Developing a Muslim tourism market: the perspective of travel agencies

Purpose - This study investigated how customer orientation and relationships influenced relational benefits via employees' attitudes toward travel agencies and partnership management. Design/methodology/approach - Survey questionnaires were mailed to experts of travel agencies in Taiwan. The hypothesis of this study was tested and used a research model characterized by the SEM-PLS approach. Findings - The findings of this study indicate that the travel service involves a wide range of firms, regardless of internal or external partner management, and to develop the Muslim tourism market sustainability. Research limitations/implications - From a theoretical perspective, it was found that customer orientation of travel agencies and relationship selling among travel agencies affects partnership management of travel agencies and their employees' attitudes, which were positively associated with the relational benefit of travel agencies. Practical implications - Travel agencies must maintain continuous collaborative relationships to ensure the sustainable development of the Muslim tourism market. Originality/value - This study provides a meaningful model for investigating the trend and tourism products of the Muslim tourism market regarding collaboration between travel agencies and partners.