Generation Z Muslim Travelers and Halal Tourism: Digital Nomadism, Ethical Consumption, and the Redefinition of Halal Travel

Abstract

Generation Z Muslims — born between 1997 and 2012, constituting 27.2 percent of the global Muslim population and approximately 37 million of the 145–176 million Muslim international arrivals recorded in 2023–2024 — are the most consequential force currently reshaping halal tourism's conceptual foundations, industry structures, and destination design requirements. This systematic literature review (SLR) applies PRISMA 2020 protocols to analyze 36 peer-reviewed publications and authoritative industry reports from 2023 to 2026, synthesizing scholarship across five thematic clusters: (1) the Gen Z Muslim traveler profile — the 4A framework (Affordability, Authenticity, Accessibility, Adaptability) and its theoretical extensions; (2) digital Islamic identity construction and the halal lifestyle economy — TikTok, Instagram, and the co-constitution of travel experience and religious selfhood; (3) ethical consumption and boycott tourism — geopolitical consciousness as a structural travel determinant; (4) AI-mediated halal travel planning and generational adoption asymmetries; and (5) destination design implications — from compliance infrastructure to values alignment infrastructure. A critical synthesis reveals that Gen Z Muslim travelers are performing a paradigm shift from halal tourism as service compliance — certification-based, amenity-focused, and institutionally governed — toward halal tourism as values alignment — a holistic, peer-validated assessment of whether a destination authentically embodies Islamic ethical principles across religious, environmental, and geopolitical dimensions simultaneously. The review introduces the Gen Z Halal Travel Identity Typology (Heritage Seeker, Digital Activist, Muslim Nomad, Budget Community Traveler), the concept of values alignment infrastructure as the governance model Gen Z Muslim travel demands, and a nine-item future research agenda targeting the field's most critically underresearched dimensions.

Keywords: Generation Z; halal tourism; Muslim traveler; digital nomadism; ethical consumption; boycott tourism; Islamic identity; TikTok; social media; halal lifestyle economy; AI travel planning; sustainable halal tourism; values alignment