Phenomenological insights into halal heritage tourism: designing a marketing model for asta tinggi royal cemetery

Abstract

This study develops a context-sensitive framework for integrating Muslim-friendly tourism principles into cultural heritage destination marketing, using Asta Tinggi Royal Cemetery in Sumenep, Indonesia, as the empirical context. The research addresses the gap between the site’s religious, historical, and cultural significance and the limited integration of these assets into destination marketing and visitor services. A qualitative phenomenological design was used to examine how tourism-related stakeholders interpret Muslim-friendly tourism and the meanings associated with pilgrimage and heritage. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and document analysis and interpreted using phenomenological concepts including noema, noesis, intentionality, and intersubjectivity. The manuscript’s findings suggest that Muslim-friendliness is understood through religious ethos, spiritual comfort, ethical transactions, and historically meaningful pilgrimage experiences. On this basis, the study proposes a four-layer conceptual framework: (1) core religious-cultural meanings, (2) value transformation through the 7P Sharia marketing mix, (3) stakeholder integration through the Pentahelix approach, and (4) intended destination outcomes. The framework connects lived meanings with operational service practices and collaborative governance, while treating branding as an outcome of credible experiences rather than a substitute for them. Practical implications include contextual heritage interpretation, transparent service information, appropriate Muslim-friendly facilities, digital storytelling, and sustained stakeholder coordination. Because the proposed framework has not yet been evaluated through longitudinal or comparative implementation, its effectiveness and wider applicability require further empirical testing.