Journal of Halal Science and Technology (2022), 1(1): 32-37

ISSN: 2957-4188 | eISSN: 2957-4196 32

SERVICE INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY APPLIED BY HALAL

TOURISM OPERATORS IN THAILAND
Tanatcha Sirisombat, Sarawut Jitsopa, Wanamina Bostan Ali*
Faculty of Management Sciences Prince of Songkla University
*
[email protected]

ABSTRACT

The outbreak of the epidemic in 2019 has had a severe impact on the world, particularly on the tourism
sector, which has been directly impacted by tourists from both abroad and within the country. You are
unable to travel normally. Tourism businesses must find a way to recover to survive. Tour operators employ
a variety of strategies to revitalize Halal Tourism operators. Quantitative research was chosen by the
researcher. A survey was conducted to ascertain the degree of agreement among tour operators regarding
the factors of technological innovation in service to aid in their recovery. A sizable number of people
responded. According to Krejcie and Morgan's theory, researchers were randomly selected from a
381person sample size, and the evaluation was conducted via an online survey.
Keywords: Halal tour, Tourism operator, Service innovation technology, Recovery, Pandemic

1. Introduction
Tourism management's newest subfield is Islamic tourism (also known as Halal tourism),
which targets Muslim travellers’ specific requirements. The list goes on and on: from
services such as hotels, transportation, and restaurants to leisure activities such as providing
entertainment that is not incompatible with religious principles; Muslim daily necessities
such as arranging prayer sites, for example; and everything in between. As defined by
Nursanty (2013), the meaning of halal tourism is to provide tourism programs and attractions
that are specifically tailored to Muslim needs. According to Henderson (Henderson, 2010),
Islamic tourism encompasses all marketing and product development efforts that are directed
at Muslim consumers and travellers. Even business owners are not motivated by religious
beliefs in their daily operations.
Alba Hamarneh also refers to a campaign centred on the importance of Muslim and
non-Muslim tourists to encourage Muslim travellers to visit their countries. Create new
tourist attractions in the Muslim world, and strengthen inter-organizational and inter-
governmental cooperation to attract more visitors (Alba Hamarneh, 2011).
Summary: Islamic tourism is concerned with factors, places, products (such as
accommodations, food and beverages), dimensions (such as economy, culture, and religion),
and service management that is related to Muslims and Islam. Islam and Karkkainen (2013)
pointed out that, even though religious tourism is not a new phenomenon, there are some
ethical issues to consider when marketing religious tourism. In the past, people travelled for
religious reasons, such as on Christian-Muslim pilgrimages. However, Islamic tourism has
emerged as a new commodity in the tourism industry, necessitating the development of halal
products and services to meet the demands of such new dynamics and markets.
Index of Muslim Travel Around the World Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI,
2015) data shows Islamic travel to be among the world's fastest-growing segments of the
global tourism industry. The Muslim tourism market is estimated to be worth 4.9 trillion
baht ($145 billion), with 108 million Muslim tourists accounting for 10% of Thailand's total
tourism economy, according to estimates. Muslim tourists are expected to grow to 150
Journal of Halal Science and Technology (2022), 1(1): 32-37 33

million by 2020, accounting for 11% of the total tourism economy, with a total value of
approximately 6.7 trillion Thai Baht ($200 billion) in 2020.
Nursanty (2011) considers Islamic tourism for Muslims to be as important as tourism
in Turkey and Malaysia for non-Muslims. Furthermore, many other countries are attempting
to attract Muslim tourists from all over the world by providing amenities and services that
are by Muslim beliefs. Muslim passengers are not served alcoholic beverages at hotels or
resorts where halal food is served. Halal food is meat that has been slaughtered properly and
does not contain ingredients that are prohibited by religion. Airlines in the Islamic tourism
industry have a spa and swimming pool that are separated between men and women. It is not
permitted to serve alcoholic beverages or eat pork products at this event. Customers can
choose from a variety of religious channels to watch at their leisure. The times for prayer are
announced. The World Tourism Organization (WorldTourism Market, 2007) recommends
an initial approach for airlines entering the halal market, which includes serving halal food,
announcing prayer times, placing the Quran in a pocket in front of the seat, and seating male
and female passengers in separate sections of the plane, among other things. The purpose of
this study is to determine whether or not a halal tourism operator makes use of service
innovation technology to aid in recovery during a pandemic.
The findings of this study will be useful to both tour operators and researchers in the
future. Tour operators can rely on the findings of this study to help them plan their businesses
more effectively. To revitalize and enable tour operators to continue operating in the face of
the epidemic, innovative service technology must be utilized. As a result, this study
contributes to the literature on tourism operators in Thailand by providing empirical results
that can be used to guide future research in the field.

2. Materials and methods

According to the findings of the literature review on the causes and effects of innovative
halal services, which includes causal variables such as co-production services, market focus,
and technology adoption, there are three types of effect factors: The following are the
rationale factors: The quality of the service. As illustrated in Figure 1, this resulted in the
development of a conceptual framework for hypothesis testing using empirical data from the
Halal tourism industry.

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework for Cause and Effect of Service Innovation

Market Finance
Product Process

Structure

H1 Halal Tourism
Innovation H2 Operation
Strategy Technology Technology
adoption
Recovery
Learn

Sirisombat, T., et al | Service Innovation Technology is Used by Halal Tourism Operators in Thailand
Journal of Halal Science and Technology (2022), 1(1): 32-37 34

Hypothesis 1: Technology adoption has a positive influence on the innovation of

technology
The adoption of technology has a positive impact on knowledge. creativity and digital
technology cause adoption and use of technology and result in the behaviour of using
technology in work This is a creative behaviour arising from the adaptation of technology to
work and creating innovations in a new work process resulting from the application of
technology. These creative behaviours are correlated with the core competencies of the halal
tourism industry. in terms of knowing new technologies to increase the efficiency of work
and increase the value of the work Creative behaviour is therefore very important to the halal
tourism industry in Thailand.

Hypothesis 2: Innovation technology has a positive influence on Halal Tourism

Operation recovery
Guidelines for using technology to develop standards for Halal tourism services to
accommodate Muslim tourists It is considered a way to enhance the good image of the Thai
halal tourism industry. It can be said to be a guideline in determining the direction of
development and upgrading the service standards of halal tourism. to accommodate Muslim
tourists This will help encourage tourists to have confidence in using the service. Get
services that meet your needs and create a learning experience. and the enjoyment of walking
to Thailand Build good friendships between hosts or service providers and tourists or service
users. This can gain confidence from Muslim tourists and attract tourists to use the service
again. and have been told about the quality and standard service This is to promote Thai
tourism along with forwarding to related businesses such as Halal Travel Company Halal
Souvenirs Center to provide a standard service as well.
Under the research topic of halal tourism operators using innovative service
technology for rehabilitation during the epidemic, the population from this study is a list of
tour operators. This is because the researcher wants to know which of the factors tour
operators see the most weight in rehabilitating halal tourism. The total number of tour
companies in Thailand involved 50,000 companies
From the total 50,000 companies tour operator population, due to limited
circumstances and time, the researcher took a simple sampling. The researcher selected the
sample group according to the theory of Krejcie and Morgan, resulting in a sample number
of 381 companies. The researcher sends a sample of 400 because it protects against
unhealthy data.
Krejcie and Morgan’s formula (Krejcie and Morgan’s, 1970 cited in Dortha Holmes, 2016)
is as follows:

Figure 2: Krejcie and Morgan’s formula (Krejcie and Morgan’s,1970 cited in Dortha Holmes, 2016)

n = sample size
N = population size
e = acceptable sampling error
x2 = chi-square of degree of freedom 1 and confidence 95% = 3.841

Sirisombat, T., et al | Service Innovation Technology is Used by Halal Tourism Operators in Thailand
Journal of Halal Science and Technology (2022), 1(1): 32-37 35

p = proportion of population (if unknown, 0.5)

THE THEORY OF KREJCIE & MORGAN CHARTS

Table 1: Determining Sample Size for Finite Population (Krejcie and Morgan, 1970)

From the situation of the epidemic of COVID-19 that gives time to study and visit the
area is quite limited from the above information can be concluded that there was one group
of the population that the researcher selected for the survey was Tour operators by using the
formula Krejcie and Morgan from the total population of 50,000 companies. Resulting in a
sample of 381 companies but the researcher will average the questionnaire to all of the above
four groups of 400 companies to protect against unhealthy data.

2.1 Research Paradigm

Basic of classification
• Propose of the study: Analytical research: Due to the Assessing the Key factors in
Recovery the Tourism operator research model was surveyed to find the relationship
between the most important factors in To revitalize halal tourism with the tour operator.
• Process of the research: Quantitative research: Due to the Assessing the Key factors
in Recovery the Tourism operator research model was surveyed, and the data was

Sirisombat, T., et al | Service Innovation Technology is Used by Halal Tourism Operators in Thailand
Journal of Halal Science and Technology (2022), 1(1): 32-37 36

collected through a survey method. Focus on collecting multiple numbers of data for
mathematical calculations. Doing the analysis which has a category as positivism is a type
of research with many people it is a study for a large population. Want to find out the
nature, trends, social conditions, or agreement level of tourism operators about the factors
that will make halal tourism and tour operator Recovery.
• Outcome of the research: Applied research: Due to the Assessing the Key factors in
Recovery the Tourism operator research model was surveyed, this research was
conducted in less than 1 year, focusing on a short-term research model. Emphasize the
information obtained for further processing.
• Logic of the research: deductive research: Due to the Assessing the Key factors in
Recovery the Tourism operator research model was surveyed Therefore, this study was
designed to assess the factors leading to the recovery of halal tourism and tour operators.

2.2 Research process

The researcher has determined a method for conducting research studies to implement the
study methodology and be by the research objectives.
1. Select a research topic of interest to study. The researcher has chosen to study Tourism
operator’s Recovery
2. Study research papers and gather relevant information
a.) Study literature and research related to Service innovation technology.
b.) Study literature and research related to tourism operators’ recovery.

3. Results and Discussion

According to the limited time available for this research study, this research used
descriptive statistics by using frequency, percentage, and mean by presenting in the form of
a table for descriptive interpretation to explain information in demographic, technology
adoption, co-production service, and market focus. The section is used for analysis to answer
the research question of Halal tourism operation recovery by using innovative technology.
From the modified model, it can be explained that tour operators’ behaviour agreed in
terms of the content on The Technology adoption and the opinions on Innovation
Technology during the pandemic are as follows:
The technology adoption that influences the Halal tourism operation for recovery during
the pandemic is at the highest level, having a mean score of 4.2 and a standard deviation of
0.643. It shows that the overall respondents agreed in terms of the content on technology
adoption during the pandemic.
The opinions on Innovation Technology that influence the Halal tourism operation for
recovery during the pandemic are at a high level, has a mean score of 4.1 and a standard
deviation of 0.695. It shows that the overall respondents agreed in terms of the content on
Innovation Technology during the pandemic.

4. Conclusion
In the era of the COVID-19 epidemic, halal tour operators agree that using technology and
innovation in public relations or tourism promotion is important, and most entrepreneurs
believe that it makes customer or visitor service more accessible, convenient, and faster than
ever. As a result, most entrepreneurs are focusing more on adapting to the use of technology
as a medium for customer communication.

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Journal of Halal Science and Technology (2022), 1(1): 32-37 37

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Sirisombat, T., et al | Service Innovation Technology is Used by Halal Tourism Operators in Thailand