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An Examination of the Influence of Islam On AN EXAMINATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF ISLAM ON HOSPITALITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS IN THE MEETINGS, INCENTIVES, CONVENTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS (MICE) INDUSTRY IN SOUTHERN THAILAND SONGSIN TEERAKUNPISUT DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My PhD study is a life-changing journey. Completing this commitment could not have been possible without a number of supporters. Although I am not able to address all of their names, it is my pleasure to give my gratitude to some key people who made my doctoral life so meaningful and memorable. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the mentorship and the intellectual guidance of my principal supervisor, Dr. Julie Jie Wen, who not only walked side-by-side with me through this academic endeavour, but also has been very helpful in giving ideas and comments to ensure that I have delivered good work. Together with my two respectful co-supervisors, Dr. Amie Matthews and Dr. Felicity Picken, who both provided an enormous amount of guidance and advice that was beyond the call of duty until the day of thesis submission. I definitely would not have produced this project without the support and encouragement of my three amazing supervisors. Appreciation is further given to a number of people who offered help during my field study in three provinces in Southern Thailand. They have played a special role in advising me for data collection. I am eternally indebted to all of my participants, both MICE staff and customers in three venues, who shared their personal experiences. Without their contribution to this project with invaluable time and open conversations, this dissertation would never have been accomplished. To protect the identity of individuals cited in this thesis, pseudonyms are used for the personal names of participants as well as the MICE venues. My research would have been more difficult if not for the support of the members of the School of Social Sciences and Psychology, the library of Western Sydney University and Graduate Research School. Some of their names deserve to be recorded here: Professor Kevin Dunn, Professor Kerry Robinson, Professor Adam Possamai, Professor James Arvanitakis, Associate Professor Emma Waterson and Nutan Muckle. I also owe a debt of appreciation to Vanessa Goldie-Scot, who has helped me throughout this arduous task for careful editing and insightful suggestions. I can never thank her enough for her encouragement and kind support she has given me. I am highly indebted to friends in Australia for their help throughout my period of candidature. I must not fail to record some of their names: Dr. Polladach Theerapappisit, Dr. Nantira Phookhao, Dr. Adam Salifu, Dr. Malini Balamayuran, Dr. Md Masud Parves Rana, Dr. Priyanath Udayanga, Dr. Weeraya Karnpanit, Dr. Nitinan Srisuwan, Dr. Supitcha Supansomboon, Titaree Phanwichatkul, Chatubhoom Bhoomiboonchoo and Chattaporn Harabut. I was so blessed and thankful for their love. Special appreciation also goes to my PSU colleagues: Assistant Professor Keadsiri Jaroenwisarn, Assistant Professor Jongpid Sirirat, Assistant Professor Yupawadee Somboonkul, Assistant Professor Supatra Mokhagul, Assistant Professor Bussabong Chaijaroenwatana, Dr. Sarunyoo Kanchanasuwan, Rutchdee Binmad, Nattakan Rattanapan and Dommaphat Boonchoo. Without all your encouragement, kindness and support during the course of my doctoral study, I would not have arrived at this point. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my sponsors, the Faculty of Management Sciences, Prince of Songkla University (PSU) for granting me the scholarship and study leave. I am also grateful for the School of Social Sciences and Psychology of Western Sydney University (WSU), which funded most of my fieldwork in Thailand, and provided a scholarship for my last semester. Without their contribution, I would not be here. Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my dearest family, Somsri and Pracha Teerakunpisut, with deepest appreciate for their unconditional love and kind support. Mother, I miss you and I am aware that you are continually watching me from heaven. I would also thank my brother, sister-in-law and niece, Waropast, Kittiya and Boonyanisa Teerakunpisut, who have played a vital role in supporting me. Words or actions cannot even begin to express how much I love you. STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICATION The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in full or in part, for a degree at this or any other institution. SONGSIN TEERAKUNPISUT June 2018 1 CONTENTS Contents 1 List of Tables 3 List of Figures 3 Abbreviations 4 Abstract 5 Chapter 1: Introduction 8 1.1 Research case: Introducing MICE 8 1.1.1 MICE in Thailand 9 1.1.2 MICE in Southern Thailand and the growth in the Islamic market 12 1.1.3 Existing hospitality and tourism services catering to Muslim tourists 15 1.1.4 Identifying the gaps in industry-based and academic knowledge 17 1.2 Research aim and objectives 19 1.3 Structure of the thesis 19 Chapter 2: Literature review 22 2.1 Introduction 22 2.2 Islam 22 2.3 Religious diversity in Thailand 27 2.4 Tourism, hospitality and Muslim-friendly services 31 2.5 Cultural diversity and cultural awareness in the MICE industry 37 2.6 Conclusion 41 Chapter 3: Methodology 42 3.1 Introduction 42 3.2 Methodological approach 43 3.2.1 Why interviews? 43 3.2.1.1 The merits of quantitative and qualitative questioning 44 3.2.1.2 How does the mixed methods approach compare to other tourism studies? 45 3.2.1.3 Interview design and implementation 46 3.3 Limitations of the study and/or obstacles overcome 49 3.4 Data analysis 50 3.4.1 Manifest and latent content 50 3.5 Conclusion 52 Chapter 4: Knowledge of Islam and its influence on how Muslim-friendly services are delivered and received 54 4.1 Introduction 54 4.2 Research sample 56 4.2.1 The ideal research sample 56 4.2.2 Recruitment of interviewees 57 4.2.3 Demographic profiles of interviewees 58 4.3 Awareness of Islamic beliefs and practices 65 4.3.1 Buddhist staff knowledge of Islamic belief and practices 66 4.3.2 Muslim staff knowledge of Islamic belief and practices 69 4.4 Muslim customers’ beliefs and practices 73 4.5 Evaluating Muslim-friendly service provision in MICE 78 4.5.1 What is needed? 79 4.5.2 How well is the industry meeting expectations? 86 4.6 Satisfaction level of Muslim customers regarding services provided by MICE venues 99 4.7 Conclusion 110 2 Chapter 5: Religious identity and cultural diversity of MICE staff 112 5.1 Introduction 112 5.2 What is Islam? 113 5.3 Being Buddhist 120 5.4 Being Muslim 125 5.5 Religious diversity in the workplace 130 5.6 Conclusion 141 Chapter 6: Religious identity and the MICE customer experience 143 6.1 Introduction 143 6.2 What Islam means to me: diversity in MICE customer beliefs and practices 144 6.3 Limits to religious practice in tourism 151 6.4 Making MICE Muslim-friendly 163 6.5 Conclusion 182 Chapter 7: Conclusion 184 7.1 Introduction 184 7.2 MICE staff understanding of Islam 188 7.3 Recommendations 205 7.3.1 Government agencies and MICE policy makers 205 7.3.2 Academics 206 7.3.3 MICE venues 206 7.3.4 Directions for future research 207 References 209 Appendices 228 3 LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1 Demographic profile of MICE staff in Songkhla 59 Table 4.2 Demographic profile of MICE staff in Krabi 60 Table 4.3 Demographic profile of MICE staff in Phuket 61 Table 4.4 Demographic profile of MICE customers in Songkhla 62 Table 4.5 Demographic profile of MICE customers in Krabi 63 Table 4.6 Demographic profile of MICE customers in Phuket 65 Table 4.7: MICE staff self-reported knowledge of Islam 66 Table 4.8: Staff understanding of Muslim-friendly amenities 80 Table 4.9: Staff reflections on their performance in the MICE industry 87 Table 4.10: Satisfaction level of Muslim customers regarding services provided by MICE 100 venues LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Location of Southern Thailand 13 4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations AEC ASEAN Economic Community BITEC Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre CICOT Central Islamic Council of Thailand HSC Halal Science Center, Chulalongkorn University ICD International Convention Division (within the Tourism Authority of Thailand) MICE Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions MSMS MICE Security Management System PATA Pacific Asia Travel Association PCIC Provincial Central Islamic Council OIC Organisation of Islamic Cooperation TAT Tourism Authority of Thailand TCEB Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau TICA Thailand Incentive and Convention Association TU-RAC Thammasat University Research and Consultancy Institute UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organization 5 ABSTRACT The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) sector has been recognised by the Thai government as one of the major sources of national revenue and a catalyst to a renewal of the Thai economy. In addition to the general growth that is witnessed in the Thai MICE industry, there is substantial growth within the Islamic MICE market, supported by more general increases in the number of domestic and international Muslim tourists in Thailand. However, Thailand is officially a Buddhist country and Thai identity is based on the main religion of the nation. That said, Muslims are regarded as a significant and growing ethnic group, especially in Southern Thailand. More than 80% of Muslim Thais live in the south of the country, and approximately one-third of Thai southerners are Muslims. Given the MICE industry in the south of the country has been developed in order to increase tourist demand, both domestic and foreign, and part of this demand comes from Muslim travellers, it is notable that there is still a great lack of understanding about Islamic practices in the industry.
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