Programme > Abstracts > Sistu Giovanni

Religion is not a new focus of tourism studies but the relationship between tourism and Islam, pilgrimages aside, has long been ignored and is still relatively little studied. Muslims' tourism - which several authors refer to as Islamic tourism – is a marginal topic in tourism literature; as is the way in which Islam can shape and influence tourism strategies in countries where it is the State religion or it has a significant influence. Moreover, for a long time the tourism industry did not sufficiently consider the needs of Muslims (as tourists) and Islamic prescriptions when developing tourism products.

The decline of the Ben Ali regime and the rise to power of an Islamic party as moderate as Ennahda have, for the first time, made possible the introduction of new categories previously censored in political debate. After 2011's revolution, various institutional meetings with Muslim countries interested in halal products (including tourism) have been accompanied by initiatives to promote the growth of Tunisian halal production. Emblematic in this sense are the dialogues with Malaysia, leader in the halal market, and with Turkey, showing an interest in intensifying bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including tourism

This research tries to detect whether there is interest, attention and further signs of openness towards Islamic tourism in Tunisia – factors that, in other Muslim countries, are noticeably growing.