DECODING THE GLOBAL DISCOURSE ON HALAL TOURISM: A SCOPUS-BASED KNOWLEDGE MAPPING

Abstract

This study decodes the global discourse on halal tourism through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 200 Scopus-indexed publications from 2010 to 2024. As halal tourism emerges as a rapidly expanding segment within the global travel industry, understanding its academic evolution is essential for consolidating fragmented knowledge and guiding future inquiry. Using bibliometric mapping techniques, this study identifies four major intellectual clusters: (1) conceptual foundations of halal tourism, (2) Muslim consumer behavior and service quality, (3) governance and policy frameworks, and (4) emerging frontiers involving sustainability, digital innovation, and inclusive tourism. The findings reveal that Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, dominates global scholarly output, while the field still faces theoretical fragmentation, regional imbalance, and limited interdisciplinary integration. The evolution of halal tourism research shows a transition from conceptual definitions to applied, data-driven analyses emphasizing sustainability and policy development. This study contributes by offering a macro-level synthesis of research trends, identifying intellectual gaps, and suggesting future directions for theoretical enrichment and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The results provide actionable insights for academics, policymakers, and industry practitioners to strengthen the halal tourism ecosystem through innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth. Ultimately, the study reinforces halal tourism’s growing role as a catalyst for ethical, faith-based, and sustainable global tourism development.