Legal Protection of Muslim Tourists in Islamic Religious Tourism in Malaysia: Reality and Challenges

  • Authors

    • Wan Farahiyah Izni W Abd Rahman
    • Haniff Ahamat
    2018-08-24
    https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i3.30.18212
  • Islamic Religious Tourism, Muslim Tourist, Consumer Protection.

  • Abstract

    Islamic Religious Tourism (Hajj and Umrah) services have emerged in recent years. Malaysia has become one of the key players in this fast growing segment. It is caused by better condition of the economy in Malaysia so that raising awareness of the Malaysian people to do the Sunnah (practice) that they believed. Despite this remarkable development, there have been many consumer complaints related to Umrah services in Malaysia. In fact, consumer claims against the travel agents related to Umrah package were the top in the list of services cases filed in the Tribunal for Consumer Claims (TCC) for the past many years. This article seeks to analyse the current application of the Hajj and Umrah services in Malaysia. It then attemps to identify problems related to it. The article then seeks to suggest proper ways on how to overcome the said challenge and problem. Being qualitative in nature, this study collects relevant framework which include laws, regulations and guidelines which are related to Umrah travel agencies services. The purpose is to analyse the adequacy of the existing consumer protection laws in protecting Muslim tourists. The study discovers the lacunae in the existing legal protection for Muslim tourists which renders the protection to be inadequate. The reserachers find that inadequacy of existing consumer legislation has led to the existing problem. Therefore, clear and definite legal instrument are needed to protect the rights of Muslim tourists as consumers in Islamic Religious Tourism.

     

     

  • References

    1. [1] Timothy JD & Olsen HD (2006), Tourism, Religion & Spiritual Journeys, 1st edition, United Kingdom.

      [2] ARC (2011), Pilgrimage Statistics-Annual Figures, Alliance of Religions and Conservation, Edinburgh.

      [3] UNWTO (2014), Tourism Can Protect and Promote Religious Heritage, UN World Tourism Organisation.

      [4] Al Arabia News (2012), Saudi Arabia Declares Hajj 2012 One of the Most Succesful, Retrieved 21 April 2018, from http://www.alarabiya.net.

      [5] Ambroz M & Ovsenik R (2011), Tourist Origin and Spiritual Motives, Journal of Contemporary Management Issues 16(2), 71-86.

      [6] Delaney C (1990), The “Hajjâ€: Sacred and Secular, American Ethnologist 17(3), 513-530.

      [7] Al-Quran 2:196.

      [8] Consumer Protection Act (1999).

      [9] Tourism Industry Act (1992).

      [10] Contract Act (1950).

      [11] Nabihah Hamid (2017), Beef Up Umrah Licence Rather Than Impose Fee, The Star Online. Retrieved 23 March 2018, from http://www.thestar.com.my.

      [12] The Sun Daily (2017), Check Status of Umrah Operators Before Accepting Package: Jawhar, Retrieved 1 March 2018 from http://www.thesundaily.com.

      [13] Norni Mahadi (2017), 967 Charged over Fraud Umrah Packages, Borneo Post, Retrieved 27 February 2018 from http://www.theborneopost.com.

      [14] Nuraisyah Chua Abdullah & Zuraidah Mohd Sanusi (2014), Travel Fraud: Comparative Analysis of Regulatory Framework and Legal Redress in Selected Countries, Paper presented at the Proceeding of ICFC.

      [15] Jackowski A & Smith VL (1992), Polish Pilgrim-Tourists, Annals of Tourism Research 19, 92-106.

      [16] Jackowski A (2000), Religious Tourism: Problems with Terminology, Institute of Geography, Jagiellonian University.

      [17] Eid R (2012), Towards a High-Quality Religious Tourism Marketing: The Case of Hajj Services in Saudi Arabia, Tourism Analysis 17(4), 509-522.

      [18] Ahmed ZU (1992), Islamic Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Ka'bah in Makkah (Saudi Arabia): An Important International Tourism Activity, Journal of Tourism Studies 3(1), 35-43.

      [19] Nyaupane GP, Timothy DJ & Poudel S (2015), Understanding Tourist in Religious Destination: A Social Distance Perspective, Tourism Management 48, 343-353.

      [20] Raj R., and Morpeth N., 2007, Case Study 1: The Festival of Sacrifie and Travellers to the City of Heaven (Makkah), in R. Raj and N.D. Morpeth, Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Festivals Management: An International Perspective, pp. 127, Oxfordshire: CAB International.

      [21] Shinde K (2008), Religious Tourism: Exploring A New Form of Sacred Journey in North India, in J. Cochrane, Asian Tourism: Growth and Change 245-257, Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

      [22] Ascoura IE (2013), Impact of Pilgrimage (Hajj) on The Urban Growth of The Mecca, Journal of Educational and Social Research 3(2), 255-263.

      [23] Burns P (2007), From Hajj to Hedonism? Paradoxes of Developing Tourism in Saudi Arabia, Tourism in The Middle East: Continuity, Change and Transformation, 215-236.

      [24] Henderson JC (2011), Religious Tourism and Its Management: The Hajj in Saudi Arabia, International Journal of Tourism Research 13(6), 541-552.

      [25] Johnson DJ (2010), Tourism in Saudi Arabia, Chapter 7, in N. Scott and J. Jafari, Tourism in the Muslim World (Bridging Tourism Theory and Practice) 2, 91-106, Blingey, UK: Emerald Group Publishing, Ltd.

      [26] Al Hashedi AH, Muhammad Rafie Mohd Arshad, Hasimah Mohamed & Ahmad Suhaimi Baharudin (2013), RFID Applications in Hajj Management System, Proceeding of the 2013 IEEE International Conference on RFID Technologies and Applications.

      [27] Aziz H (2001), The Journey: An Overview of Tourism and Travel in the Arab Islamic Context, in D. Harrison, Tourism and Less Developed World: Issues and Case Studies, Wallingford: CABI.

      [28] Din A & Hadi A (1997), Muslim Pilgrimage from Malaysia, in R.H Stoddard and A. Morinis, Sacred Places, Sacred Spaces: The Geography of Pilgrimages, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University.

      [29] McDonnell MB (1990), Patterns of Muslim Pilgrimage from Malaysia, (1885-1985), in DF Eickelman & J Piscatori, Muslim Travellers: Pilgrimage, Migration, and the Religious Imagination, Berkeley: University of California Press.

      [30] Miller MB (2006), Pilgrims' Progress: The Business of The Hajj, Past & Present 191, 189-228.

      [31] Jafari J & Scott N (2014), Muslim World and Its Tourisms, Annals of Tourism Research 44(1), 1-19.

      [32] Oktora K & Achyar A (2014), The Effect of Post-Purchased Perceived-Value Towards The Relationship Quality of Hajj and Umrah Travel Agencies in Indonesia, The South East Asian Journal of Management 8(1), 29-46.

      [33] Mariani, Thohir Luth M. Hadin Muhjad & Moh Fadli (2016), The Administration of the Waiting Listed Pilgrim Candidates in A Justicial Operation System of Hajj Worship, Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization 49.

      [34] Putra A.P., 2018, Pengawasan Terhadap Penyelenggaraan Perjalanan Ibadah Umrah (Studi Terhadap Kasus PT. Firs Anugerah Karya Wisata), Jurnal Nestor Magister Hukum, 2(2).

      [35] Elistina Abu Bakar & Naemah Amin (2011), Consumer Protection in the Service Industry under The Consumer Protection Act 1999, Malaysian Consumer Law Journal.

      [36] Nasarudin Abdul Rahman, Naemah Amin & Haniff Ahamat (2014), The Interface between Competition Law and Consumer Protection: A Malaysian Perspective, Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Science 8(16), 316-323.

      [37] Rahmah Ismail et al, (2012), A Comparative Study on the Consumer Protection Legislations of Malaysia and Thailand, The Social Science 7(2), 177-188.

      [38] Naemah Amin (2002), Guarantees in a Contract of Supply of Services to Consumer, IIUM Law Journal 10,57.

      [39] Elistina Abu Bakar & Naemah Amin (2010), Consumer Protection in the Supply of Services: A Comparative Study Between the Consumer Protection Act 1999 and Islamic Law, IIUM Law Journal 18(1).

      [40] Tourism Industry (Tour Operating Business and Travel Agency Business) Regulations (1992).

      [41] Nuraisyah Chua Abdullah (2002), General Principle of Malaysian Law (with special reference to the travel and tourism industry), Pusat Penerbitan Universiti (UPENA). Shah Alam.

      [42] Suzanna Mohamed Isa, Azimon Abdul Aziz & Sakina Shaik Ahmad Yusoff (2011), Undang-undang Kontrak Malaysia: Keterbatasan Pemakaian dalam Kontrak Pengguna, Jurnal Pengurusan 32, 39-53.

      [43] Gan Joo Ee & Goh Hoon Huar (2014), Hospitality Law, Oxford Fajar Sdn Bhd, Shah Alam.

      [44] Sakina Shaik Ahmad Yusoff & Rahmah Ismail (2008), Perlindungan Pengguna Di Bawah Undang-undang: Pembekalan Barang & Perkhidmatan, Jurnal Undang-undang dan Masyarakat 12.

      [45] Naemah Amin (2007), Consumer Redress Mechanism in Malaysia: Prospects and Challenges, IIUM Law Journal 15.

      [46] Mohamad Fazli Sabri (2014), The Development of Consumer Protection Policies in Malaysia, International Journal of Business and Social Research 4(6).

      [47] Naemah Amin & Elistina Abu Bakar (2010), ADR for Consumers: An Appraisal of the Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia, in Mohd Naqib & Ashgar, Mediation in Malaysia: The Law and Practice, Lexis Nexis, Kuala Lumpur.

  • Downloads

  • How to Cite

    Farahiyah Izni W Abd Rahman, W., & Ahamat, H. (2018). Legal Protection of Muslim Tourists in Islamic Religious Tourism in Malaysia: Reality and Challenges. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7(3.30), 109-112. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i3.30.18212

    Received date: 2018-08-25

    Accepted date: 2018-08-25

    Published date: 2018-08-24