Halal tourism experiences: the challenge of diversity and innovation

Resumen

Halal tourism represents the adaptation of tourist offerings to Muslim travellers who want to be respectful with their religious duties while also travelling for recreational/leisure purposes. The study of halal tourists' profiles is, therefore, essential for rightly designing recreational/leisure experiences for this segment. However, the offer adaptation to match the demand requirements is challenging mainly because of the existence of a multiplicity of sub-segments with diverse behaviours. Along these lines, the certification (or conformity) mark can be considered a tool for favouring companies' adaptation to this market and, thus, improving their competitiveness. This chapter intends to contribute to a better understanding of this market in Spain, presenting the results of a preliminary study on halal tourism in that country. Practical implications are offered to assist tourism operators and managers in the process of improving their offerings and develop this market segment according to the potential of resources treasured by Spain.