Recommendations for a Favourable Accommodation Service Experience: The Perspective of International Muslim Tourists in Malaysia

• Published in: Asia-Pacific Journal of Innovation in Hospitality and Tourism
• Main Author: Zainol N.A.; Ahmad R.; Alias S.N.A.; Abdul Karim M.H.; Ismail N.S.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor's University Sdn Bhd 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85216069470&partnerID=40&md5=135ad98119463c7b9465dcb0e06f1bcc

The service provided by hoteliers has a significant impact on the service experience of international Muslim tourists, which is also related to loyalty behaviour. Some hoteliers have noticed that they get less attention from international Muslim tourists because existing services may have failed to satisfy their needs. Therefore, there is a good opportunity, particularly for Malaysian hoteliers, to draw in the global Muslim tourist market by fulfilling their needs. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate international tourists’ visit experiences in terms of understanding their needs, as this is one of the factors that contribute to loyalty. Consequently, recommendations for improvement to meet these needs are also discussed. For this study, 15 international Muslim tourists were interviewed using a qualitative method. The data gathered was analysed using thematic content analysis. According to the analysis, the majority of foreign Muslim tourists prioritise cleanliness and accessibility to facilities when travelling. The participants also emphasized the need to enhance the services provided to meet their growing needs. These improvements include improving the hotels’ facilities and amenities, improving cleanliness and quality of services provided, and taking action on customer feedback. This paper offers suggestions that hoteliers can undertake in order to satisfy guests and directly encourage their loyalty to the hotel for their travels, which will ultimately increase the hotels’ profit and boost the country’s tourism. © The Author(s) 2024.