titled ‘Harnessing Responsible and Sustainable Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) in Malaysia Aligned with Maqasid Shariah and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’. This initiative aims to align MFTH practices with Maqasid Shariah and the UN SDGs, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable and inclusive tourism industry.

According to Firmansyah Shidiq Wardhana, an MBA Sustainable Business Alumni of INCEIF University, who led this ABL research project and the current Head of Innovation & Development, ALAMI Sharia, an Islamic Fintech P2P based in Indonesia, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) reported that the Covid-19 pandemic is heightening the understanding of sustainability among the public, private sectors, and regulatory institutions, with a particular emphasis on environmental awareness and impactful socio-economic contributions to the community.

“Therefore, it is imperative to integrate sustainability and harness responsible tourism as an inseparable and inherent part of Muslim-friendly tourism concept in Malaysia to value-add and re-boost the industry to gain traction, enthusiasm and attractiveness from various stakeholders.”

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE RESEARCH

Firmansyah noted five critical insights from the study’s findings:

• Integrating the UN SDGs with the MFTH Fundamental Ground
• Developing a Sustainable and Responsible Muslim-Friendly Tourism (SR-MFTH) framework
• Proposing a Sustainable and Responsible MFTH Index (SR-MFTH Index/Indicator) as an advancement of the Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition (MFAR)
• Developing impact assessment tools for integrating the UN SDGs with MFTH in Malaysia

“As per our findings during our extensive research, the availability of research articles on MFTH integration with sustainability, circular economy and ESG agenda is limited for us to rely on.

“Therefore, there is an urge to develop a main Sustainable and Responsible Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (SR-MFTH) framework and indicators that serve as a starting point for the integration as well as the potential for future research and practice.

“Thus, in this research study, we positioned five key themes to be the basis of a conceptual framework interrogating the MFTH and sustainability agenda: the people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. These core themes are extracted from the UN SDGs’ themes, which developed in parallel with the MFTH supply and demand framework from the CrescentRating.”

Firman explained that ‘people’ are central to the framework, linking the demand and supply sides, while other themes are on the supply side. He emphasised that people drive the success of SR-MFTH by connecting fulfilment segments and sustainability goals through their roles as Khalifah (leader) and ‘Abid (worshipper).

SR-MFTH INDEX AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT TOOLS

Firman shared that the mission of the SR-MFTH Index, intended to enhance MFAR, was to establish a sustainable and responsible MFTH industry. This aims to promote quality and innovative products, provide excellent services meeting evolving customer needs, ensure high standards of halal compliance, foster responsible business practices, and
generate sustainable positive impacts in Malaysia and globally. This initiative also seeks to benefit the environment and society while ensuring equitable returns for shareholders.

In the study, the research team also developed impact assessment tools to integrate UN SDGs with MFTH in Malaysia, revealing positive impacts. Key points include:

1. UN SDG 1 – No Poverty: The MFTH industry significantly contributes to Malaysia’s GDP and employment, lifting people out of poverty through sustainable tourism.
2. UN SDG 4 – Quality Education: MFTH indirectly supports education by offering vocational training, enhancing inclusivity for all societal layers.
3. UN SDG 5 – Gender Equality: MFTH promotes gender equality by providing women with equal job opportunities and leadership roles. The industry also challenges stereotypes, with a growing demand for male therapists in the wellness and spa sectors. This highlights the need for vocational training to meet market demands, particularly post-Covid-19.

MFTH AS THE PRIME MOVER OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

“In general, we expect that our research could deliver significant progressing impacts for ITC as well as policy-making and decision-making within tourism sector benefits,” said Firman.

“It should be noted that the UN SDGs have already been internalised, committed and integrated into the Malaysia Tourism Policy, Planning and Strategy for 2020-2030. MFTH is expected to be the forefront prime mover and prominent driver in achieving ambitious targets and goals.

“Since Muslim-friendly tourism is based upon a unique value system which conforms to the five primary principles of the sacred Islamic law – Protection of religion; preservation of self; preservation of intellect; preservation of off-spring; and preservation of property and the environment – the components of sustainability are already embedded.

“These components need to be mapped with the UN SDGs and further refined to ensure the longevity, prosperity and sustainability of the MFTH sector. MFTH, although faith-based, is a concept that is, and should be attractive to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.” – RnR