Halal Tourism Beyond Labels: A Systematic Literature Review of Sustainability and Inclusive Practices in Global Halal Tourism (2023–2026)

Abstract

Halal tourism has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of the global tourism industry, yet scholarly and policy discourse has remained disproportionately focused on certification compliance and market metrics, neglecting deeper dimensions of sustainability, social justice, and inclusivity. This systematic literature review (SLR) examines peer-reviewed scholarship on halal tourism published between 2023 and 2026 to map thematic trends, identify research gaps, and synthesize an emerging Inclusive Halal Tourism Paradigm. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol (Page et al., 2021), a structured Boolean search across Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar yielded an initial 247 records; after deduplication and multi-stage screening, 32 peer-reviewed articles were selected for systematic thematic content analysis, bibliometric profiling, and gap assessment. Five thematic clusters were identified: (1) conceptual redefinition and terminological pluralism; (2) the halal–sustainability nexus and SDG integration; (3) multi-dimensional inclusivity encompassing gender, disability, economic equity, and interfaith relations; (4) Maqasid al-Shariah as an evaluative governance framework; and (5) digital transformation and certification governance challenges. A critical finding is that destinations integrating Maqasid al-Shariah principles consistently demonstrate superior community welfare outcomes compared to market-driven halal tourism models (Nasution et al., 2026), while the literature simultaneously identifies disability-inclusive halal tourism, female solo Muslim traveler experiences, and interfaith community dynamics as severely underresearched domains. The reviewed literature collectively argues for a paradigm shift from halal tourism as label to halal tourism as a normative project of sustainability and justice; an Inclusive Halal Tourism Paradigm is accordingly proposed, operationalized through five core propositions and a prioritized research agenda, with direct implications for Indonesia's halal tourism policy and the international HaSIM Forum discourse.

Keywords: halal tourism; Muslim-friendly tourism; sustainability; inclusivity; Maqasid al-Shariah; PRISMA; systematic review; SDGs; Indonesia; Islamic tourism