*Article* **Visitors' Perceptions towards Traditional and Regional Products in Trabzon (Turkey) and Podhale (Poland)**

#### **Maria Hełdak 1,\*, Sultan Sevinç Kurt Konako ˘glu 2, Izabela Kurtyka-Marcak 3, Beata Raszka 1 and Banu Çiçek Kurdo ˘glu 4**

Received: 11 February 2020; Accepted: 16 March 2020; Published: 18 March 2020

**Abstract:** Gastronomy tourism is defined as a type of tourism that deals with the relationship between food and beverages and culture in the context of the local culinary culture. Local dishes, recipes, and culinary culture, which express the lifestyle of cities, are an important part of tourists' choice of destinations. According to many studies undertaken in recent years, tourists have seen an increase in the number of trips conducted to taste a cultural dish and to learn cooking techniques and cooking skills. In this study, the Trabzon (Turkey) and Podhale (Poland) regions were selected as a study area. These regions are characterised by unique, very interesting culture and art and, especially, folklore. The cuisines from Podhale and from the Trabzon region are equally attractive. The study was conducted on 151 people in Trabzon and 102 respondents in the Podhale region. The study revealed that only 15 out of 253 respondents had not heard about regional and traditional products. The authors analyzed whether people from different age groups had specific habits concerning the place of purchasing regional products in the analysed regions of Poland and Turkey. Regarding the question of whether the motivation to buy regional products was the same in households with a larger and smaller number of residents, it was found that only one correlation proved to be statistically significant: the correlation between household size and buying regional products because of their price.

**Keywords:** traditional and regional products; gastronomy tourism; regional cuisine; Trabzon; Podhale region

#### **1. Introduction**

Throughout history, people have traveled to areas outside of their own for various reasons. These trips, which were made only by rich and idle people in the past, are made by people everywhere depending on the development of industry and technology, the increase of the income per capita, the increase of the level of prosperity, the increase of free time, and cheaper transportation [1].

According to the European Commission [2], there is increasing interest in local cultures and urban tourism because of the increase in the level of education of the people, the increase of their incomes, the attraction of different tastes, the recognition of different cultures and shopping, and the serious attraction of sun, sea and sand tourism.

The food culture of a region consists of food and beverage types and habits belonging to the region [3]. Food has historically been considered a key attraction for tourists, with many destinations attempting to provide tourists with culinary experiences [4]. According to Capaldi [5], eating is one of the most fundamental human activities; therefore, research on food has globally increased in many disciplines and is recognized as an important tourism attraction [6–8].

Food culture and tourism have a very close relationship [9,10]. Several authors have investigated the relationship between gastronomy and tourism as follows: Henderson [9] presented three research lines around the relationship between tourism and gastronomy; as food tourism products, food tourism as a tourist destination, and the marketing of food and general development tools. Besides this work, Cheng and Huang [11] point to a narrow relationship between gastronomy and tourism, with four different lines. First, gastronomy is part of the local culture; second, gastronomy plays a role for tourists; third, food is considered a tourist product; and fourth, gastronomy is a tourism experience. Finally, Björk and Kauppinen-Räisänen [12] investigated gastronomy and current trends in the relationship between tourism and suggested two different lines. First, gastronomy tourism has emerged as a lure because travelers are attracted to new food-based feelings and experiences with the new [13]. The visits are carried out to identify the location of a food culture, providing an economic contribution to the region.

The aim of this study is to assess the perception of regional cuisine products as well as the preferences and motivations of their purchase by tourists who visit selected destinations in Poland and Turkey. The authors analyzed the perception of traditional and regional products that have the relevant certificates. Each of the analyzed countries has different legal regulations that govern the granting of regional product certificates for specific groups of products.

#### **2. Literature Review**

Since tourism is a rapidly growing and developing industry, it is difficult to define the concept of tourism in a simple way. Stephan, Smith and Xiao [14] describe tourism as an experience that teaches local resource values and boosts their consumption. When tourism is considered in this respect, local dishes constitute an important part of recognizing the culture of the destination. According to Hjagaler and Richards [15], local food is an important part of tourism, providing both a cultural and fun experience. Visitors tend to prefer traditional local products, increasing the value of the destination [16]. For some tourists, trying or buying local products is the main purpose of tourism activities.

Gastronomy is a concept that examines the tastes and structures of foods and beverages in local culinary culture and the relationship between tableware and culture. Gastronomy was popular in the 1800s and has been used to signify "good eating and drinking" [17]. The concept of gastronomy is associated with art, cuisine, food and culture [18]. Different names such as "gastro-tourism""" "food tourism," "gourmet tourism," "culinary tourism," and "gastronomy tourism" are used in the literature to describe food and beverage-based tourism activities [12,19].

Wolf [20] defines gastronomy tourism as travel which searchs for prepared food and beverages and memorable gastronomic experiences. However, all visits to a restaurant should not be considered to be gastronomy tourism, but are shaped by tourists' interest in traditional local products. Gastronomy tourism is carried out at food festivals and restaurants, to taste the dishes of a particular chef and to buy traditional local products [21]. The creation of cultural theme trails, including culinary trails, is considered an important factor of regional development [22].

Local cuisine attractiveness significantly contributes to tourists' perceptions of a destination's attractiveness [23]. Gastronomy tourism can be narrowly defined as tourists visiting food producers, restaurants, food-related festivals, and other places where special foods and their ingredients are produced, sometimes by professional chefs. Gastronomy tourism describes trips aimed at tasting unique food, and it is also referred to as food tourism or kitchen tourism [24]. This type of tourism offers tourists the opportunity to experience cultural and local tastes and smells which will remain

with them forever [25]. Çalı¸skan [25] stated that gastronomic tourism is an important tool for reflecting the cultural identity and heritage of the region.

The analyzed regions are subject to different legal regulations concerning the certification of regional products. In Poland, which is a Member State of the European Union, the Quality Policy is realized by means of granting certification signs to those agricultural and food products that originate from specific regions and are manufactured with the use of traditional methods. The system of protecting and manufacturing regional and traditional products is an important factor that influences the sustainable development of rural areas. As a result, the objectives of the First Pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy are realised by the system of protection and promotion of regional and traditional products. This policy contributes to the protection (and sometimes creation) of new jobs and improves the protection of cultural heritage. In Turkey, due to the European Union, regulatory compliance with the Decree Law Regulation no. 555 on the Protection of Geographical Indications has been protected legally since 1995. According to Article 1 of this Decree, the law covers all the definitions and conditions relevant to the Geographical Indications protection of all natural, agricultural, mining, arts, crafts, and industrial products that comply with the definitions. The Turkish Patent Institute is the authorized organ for the registration of geographical indications. In Geographical Indications registration, the aim is to protect the quality of the product in question, to ensure standardized production and to enable the producers in the region to benefit from registration [26,27]. Many countries around the world, especially European countries, protect their local products with a geographical indication.

Turkey is also one of the countries with local products that are legally protected under the geographical indication. According to European Union regulations in Turkey, there are many traditional food products which must be registered for geographical indication [28–30]. The number of studies related to gastronomy tourism in the world and Turkey has been increasing in recent years. Çalı¸skan [25], Cheng and Huang [11], Sengel et al. [31], Pérez Gálvez et al. [21], and Ba¸saran [32] conducted a literature review and questionnaire in their studies.

Turkish cuisine consists of soups, vegetable dishes, meat dishes, olive oil labor, pastry products, dried legume dishes, salads, and sweets [32]. Trabzon cuisine is a typical Anatolian cuisine, which consists mainly of animal products such as meat, milk, yogurt, cereals, vegetables and herbs. The cuisine of the Trabzon region consists of black bean soup, kuymak, slippery, pickled roast, Tonya butter, Kulek cheese, Vakfıkebir bread, Surmene pita bread, Akcaabat meatball, anchovy, rice with anchovy, and Hamsiköy rice pudding.

In line with the literature review, the following hypothesis is examined: traditional and regional products are an important factor for tourists when choosing a city to visit. Local food holds great potential to enhance sustainability in tourism, contribute to the authenticity of the destination, strengthen the local economy, and provide an environmentally friendly infrastructure [33].

#### **3. Materials and Methods**

The aim of the presented research was to recognize the preferences of tourists who visit the Podhale (Poland) and Trabzon (Turkey) regions with respect to purchasing traditional and regional products. These categories include all products that possess the relevant certificates (product description has been presented above). Pursuant to the established research objective, a literature review was conducted and a survey was carried out on 253 tourists, including 151 people in the Trabzon region and 102 in Podhale.

The following research hypotheses were formulated:

H1: The motivations of tourists to purchase regional products are similar in both analyzed regions in Poland and Turkey.

H2: The price and lack of access to regional products is the main barrier preventing tourists from purchasing them, regardless of the analyzed region, both in Poland and Turkey.

The research was divided into the following stages:

• Review of subject literature and setting the research objective;

	- Paying attention to the marketing of regional products vs. the age of respondents;
	- Distinguishing regional products vs. the gender of respondents;
	- Place of purchasing regional products in the analyzed regions of Poland and Turkey vs. the age of respondents;
	- Motivation for purchasing regional products vs. place of residence of respondents;
	- Motivation for purchasing regional products vs. the number of persons in the household.

The respondents for the survey were selected by targeted random sampling. The main criterion was the place of residence of the respondents outside the analyzed region (to select persons who visited Podhale and Trabzon as tourists). Source materials were collected based on a survey carried out in the form of a questionnaire [34,35]. The survey was conducted on randomly selected persons from outside the region, collecting a total of 253 respondents in various age groups. The authors did not specify any guidelines concerning the number of respondents of the given gender, age or place of residence. The number of respondents was important.

The respondents were asked to answer questions concerning their knowledge of the term "regional products" and "traditional products" and the way of distinguishing regional products from other products. They were also asked to give the names of the products that they purchased most often. Apart from the type of most frequently purchased products, the survey contained lists of possible answers (multiple choice questions). Thirteen such questions were asked altogether. This type of questioning is easier to use both for the respondent and the interviewer. Moreover, such questions eliminate the respondent's inability to express their opinion. They facilitate the classification, encoding, reduction, and analysis of data. The survey also analyzed how often tourists purchase regional products, the reasons for this purchase and whether they encounter any obstacles in purchasing such products. Here, the optional answers were also specified. Potential obstacles in purchasing products included price, quality, lack of information, taste, difficult access, smell, lack of knowledge or other factors specified by the respondent. One of the questions concerned the places where respondents most often purchased traditional products. The options included restaurants, supermarkets, stalls, local shops, regional markets, and other. Obviously, the survey also contained control questions concerning the age and gender of the respondents, their education, type of place of residence, and the number of persons in their households.

The authors decided to omit the question about the income of the household, as respondents are usually reluctant to answer this and so such questions discourage co-operation.

The authors previously conducted studies on the willingness to purchase organic products [36].

The study revealed that only 15 out of 253 respondents had not heard about regional and traditional products. A majority of those to whom this term was unknown came from the Podhale region in Poland (and one respondent from Trabzon).

The study was conducted on 151 tourists in Trabzon and 102 respondents in Zakopane: in Turkey, 51.0% of the respondents were female and 49.0% were male, while in Poland, 73.5% were female and 6.5% male. The age structure of respondents in the surveyed regions, place of residence and number of persons in a household are shown in Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure 3.

**Figure 1.** Age of respondents by regions: Trabzon (Turkey) and Podhale (Poland).

**Figure 2.** The place of residence of respondents in Podhale and Trabzon regions.

**Figure 3.** Number of persons in a household of respondents in Podhale and Trabzon regions.

The group of respondents was a certain limitation, as younger tourists were generally more willing to answer the questions than elderly ones.

Most tourists and residents associate the region with traditional cuisine; however, do all of them perceive it in the same way? In order to clarify several doubts, the following research questions were posed:

In order to provide answers to the above research questions, statistical analyses were conducted with use of the IBM SPSS Statistics package, version 16. It was used to perform a series of correlation analyses with the Pearson Chi2 test. The adopted level of significance was the classical threshold α = 0.05, although the probability results of the test ranging from 0.05 < α < 0.1 were interpreted as significant on the level of statistical tendency.

The Trabzon and Podhale regions, which have a natural urban texture and a local food culture, were chosen as the study area (Figure 4). The Trabzon region (390 07 43,8 ' and 400 30 15,5 ' East Longitude, 400 31 31,3 ' and 410 06 27,5 ' North Latitude) is located in the north of the Black Sea coast of Turkey and has an area of 4628 km2. Neighboring provinces of Trabzon are Karadeniz (North), Gümü¸shane and Bayburt (South), Rize (East), and Giresun (West). The region has rich natural and cultural beauties, culinary culture and rich tourism potential: culture tourism, urban tourism, health tourism, congress tourism, sports tourism, caravan tourism, youth tourism, and sea tourism are undertaken in the region.

Podhale is a cultural region in southern Poland, at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, in the catchment of upper Dunajec River. It occupies the central part of the Podhale Basin and its southern part enters the Tatra. The borders of the region are quite clear: it is limited by the Gorce Mountains to the north, the Tatra to the south, the Białka River to the east and the European Watershed (dividing the basins of rivers that flow to the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea) to the west.

**Figure 4.** General location of the Podhale and Trabzon regions.

In the scope of the study, literature on gastronomy tourism was searched for, and local and foreign articles, theses, and internet sites were examined [12,15–21,24,25,37]. A questionnaire was conducted with 253 local people, comprising 102 people living in the Podhale region and 151 people living in the Trabzon region for data collection; 15 questions were asked to the local people with their demographic characteristics. The first nine questions of the questionnaire were prepared in order to determine whether traditional and regional products are preferred in Trabzon and Podhale regions, how often they are used and the potential of gastronomy tourism. A statistical program (SPSS 16.0) was used in the evaluation of the questionnaire results.

#### **4. Results and Discussion**

#### *4.1. Regional and Traditional Products in the Analysed Regions of Podhale and Trabzon*

Traditional Podhale cuisine emerged as a result of difficult natural conditions. Oats, potatoes, cabbage, and spring barley were grown in the mountainous areas, and sheep were grazing on the mountain pastures. Including a product in the list of regional products in Poland assures the consumers that they are purchasing a high-quality product manufactured in the traditional way. The table below (Table 1) presents a list of regional products that were granted the relevant certificates in the Podhale region, divided into categories.

The description of traditional and regional products from the Podhale region constitutes Supplementary Materials to the paper. The descriptions of products were based on information published on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development—a website of the Polish government [37].

Oscypek was the answer that nearly all of the 102 participants gave to the question, "What is the first traditional regional product that comes to your mind when you say in Podhale?" Based on the conducted survey, it was determined that only one tourist in the Podhale region had not heard about regional products. In the Trabzon region, no such persons were found.

These results are confirmed by research conducted in [38]. The Podhale region is mainly associated with cheese—oscypek (smoked sheep milk hard cheese), bundz (sheep milk cheese), and kwa´snica (sauerkraut soup). The results of those tests on the types of products in regional cuisine demonstrate that about 57% of the respondents named at least one dish of that cuisine, including 37% choosing oscypek as a characteristic product, and only individual persons chose roasted mutton, bryndza (sheep milk cheese), and hałuski (thick noodles or dumplings).

**Table 1.** The list of regional products in the Podhale region divided into categories.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development—a website of the Polish government [37].

The popularity of culinary tourism among tourists in Poland was determined in the research carried out in 2013. As many as 85% of active tourists declared that they are interested in tasting the regional cuisine's dishes [39].

Geographical indication-registered regional cuisine has become quite popular in Turkey in recent times. The city of Trabzon also has a registered regional cuisine due to its rich culinary culture. The Trabzon region has rich culinary culture due to its rooted culture level, its historical life, and its rich vegetation cover.

The reason for this diversity has been the influence of different cultures throughout history. Although the dishes that are unique to the region are not known in other regions, the taste, structure and names are different [40–42] (Table 2).

**Table 2.** The list of regional products in the Trabzon region divided into categories.

Source: Trabzon Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism—a website of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism [43].

The traditional and regional products that are certified by the European Union in the Trabzon region are Hamsikoy rice pudding, Tonya butter, Kulek cheese, Akcaabat meatballs, Vakfıkebir bread and Surmene pita bread. Other traditional and regional products of Trabzon region are black bean soup, kuymak, anchovy, rice with anchovy, pickled roast, and slippy. These traditional and regional products do not have a certificate determined by the European Union.

The Trabzon region presents the opportunity to taste local delicacies in many different venues throughout the city. The most preferred local food places by locals and tourists are Ayasofya, Cephanelik, Ye¸sil Vadi, and Sera Lake [43]. The description of traditional and regional products from the Trabzon region constitutes Supplementary Materials to the paper.

According to Guerrero et al. [44], a traditional food may be classified as "a product ... made accurately in a specific way according to the gastronomic heritage, ... and known because of its sensory proprieties and associated with a certain local area, region or country." These goods generally possess positive images due to their superior taste, nostalgia and/or ethnocentrism [45,46]. The studies were compared according to the classification of traditional and local products in both regions (Table 3).

On the other hand, for the question "What is the first traditional regional product that comes to mind when you say Trabzon?," of the 151 participants, 22.6% gave the answer "Tonya butter," 14.6% "Vakfıkebir bread," 12.0% "Kulek cheese," 10.66% "Akçaabat meatballs," 9.33% "Kuymak," 8.0% "Black bean soup," 7.33% "anchovy," 6.66% "hazelnut," 4.0% "cornflour," 2.66% "Hamsikoy rice pudding," and 2.16% answered "tea."

**Table 3.** Comparison of traditional and regional products in both regions.

Source: own elaboration.

#### *4.2. Main Results of the Survey*

In Trabzon, the largest number of participants—i.e., 48.7%—answered the question, "How can you distinguish traditional and regional products from others?" with "Own knowledge," followed by 16.7% who answered with "Advertisement," 14.0% in third place answered "Special designation," then 11.0% "Label," 9.0% "Separate stand," and finally 0.7% gave the answer "Other (packing)." In Zakopane, most of the respondents pointed to "Special designation" (58.8%) and "Label" (51%). '

"Separate stand" and "Own knowledge" also received over 40% of the answers (47% and 42%, respectively). Labeling is a powerful quality signal and a direct aid to consumers in making purchase decisions because it can convey important information on the search, experience and credence attributes of the products [47,48]. The production costs of eco-labelled products are higher than those of conventional ones because eco-labelled products require careful management from the raw materials and subsidiary materials to the packaging (the product is manufactured using an eco-friendly process and production method) [36].

This demonstrates that, in Poland, respondents rely on designation and labelling, while in Turkey, they use mainly their own knowledge. Both in Trabzon and in Zakopane, a vast majority of respondents buy regional products (93.4% in Trabzon and 86.3% in Zakopane).

The survey also analysed the frequency of purchasing traditional and regional foods. It was found that, in Trabzon, 37.1% of the total number of 151 participants gave the answer "Once a month," 33.8% "Once a week," 20.5% "Once every six months," 5.3% "I don't buy" and 3.3% answered "Every day" (Figure 5).

In Podhale, 30% of the total number of 102 participants chose the answer "Once a month," 28% "Once a week," 17% "Once every six months," 17% "Rarely," and 6% "Every day."

A question about the obstacles to buying this kind of products was also included in the survey: "What prevents you from buying traditional and regional products?." The answers revealed that, out of the total number of 151 participants in Trabzon, 28.6% gave the answer "Price," 24.5% "Difficult access," 11.6% "Lack of information about product," 10.2% "Quality," 9.5% "Taste," 4.1% "Smell" and 2.7% "Other (distrust, no need)." In Zakopane, 64.7% gave the answer "Difficult access," and 60.8% "Price." These were the most frequently named obstacles.

The research provided an answer to the question: "What are your reasons for buying traditional and regional products?." Both in Trabzon and in Podhale, the most frequent answer was "Taste" (47% of respondents in Turkey and as many as 72.5% in Poland), followed by 29.8% of respondents answering "Quality," at 17.9% (Trabzon) and 63.7% (Podhale). The price did not play a significant role either in Trabzon or in Zakopane.

**Figure 5.** Frequency of buying traditional and regional products in in Podhale and Trabzon regions.

The products most often purchased in Trabzon (question: "What are the traditional products you buy the most?") included "Tonya butter" (27.6% respondents). In total, 23.6% of respondents answered "Kulek cheese," 9.8% "Vakfıkebir bread," 7.89% "Cornflour," 5.92% "Akçaabat meatballs," 5.26% "Hazelnut," 3.94% "Black bean soup," 3.28% "Hamsikoy rice pudding," 2.63% "anchovy" and "milk," 2.2% "Kuymak," 1.97% "yoghurt" and "tea," 1.31% "Surmena pita bread." In the Podhale region, the most popular product is definitely Oscypek.

As for the next question, "Where do you buy traditional local products?," in first place, 62.0% of the participants answered "Local shops," followed by 19.3% in second place with "Markets," 12.0% in third place with "Other (village, manufacturer, relative)," then 4.0% "Restaurant," 2.0% "Regional fairground" and finally 0.7% gave the answer "Stand." In Zakopane, such products are mainly purchased from street market stands.

#### *4.3. The Correlation between Gender and the Way of Distinguishing Regional Products*

During the study, the authors verified whether people from different age groups paid attention to different designations of regional products. For this purpose, Pearson Chi2 analysis was conducted, calculating the Cramer's *V* measure that allowed us to determine the strength of associations. Additionally, Fisher's adjustment was used in the analyses, where an expected value lower than 5 was noted (Table 4).

It was determined that age was not linked in any way to the manner of distinguishing regional products. The correlations between variables proved statistically insignificant. Regardless of their age, respondents pointed to similar factors that enabled them to distinguish regional and traditional products.

Then, the correlation between gender and the way of distinguishing regional products was verified. A series of Pearson's Chi2 tests were used for calculations, so that the correlation between gender and each way of distinguishing regional products discussed here was analysed. As the size of tables was 2 x 2, an adjustment for continuity was used, and the Phi measure was calculated (Table 5).

The only correlation that reached the level of a statistical trend, although its strength was low, was the link between gender and distinguishing regional products based on "own knowledge." The other correlations were statistically insignificant. The authors decided to prepare a frequency distribution

for the correlations between the variables of gender and distinguishing regional products based on "own knowledge" (Table 6).

**Table 4.** The correlation between gender and the way of distinguishing regional products.

\* Analyses performed with Fisher's adjustment.

#### **Table 5.** The correlation between gender and the way of distinguishing regional products.

**Table 6.** Correlation between gender and distinguishing regional products based on own knowledge.

Source: own elaboration.

The data presented above demonstrated that both men and women significantly more often do not decide to distinguish regional products based on "own knowledge." However, as far as women were concerned, the differences between declarations about not distinguishing regional products based on own knowledge and actually not doing so was smaller than in men. This means that men rely on their own knowledge when choosing regional products less often than women.

#### *4.4. The Link between Age and Place of Residence with the Habits related to the Place of Purchasing Regional Products*

The next stage involved conducting several Pearson's Chi2 analyses again. This enabled us to verify whether there was a difference in the habits concerning the place of purchasing regional products depending on the age of the respondents. Additionally, the Cramer's *V* measure was used to interpret the strength of this effect. The results are presented in Table 7.

**Table 7.** The link between age and place of residence with the habits related to the place of purchasing regional products.

\* Analyses performed with Fisher's adjustment. Source: own elaboration.

The correlation between buying regional and traditional products in regional markets and age was on the level of a statistical trend. Cramer's *V* measure demonstrated the existence of a correlation that corresponded to a small effect. In order to prepare more detailed characteristics of the correlation between variables, the frequency analysis presented in Table 9 was conducted. The other correlations proved to be statistically insignificant (Table 8).

**Table 8.** The correlation between age and buying traditional and regional products in regional fairgrounds.

Source: own elaboration.

Respondents aged 16–25 declared that they bought traditional and regional products in regional fairgrounds much less often that the other respondents. Most of the participants in this age group responded that they did not purchase regional products in these markets.

In the other age groups, a little more than 50% of the respondents chose the answer that they bought traditional and regional products in regional markets.

Pearson's Chi2 analyses were also performed in order to verify the correlation between the place of residence and the motivation to buy regional products. Due to the size of the table, continuity adjustment was applied to all the analyses, and the effect size was calculated based on Phi (Table 9).

**Table 9.** The correlation between the place of residence and the motivation to buy regional products.

Source: own elaboration.

Once again, nearly all correlations turned out to be statistically insignificant. The only exception was the correlation between the place of residence and buying regional products because of their price. This correlation was statistically significant. Both respondents who lived in cities and country dwellers usually declared that they did not buy regional products because of their price.

#### *4.5. The Correlation between the Household Size and the Motivation to Buy Regional Products*

At the next stage of research, the authors decided to check whether there was any correlation between the size of the household and the motivation to purchase regional products. The correlations were verified with Pearson's Chi2 test, and their size was determined based on the sCramer's *V* measure. The results are presented in Table 10.

**Table 10.** The correlation between the household size and the motivation to buy regional products.

\* Analyses performed with Fisher's adjustment Source: own elaborator.

Here, again, only one correlation proved to be statistically significant: the correlation between the household size and buying regional products because of their price. As in the previous examples, the effect of the correlation between variables was small. None of the respondents who lived in households composed of 1–2 persons declared that they bought regional products because of their price. Most of the participants from other groups also declared that they did not purchase these products because of their price. The only exceptions included one person from a household with 3–4 members and two respondents from households larger than five persons.

In spite of the small differences between groups from medium and large households in the frequency distribution, the percentage of respondents from large households who were willing to admit that they purchased regional products because of their price was decidedly higher than in other groups.

#### **5. Discussion**

In this study, the potential of gastronomy tourism was evaluated with respect to the certificate issued by the European Union for the traditional and regional products in Trabzon and Podhale regions.

In general, the first traditional and regional product that comes to mind when it comes to Trabzon is "Tonya butter." This answer is followed by "Vakfıkebir bread," "Kulek cheese," "Akçaabat meatballs," and "Kuymak." Other than the traditional regional product "Kuymak," no other products are certified by the European Union. It is thought that the obtained results will contribute to the gastronomic tourism of Trabzon. The research demonstrated that people of the same age pay attention to similar markings of regional products in the analyzed regions of Poland and Turkey. Certain correlations between gender and the way of distinguishing regional products were found. As far as women were concerned, the difference between declarations about not distinguishing regional products based on "own knowledge" and not doing so was smaller than in men. This means that men rely on their own knowledge when choosing regional products less often than women.

The authors analyzed whether people from different age groups had specific habits concerning the place of purchasing regional products in the analyzed regions of Poland and Turkey. It was determined that it was so. The study revealed that respondents aged 16–25 declared that they bought traditional and regional products in regional fairgrounds much less often than the other respondents. Most of the participants in this age group responded that they did not purchase regional products in these markets. This means that offering regional products to young people should use different channels. Unfortunately, it was quite difficult to determine statistically significant motivations to buy regional products in terms of the place of residence of the respondents. Both respondents who lived in cities and country dwellers usually declared that they did not buy regional products because of their price. Only three city inhabitants mentioned price as their motivation to buy such products.

Is the motivation to buy regional products the same in households with a larger and smaller number of residents? It was found that only one correlation proved to be statistically significant: the correlation between the household size and buying regional products because of their price.

As far as regional products are concerned, Podhale is identified with oscypek and bundz (sheep milk cheeses).

The research confirmed hypothesis 1: i.e., that the motivations of tourists to purchase regional products are similar in both analyzed regions in Poland and Turkey. The research results demonstrate that the most frequent motivation for purchasing the analyzed products was taste (46% of the answers in Trabzon and as many as 72% in Poland), followed by quality, in both analysed regions of Turkey and Poland.

In the opinion of the respondents, the price of the product is a significant barrier in purchasing regional products, because it was listed first or second by respondents both in the Trabzon and Podhale regions. In Trabzon, it was the most often selected answer, while difficult access ranked second. In Podhale, the results were similar, although difficult access was first, followed by price. The majority of answers listed price and difficult access as barriers in purchasing regional products, which confirms hypothesis 2, i.e., that the price and lack of access to regional products are the main barriers preventing tourists from purchasing them, regardless of the analyzed region, both in Poland and Turkey.

#### **6. Conclusions**

Preserving local flavors and transferring them to future generations is one of the greatest influences of gastronomic tourism. Gastronomy tourism helps sustainable tourism concepts, preservation and the development of local products.

It has been determined that urban geography, climate, natural charm, and richness are directly reflected in local cuisine. In order to preserve gastronomic values, first, an inventory of Trabzon regional dishes should be prepared, and prescriptions should be prepared and included in the menus of local restaurants and hospitality establishments, thus contributing to the economy of regional cuisine and the transfer to future generations. In this context, the sustainability of these values will be achieved by transferring cultural and natural values to future generations. This will also contribute to the development of the local economy and enhance the attractiveness of the region with the introduction of cultural tastes.

The conducted research confirmed research hypotheses H1, which concerned barriers to purchasing regional products in which the respondents considered to be price and difficult access, and H2 concerned the motivations for purchase, which were taste and quality. The analysis revealed various aspects of the functioning of regional products in trade and identified the barriers, motivations and places of purchasing such products. The results constitute the basis for conclusions and recommendations for local authorities and bodies that are responsible for agricultural policy and the protection of cultural heritage in the analyzed countries. The main conclusions from the conducted research are as follows:

#### **Supplementary Materials:** Supplementary Materials are available online at http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/ 6/2362/s1.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, M.H. and S.S.K.K.; methodology, M.H and S.S.K.K.; software,; validation, M.H., I.K.-M., B.R. and B.C.K.; formal analysis, S.S.K.K. and M.H., I.K-M.; investigation, B.C.K., B.R.; resources, S.S.K.K. and M.H.; data curation, S.S.K.K.; M.H.; writing—original draft preparation, S.S.K.K. and M.H.; writing—review and editing, S.S.K.K., M.H., I.K.-M., B.C.K. and B.R.; visualization, S.S.K.K.; I.K.-M; supervision, B.C.K., B.R., M.H.; funding acquisition, M.H and B.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** The research is financed/co-financed under the Leading Research Groups support project from the subsidy increased for the period 2020–2025 in the amount of 2% of the subsidy referred to Art. 387 (3) of the Law of 20 July 2018 on Higher Education and Science, obtained in 2019.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.

#### **References**

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

## *Article* **Islamic Finance and Halal Tourism: An Unexplored Bridge for Smart Specialization**

#### **Juan Carlos Martín 1,\*, Carmen Orden-Cruz 2 and Slimane Zergane 1**

Received: 18 June 2020; Accepted: 13 July 2020; Published: 16 July 2020

**Abstract:** Since the 1960s, Halal industry and Islamic Finance have grown in parallel without implementing adequate synergies. Halal tourism is a fast-growing sector of Halal industry, and the connection with Islamic Finance has hardly been researched. The aim of this paper is to analyse whether Islamic Finance can play an active role in developing Halal Tourism. This topic has not been empirically researched in the literature. The methodology is based on a fuzzy hybrid multi-criteria method that satisfactorily handles the imprecise nature associated with the information provided by Likert scales. Our results show how culture has a direct moderating effect on the degree of agreement that respondents have over the active role that IF can play, finding that English respondents agree more than Spanish and Arabs respondents. Similarly, our results also show that the knowledge of the Halal concept makes respondents agree more with the active role of Islamic finance. This study provides insights to the main stakeholders, and it can be strategically used to foster adequate synergy between Islamic Finance and the development of Halal tourist products as a way to specialize in a more sustainable tourism.

**Keywords:** Islamic finance; halal tourism; fuzzy numbers; TOPSIS; cultural mediating effects; halal industry; smart specialization

#### **1. Introduction**

Some regions of the European Union, especially Spain, Portugal and Italy, are endowed with heritage jewels of Arab origin. The presence of Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula for almost eight centuries has left an extraordinary heritage legacy with remarkable hallmarks, such as the Mosque–Cathedral in Córdoba; the Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín in Granada; and the Cathedral and the Alcázar in Seville. All of them have been declared World Heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). With such remarkable endogenous resources given by the Arab historical footprint, it is still unclear why Spain has not envisaged a more dedicated policy towards developing smart specialization for Halal or Muslim-friendly tourism. We analyse in the paper the role that Islamic Finance can play in such a specialization.

The 2019 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) compiled by Mastercard-CrescentRating [1], which is nowadays one of the entities with more of a reputation for Muslim-friendly halal tourism, positions Spain in the ninth place, jointly with France and Philippines, in the classification of the countries that do not belong to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)—non-OIC countries. The Spanish position is much lower than that of other countries such as Singapore, Thailand, the UK, Japan and Taiwan, which are characterized by having fewer Arab cultural endowments. Cuesta-Valiño et al. [2] advise that official entities could first invest in the development of Muslim-friendly smart applications as a way to attract the Muslim market segment. Thus, other stakeholders of the tourism industry, such as the food, culture, lodging and leisure industries, could see the hidden potential and react by providing Halal tourism products. In this sense, we would like to highlight that the role of Islamic Finances is still under-researched.

The Halal industry and Islamic Finance (IF) have developed in parallel, especially since the 1960s and the 1970s, respectively. The Halal industry moves about 2.2 trillion dollars of a wide range of economic activities, such as: food, fashion, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, travel, and media and recreation [3]. Halal tourism (HT) is one of the fastest-growing sectors, as reflected by the forecast of Mastercard-CrescentRating [1], which predicts that Muslims will spend about 300 billion dollars by 2026. At the same time, the Islamic Financial Services Board [4] has estimated IF assets to be around 2.19 trillion dollars, representing less than 1% of financial assets worldwide.

The previous figures reflect the increasing demand for Islamic products and services. The main drivers of the potential of these markets are: (1) large, young and fast-growing global Muslim demographics; (2) the importance and growth of global Islamic economies; (3) the significance of the Islamic ethos/values that increasingly drive lifestyle and business practices; (4) the role of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) economies as a reference; (5) the participation of global multinationals in the growing Islamic/Halal market development; and (6) the globalization of the economy and technology.

In spite of the importance of the two sectors, there is a low connection between them. According to some professionals in the sector, only 5% of the Halal industry players use IF [5,6]. Rasheed (1 October 2019) [7], Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia, points out that only 11.34% of Halal businesses are bank-financed in the form of Islamic solutions. In addition, DinarStandard [3] warns about the risk of unfulfilled potential due to the lack of collaboration between the IF and Halal industries. However, this report shows how more OIC governments are realizing the importance of IF to support the Islamic economy and broader GDP growth. For example, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Morocco are developing national strategies for using IF as a tool to support national developments.

These figures reveal that there is still a huge margin for growth in the near future in multiple sectors and regions. In this regard, the authorities of Malaysia, the government and the central bank, have implemented a series of grants to boost IF in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) [8]. Malaysia can be considered the country of reference for the support the authorities have made since the inception of the Halal industry [9]. To our knowledge, there are no figures about how much IF is used in HT, and the literature about the positive relationship that exists between IF and HT is very nascent [10,11]. There is no research that measures different stakeholders' opinions on the relationship of IF to other Halal products and services [12].

As the relationship between IF and HT is still under researched, this paper provides more empirical evidence of whether the agreement degree on the active role of IF in the development of HT is affected by multicultural traits and the knowledge of Halal products. The first International Halal Congress, held in Cordoba in 2015, allowed researchers to develop a first exploration pre-test to obtain a sample of 80 professionals, academics and authorities, all well connected to the Halal industry.

Along the course of the paper, we refer to the active role of IF in the development of HT as a better integration between the two sectors, or as a way to exploit their synergies. Therefore, three basic elements are explored in the study: (1) we compute a synthetic indicator of the degree of agreement regarding the role of the IF on the Spanish Halal Tourism development, analyzing a construct scale that measures the potential active role that IF can have on the development of HT; (2) we analyze whether multicultural traits and Halal knowledge have a mediating effect on the obtained agreement degree indicator; and (3) we obtain the critical assessment attributes (CAAs) that need to be reinforced in order to achieve a better integration between the two sectors.

Accordingly, a fuzzy-hybrid method is proposed to calculate the synthetic level of agreement on the role that IF could exert on the development of HT in Spain as a way to contribute to the smarter specialization of some regions, in order to be a more sustainable and Muslim-friendly destination. The index is based on a method that applies jointly the fuzzy set theory (FST) with the technique for

order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Thus, the synthetic indicator will be used to analyze the degree of agreement of a set of segments which is based in some chosen segmentation variables. The method is applied to a scale of five attributes that contains information about the potential synergies between the IF system and HT.

The study provides insights to the main stakeholders, in order for them to develop adequate synergies that could favor the development of HT through the involvement of IF. HT is not only an important sector that could contribute to the economy, but it can also be a crucial contributor to promote a better understanding among citizens who practice different religions and have differing cultural backgrounds, facilitating a brighter world future.

The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 offers some insights from the literature, Section 3 describes the questionnaire and data gathering, Section 4 details the methodology, Section 5 presents and discusses the results, and Section 6 offers some concluding remarks.

#### **2. Literature Review**

The factors of the disconnected sectors between Halal product development and IF have been analyzed in some studies. Firstly, one of the most important aspects is the difference between the concept of 'Halal' and 'Islamic'. The Halal industry requires a very strict operational process control that ends in Halal brand recognition [13]. However, these certifications, in general, do not take into account what the financing of the producers of Halal products is [14]. Muhamed et al. [15] conclude that there is an indulgence in the financing of Halal products in Malaysia. Thus, as other authors point out, Halal products and services would not really be totally Halal if their funding is not aligned with the application of the same rules [16,17]. Wilson [17] contends that, in reality, finance and banking qualify as 'Islamic' and not as 'Halal' in the pure sense of fulfilling specific conditions to have that brand. With a more open-mind, IF can be considered Halal, but, in many cases, it is not 100% Halal. In this sense, it can be said that IF is a concept applied to a number of financial products and services that are certified.

On the other hand, Hayat et al. [18] find that Halal products suffer from other common problems whose source is the certification of a brand, such as: (1) the lack of consensus on what is considered Halal; (2) some of the certifying agencies are also supervisors; (3) there are economic incentives in the granting of certificates; and (4) the training of the Shariah scholars to certify complex financial products is not standardized. At the institutional level, Muhamed and Ramli [9] analyze the Islamic banks as entities, and conclude that IF has a better structured governance than the Halal sectors (p. 5). In fact, the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) [19] published the principles of governance for institutions that offer Islamic financial services.

The synergies and integration have also been hampered by obstacles such as: (1) the minority presence of Muslim producers in the Halal industry [20]; (2) the lack of awareness and knowledge about what IF is [21]; (3) the intrinsic characteristics of the sector, as is the case in the food industry, which is very fragmented and where SMEs predominate [5]; (4) the higher cost of financing through Islamic banking [16,20]; and (5) the differing regulation and supervision by different authorities [22], observed even in Malaysia, a reference country in both industries [9].

In any case, there is consensus on the need for both sectors to explore and exploit potential synergies. Muhamed and Ramli [23] point out that the majority of a group of Malaysian academics with backgrounds in Islamic Law and industrial involvement support Halal integration. Wilson [17] asks the Islamic banks to be proactive and redirect their activity towards the Halal industry. In general, a better integration is requested as a way to exploit scale and scope economies [24]. The support of authorities is considered crucial, as well as the development of an adequate regulatory framework and the establishment of regional and global agreements that harmonize the Halal certifications [21].

The studies carried out so far are scarce, and have mainly been focused on each individual sector. Regarding HT, to our knowledge, there is scarce literature about its connection with IF, but the existing studies point to a positive relationship between them. Muslims tourists would prefer a tourism

provider that has IF facilities [11], and the use of Islamic banking gives a positive impression for them [10]. The presence of Islamic financial institutions is one of prerequisite materials that a Halal tourism destination should provide [25]. In addition, IF could address financial constraints and can offer financing solutions for developing a good tourist infrastructure [26], a factor that improves the quality of HT [27].

In the field of finance, FinTech is becoming one of the most widespread terms used for research in technological innovation. The definition of FinTech is based on the use of innovative and disruptive technology for providing financial services [28,29]. The emergence of Fintech has been characterized by the need for more investors' security and better financial services at more adjusted costs. According to Lee and Shin [30], the Global Financial crisis and the consequent loss of confidence in the financial system triggered such an emergence. Hussain et al. [31] contend that Islamic Financial systems could now emerge as the new banking system that could recover again the clients' confidence in the financial system. In fact, the authors show how Islamic Finance has started to grow internationally, with some concentration in few markets. Rabbani et al. [29] categorize the Islamic FinTech spectrum into three areas: (1) Islamic Financial technology opportunities and challenges; (2) Cryptocurrency/Blockchain sharia compliance; and (3) law/regulation.

Fintech companies can naturally be seen as opportunities by the financial institutions instead of competitors, in order to provide new innovative financial and non-financial services. Rabbani et al. [29] analysed the Islamic FinTech opportunities and find that Islamic Fintech companies can: (1) help new startups; (2) provide a wide range of innovative products and services; (3) provide indistinctly traditional financial services, as well as new and innovative services; (4) provide cost-effective solutions to the financial services; (5) facilitate traditional Islamic banks to go digital; (6) gain customer confidence easily by being transparent, accessible and easy to use; (7) be linked to cryptocurrencies and Blockchain in order to facilitate international payments; (8) gain the confidence of Muslim investors, as they are in accordance with the rules prescribed by sharia. Haddah and Hornuf [32] find that FinTech startup formations are more easily created when the economy is well-developed and venture capital is readily available. The authors also find that the number of secure internet servers, mobile telephone subscriptions and the available labour force all act as a catalyst for the development of this new market segment.

#### **3. Questionnaire and Data Gathering**

A pilot test of the survey was handed out during the congress 'Halal, a Global Concept', held in Cordoba between 24 and 26 March 2015. The conference was organized by the Instituto Halal, a Spanish Halal certification agency for goods and services apt for consumption by Muslims in Spain and Mexico. They work on three main lines: (1) to certify products and services; (2) to obtain the necessary international accreditations and recognition; and (3) to contribute to the achievement of a Halal Standard in Spain and Europe. The questionnaire was developed through the compilation and adaptation of other previous studies in the field, with the aim of identifying the relevant determinants to develop HT products in Spain [33–35]. The survey was divided into nine sections, with a total of 70 different questions (the number of the question is given in parenthesis): (1a) demographic profile (10); (2a) knowledge of HT (3); (3a) pull and push factors to measure Spanish HT competitiveness (10); (4a) possible handicaps measuring Spanish HT competitiveness (13); (5a) important tourist attractions that could foster Spanish HT(13); (6a) analysis of the organizations involved in the development of HT (9); (7a) classification of HT (5); (8a) IF and the role on the development of Spanish HT (5); (9a) Spanish HT competitiveness in the future (2).

The survey questionnaires were prepared in four languages, English, Spanish, Arabic and French, and were implemented on-line in Google Drive. A list of 300 potential respondents was used to collect the data, based on some additional contacts, in order to complement the set of 80 respondents obtained at the conference. The list was mainly obtained from academics, hoteliers and restaurateurs. In the case of the academics, for convenience reasons, we decided to include those who have published a

paper on HT and, thus, have a certain guarantee that respondents are familiar with Halal products' existence. After five consecutive recalls, we were able to obtain 120 additional completed surveys from 150 participants who started to answer the survey at the end of 2015. Thus, the dataset was finally compiled on 31 March 2016, with 200 valid respondents. Unfortunately, it was not possible to enforce any of the contacted participants to complete the survey. Thus, the sample can be considered as a convenience sample which has a certain degree of familiarity with Halal products.

The main constructs of the survey are based on a four-point Likert scale answer format, in which all the categories are labelled. For example, the answer format for the level of agreement with the sentence is determined as: (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) agree and (4) strongly agree. It was decided to use four-point scales in order to mitigate the effect of neutral option biased responses [36].

The study focuses on the eighth block (the IF and the role on the development of Spanish HT), which contained the following sentences about whether IF can act as a catalyst to develop HT in Spain: (1) it is a reliable finance system (Reliable); (2) it is already involved in the development of Halal Tourist Products (Development); (3) it has already financed some halal projects (Finance); (4) it is a financial system adapted to Muslims (Muslims); (5) Spain has a lot of potential to develop HT (Spain). The scale is adapted from previous studies [37,38].

The majority of the respondents were men 146(73%). The age groups of 26–35 years old and 36–45 years old dominate the respondents, with 63 (31.50%) people and 61(30.50%) people, respectively. Most of the respondents were married, 112 (56%), whereas 79 (39.5%) of the respondents were single, and 9 (4.5%) were either divorced or separated. A large group of respondents were academics 113(56.5%), and for that reason, the majority of the respondents also have a Masters/PhD degree; 110 (55%) and 72(36%) respondents hold a university degree. In terms of occupation, there were 40 (20%) students, 32(16%) professors at university, 21 (10.5%) respondents employed in the tourism sector, 13 (6.50%) entrepreneurs in the tourism sector and 94 (47%) entrepreneurs in other sectors. With regard to monthly personal income, most of them, i.e., 94 (47%) of the respondents, had a monthly personal income between 1000 Euros and 3000 Euros, whereas 13 (6.5%) reported an income of 6000 Euros or more.

The non-Muslims questioned represented 57 (29%) respondents, and the other 143 (71%) respondents were Muslim. Regarding the religiosity, the majority of respondents, 121 (60.5%), were moderately religious. The majority of respondents, 87 (43.5%), resided in Spain, followed by 83 (41.5%) residents in North Africa, 11 (5.5%) residents in the countries of the Arab gulf, 10 (5%) residents in other Muslim Countries, 7 (3.5%) residents in the EU and 2 (1%) residing in other countries.

#### **4. Methodology**

This section presents the basics of the proposed methodology that is based on a hybrid fuzzy method, which calculates the overall level of agreement on the catalyst role of IF in developing HT in Spain, named Islamic Finances Overall Agreement (IFOAg). The index IFOAg is based on a list of 5 attributes with information about the reliability of the IF system, the degree of involvement in the development of Halal products, whether some Halal products have already been financed by the IF, whether IF is adapted to Muslims and whether Spain has a lot of potential to develop HT. The questionnaire developed to measure IFOAg was based on subjective and very imprecise information, because the semantic scales are not easily converted into precise numerical figures. Transforming the linguistic scale ((1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) agree, and (4) strongly agree) into a cardinal scale is usually a source of strong criticism, because all the transformations suffer from the researchers' subjectivity. For this reason, Zadeh [39] developed the base of the fuzzy set theory as a way to deal with the subjectivity and fuzziness of human perception, because the theory is better adjusted than crisp numbers to represent the respondents' answers related to the object of the analysis.

The essence of the fuzzy set theory resides in the fact that researchers always find it difficult to represent linguistic semantic scales by sensible crisp values. It is usual to employ an ordinal scale starting from one and ranging to the number of points of the Likert scale. In the case of the IFOAg scale, the basic crisp information will go from one to four. Afterwards, some econometric model, like cluster analysis, factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis or structural equation models, is applied in order to obtain some relationship or association between different constructs, or in order to reduce the dimensionality of the list of the attributes [40,41]. These methods prefer to adjust the imprecise information provided by Likert scales employing econometric models that include error terms according to some statistical distribution. On the other hand, other authors prefer the approach of using the fundaments of the fuzzy set theory [42–46]. The authors contend that the use of the fuzzy set theory adjusts much better than other methods the questionable issues mentioned by Dickson and Albaum [47] regarding the use of semantic Likert scales " ... consisting of adjectives and phrases which seem appropriate or relevant to the specific concept being studied without really testing the new scales to insure that they meet the various underlying assumptions which are critical for proper use of semantic differential instruments" (p. 87). In this respect, it can be said that fuzzy logic [48] better deals with the purpose of ranking a group of decision makers in regard to their overall agreement over some concept or idea, as fuzzy logic does not need the crisp and accurate information provided by objective measures [49].

#### *4.1. Triangular Fuzzy Numbers*

The use of the fuzzy logic alleviates the need to incorporate objective measures, and can deal very conveniently with imprecise information. The universe of discourse X [50,51] is usually represented as a subset of real numbers. A fuzzy set *A* in X represents jointly the discourse and the membership function μ*A* whose value belongs to the closed interval [0, 1], and gives the probability or strength of belonging that any element of the discourse has. Thus, greater values are associated with more truth regarding the supposition that element x belongs to set *A*. It can be inferred that the fuzzy set theory encapsulates much better the way human beings feel and think in a number of circumstances, with regard the philosophical idea that everything is relative. In our case, for example, two customers who operate regularly with some of the top Islamic Financial Institutions can answer very differently to the question regarding that IF can act as a catalyst to the development of Halal tourist products in Spain because the IF is reliable. The answer will probably depend on the degree of satisfaction that customers have experienced in their last transactions with the institution.

In this paper, the fuzzy set theory is represented by triangular fuzzy numbers, a triplet of real numbers characterized by the following membership function:

$$\mu\_A(\mathbf{x}) = \begin{cases} \frac{\mathbf{x} - a\_1}{a\_2 - a\_1}, & a\_1 \le \mathbf{x} \le a\_2, \\\frac{\mathbf{x} - a\_3}{a\_2 - a\_3}, & a\_2 \le \mathbf{x} \le a\_3, \\\ 0, & \text{otherwise}. \end{cases} \tag{1}$$

Thus, each linguistic answer provided by the respondents ((1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) agree, and (4) strongly agree) is then transformed into a triangular fuzzy number (TFN) whose discourse is included in the interval 0–100. Thus, the strength of the truth of each statement included in the scale is represented by a set of TFNs that represents the fuzziness associated with the imprecise information obtained from the semantic Likert scale. Table 1 shows the TFNs used in the study to represent the four point semantic Likert scale used in the survey. Equation (1) can be used to give the probability of belonging to the interval that represents each TFN included in the table.

The aggregation of TFNs through different segments, for example English, Spanish, Arab or French, is based on the algebra of TFNs, in which the average fuzzy number of n TFNs can be calculated as follows [52]:

$$\widetilde{A} = (a\_1, a\_2, a\_3) = \left(\frac{1}{n}\right) \bullet \left(\widetilde{A}\_1 \oplus \widetilde{A}\_2 \oplus \cdots \rightsquigarrow \widetilde{A}\_n\right) = \left(\frac{\sum\_{i=1}^n a\_1^{(i)}, \sum\_{i=1}^n a\_2^{(i)}, \sum\_{i=1}^n a\_3^{(i)}}{n}\right) \tag{2}$$

**Table 1.** Triangular fuzzy numbers. Default values of linguistic terms.

#### *4.2. Crisp Information Matrix*

The aggregated TFN obtained by Equation (2) represents the imprecise information of the overall agreement that a particular segment has with each of the five attributes included in the scale. This study will focus only on nine different segments: the convenience sample with 200 respondents, the cultural segments obtained by the language used to answer the questionnaire (English, Spanish, Arab and French), and, finally, four additional segments obtained by the level of knowledge that the respondents have of Halal Products. The questionnaire provides information about 135 different segments for each of the five attributes included in the analysis. Thus, a matrix of TFNs with a dimension of 5 times 135 is obtained after applying Equation (2). This matrix provides a lot of information that needs to be summarized with a clarification or defuzzification method [53]. In essence, all the methods are based on a real function that converts the TFNs into real numbers or crisp information, according to rational criteria, which should preserve some consensual order of overlapped TFN.

In this study, the proposal made by Chen [54], which is based on the best-non-fuzzy performance measure, was used as the defuzzification method. The method clarifies the information as a weighted average of the triplet of the TFN that serves to measure the best-non-fuzzy performance of a fuzzy set. The clarification method is very simple, and it is obtained as: (*a*1 + 2*a*2 + *a*3)/4. This clarification method does not require any subjective and prior information of any decision maker, and takes into consideration the theoretical properties established by Kaufmann and Gupta [55], giving more importance to neutrality than to any other potential extraction judgement.

#### *4.3. Similarity to Ideal Solution*

The synthetic IFOAg index for each of the segments under analysis is based on a joint fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (F-MCDM) method that applies the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) [56,57]. TOPSIS is still one of the most popular MCDM methods [58]. The authors reviewed a total of 105 papers using the TOPSIS approach for solving decision making problems, and concluded that "dozens of scholars have applied TOPSIS to solve simple or complex problems in different areas, modified, or extended TOPSIS method to solve exclusive problems. The development trends of TOPSIS method, and more and more of its applications to solve various problems quite vividly reflect general development trends of all MCDM methods to solve simple and complex tasks".

The method is computed as follows:

$$\begin{aligned} A^{+} &= \left\{ \left( \max V\_{i\bar{j}} \middle| j \in J \right) \Big/ \left( \min V\_{i\bar{j}} \middle| j \in J' \right), i = 1, 2, \dots, m \right\} \\ A^{-} &= \left\{ \left( \min V\_{i\bar{j}} \middle| j \in J \right), \left( \max V\_{i\bar{j}} \middle| j \in J' \right), i = 1, 2, \dots, m \right\} \end{aligned} \tag{3}$$

where *J* and *J* divide the different attributes included in the IFOAg scale according to whether the attribute is answered in an ascending or descending order. In our case, all the five attributes included in the IFOAg scale were answered in an ascending order; that is, all the answers show the extent to which the respondents agree with the statements included in the scale. Nevertheless, the general method is shown for the sake of exposition.

Once the ideal solutions are calculated, the relative IFOAg index for each segment can be calculated, bearing in mind the distances that exist from each observed segment to the positive and negative ideal solutions as follows:

$$\begin{aligned} S\_i^+ &= dist(V\_{i\prime}A^+) = \sqrt{\sum\_{j=1}^n \left(V\_{ij} - A\_j^+\right)^2} i = 1, 2, \dots, m\\ S\_i^- &= dist(V\_{i\prime}A^-) = \sqrt{\sum\_{j=1}^n \left(V\_{ij} - A\_j^-\right)^2} i = 1, 2, \dots, m\\ IFOA\_{\hat{s}} &= \frac{S\_i^-}{S\_i^+ + S\_i^-} i = 1, 2, \dots, m\end{aligned} \tag{4}$$

where Zavadskas et al. [58] contend that, in the majority of applications, researchers prefer to use the Euclidean distance in Equation (4), other distances like, for example, Manhattan (city-block) or Minkowsky distances can also be used. A particular segment *i* will show a greater degree of agreement than the segment *j* if and only if *IFOAgi* > *IFOAgj*. Thus, the IFOAg synthetic indicator can be used to rank the overall agreement that all the segments in the sample have about the catalyst role that IF can play in the development of HT products in Spain. The rationale behind the synthetic indicator is clear, as IFOAg is higher when the degree of agreement is greater; that is, when the defuzzified vector for the segment is closer to the virtual positive ideal solution and farther from the virtual negative ideal solution.

Finally, the concept of elasticity will be presented to evaluate the sensitivity of the obtained synthetic indicator to changes of the values of each attribute included in the scale. Thus, main stakeholders can obtain very interesting insights regarding whether the overall agreement is more or less elastic with respect any individual attribute. Thus, different stakeholders—for example, the managers of IF institutions; potential Halal tourist product developers in Spain, like hoteliers or restaurateurs; or even destination management officers and tourist policy makers—can have a better understanding of what attributes have a greater incidence with the role of the IF. Mathematically, the elasticity of IFOAg for each segment *i* over any attribute *j* can be calculated as:

$$\eta\_{\rm ij} = \frac{\Delta\% \mu I \text{FOA} \text{g}\_{\rm i}}{\Delta\% at r\_{\rm ij}} = \frac{dIFOA\_{\mathcal{G}i}}{dat r\_{\rm ij}} \frac{at r\_{\rm ij}}{IFOA \text{g}\_{\rm i}} \tag{5}$$

One of the most important features of the calculus of the elasticity values is that the figure is segment and attribute dependent. Thus, it is possible to differentiate the managerial procedures by taking into consideration the binomial segment and attribute.

#### **5. Results**

Table 2 shows the TFNs and the crisp values corresponding to the total, and the segments obtained by the language used by respondents. Normally, the TFN matrix is not easily interpreted at first glance, and those readers who are not familiar with the fuzzy set theory do not clearly understand the different triplets. It can be seen that the intervals of the values of the respective TFNs for each of the columns intersect. Thus, it is difficult to extract with a quick glimpse some insight about the answers given by the respondents to the IF module. For that reason, the information matrix needs to be clarified.

The total results of the sample show that the degree of the agreement is larger for the involvement and the finance of the Halal products, and lower for the issue that Spain has a lot of potential to become an important player in HT. Analyzing the segments by the mother language used to answer the questionnaire, it is observed that English mother-speakers agree, in general, more than other respondents. The only exception is observed in the attribute that IF is well adapted to Muslims. The highest level of agreement is observed by English speakers regarding the IF as a reliable finance system, and the lowest level of agreement is also observed by English speakers regarding the attribute already mentioned of IF being a system well adapted to Muslims. A further analysis of these results permits us to conclude that the English respondents answer this way because they probably consider that IF offers the products and services to other general clients, irrespective of the clients' credo. The literature shows that religious motives in conventional or Islamic bank selection are not the only significant key drivers [59–61]. The selection of conventional and IF banks is mainly affected by the transactional costs [62]. Nevertheless, ethical factors and the economic and social development role of the banks are more developed in the IF banks than in the conventional banks [59], so clients of other religions can also appreciate this factor.

**Table 2.** TFNs and Crisp values. Total and Cultural segments.

Analyzing now the results for the positive and negative ideal solutions obtained by Equation (3), it can be seen (Table 3) that both solutions are characterized by extreme observations in which the answers are 4 and 1, respectively, for all the respondents of the representative segment, which for the sake of exposition is omitted from the table. This result is not usually obtained, as normally, it is difficult to get this type of total coincidence for some segment of the sample. In this case, it is not possible to determine which attributes are more or less homogenous.

The synthetic IFOAg index for each segment can now be calculated using the fuzzy hybrid MCDM approach proposed in the study. Figures 1 and 2 show the synthetic index for the relevant segments under study, according to three segmentation variables: mother language (Spanish, English, Arab and French), knowledge of Halal (knowledge of Halal (Yes/No)) and having visited a Spanish Halal establishment (Yes/No). The figures show that the English agree more with the role of the IF as a catalyst in the development of Halal Spanish tourism industry than the French, Arab and Spanish; the level of agreement is also mediated by the knowledge of Halal, being more intense in the case that the respondents have already visited a Spanish Halal establishment.

**Table 3.** IFOAg. Ideal Solutions.

The reason is probably that the UK is the most active European country in Islamic banking and finance. Retail Islamic banking in Europe arrived for the first time to the United Kingdom in 1982. Since then, and especially in 2013, with the support of Prime Minister Cameron, the proactive policy of the British authorities for its pragmatic, realistic and inclusive approach has been the key to the success of the development of Islamic banking [63]. Meanwhile, in France, despite a significant Muslim minority, the French authorities did not take the first steps towards boosting the IF until 2007. Reuters [64] pointed out that, after decades of secular rule, Tunisia's government aids to the development of Islamic banking in the country could hurt conventional banking, and some analysts suspect that the real government's motives are more political than economic, in an attempt to win more voters' support. Lastly, in Spain, banking and tax regulation hindered the use of IF, so the penetration degree has been very limited [65]. In general, it can be concluded that the low level of awareness and knowledge about IF, even in the Muslim countries, is still the main important barrier for its development [66]. The UK has pushed IF, but Spain is developing Halal as a brand, especially for food and cosmetics. Halal certification has been promoted by several organisations, with the Instituto Halal being one of them. Currently, they have almost 500 clients, and their goal is to create a Halal hub in the future (see https://www.institutohalal.com/quienes-somos/).

**Figure 1.** IFOAg Index by mother language

Table 4 shows the elasticity values of the IFOAg index for the segments under analysis. The values show that IFOAg is inelastic with respect to all the attributes and for all the segments under analysis, and that the sensitivity pattern obtained is not very different for each attribute–segment pair. In general, it can be concluded that the synthetic index is more elastic with respect to the issue that Spain can show a lot of potential to develop HT products in the near future, and is less elastic with respect to the role of the IF as a joint developer of Halal tourist products. The Instituto Halal has certificated more than 2000 products, especially food and beverages, but also cosmetics, tourism and health products [67]. Nevertheless, the current HT (including food) on offer in Spain is still limited and scarce, despite the remarkable potential. In 2018, there were only six Spanish tourist food companies with Halal certification.

**Figure 2.** IFOAg Index by HT knowledge

Regarding the analysis for each of the segments, firstly, analyzing the mother language, it can be seen that the English segment is less elastic than the rest for all the attributes, with the exception of the attribute that represents how well IF is adapted to the Muslim market. On the other hand, Spanish, Arab and French speakers are more elastic with respect to the attributes that represent the reliability of the IF system (Spanish and French), as well as the attributes that correspond to the potential capacity of Spain to be an important player in the HT sector (Arabs) and to the adaptation of the IF to the Muslim market (French).

**Table 4.** Elasticity of IFOAG over each attribute for the total, mother language and Halal knowledge segments.

HTK: Halal Tourism Knowledge; HTVS: Halal Tourism Visit to a Spanish Establishment; Y: Yes; N: No.

Analyzing now the segments are determined by the knowledge of HT, it can be seen that the elasticity values are more homogeneous than in the case discussed above. Thus, it can be concluded that the cultural issues captured by the mother language affect IFOAg more intensely than the knowledge of HT. Nevertheless, the small differences are characterized by the higher elasticity values obtained on the previous knowledge of HT and having visited Halal Spanish establishments in the attribute of the role of Spain in the future development of HT, and by the smaller elasticity values obtained from those respondents who do not have a previous knowledge of Halal, as observed for the attribute of the role of Spain, and for those who have visited a Spanish Halal establishment for the attribute referring to the reliability of the IF system. Thus, it can be concluded that having an experience of a Halal establishment helps to better understand what HT is. The level of knowledge of HT within the industry is not clear because there are different understandings of Halal that depend on existing prejudices and stereotypes about the level of tolerance that Muslim consumers have in relation with standard accommodation services. This concept was created as a form of religious tourism [68], but it is also considered to be a wide concept as a familiar culture deeply rooted in Shariah [69].

#### **6. Conclusions**

The paper aimed to analyze empirically whether IF can be seen as a catalyst for the development of HT. Additionally, such an analysis was extended to see whether two segmentation variables, the mother language used to answer the survey and the previous knowledge of HT, had a moderating effect. For this purpose, the paper obtained a synthetic IFOAg indicator using a hybrid-fuzzy multi criteria decision making method, which was based in five different indicators that condense the commented role of IF. Our results show that the ideal solutions obtained are characterized by the extreme values in which all the respondents totally disagree (negative ideal solution) or totally agree (positive ideal solution). Regarding the segments analyzed in the study, it concludes that English mother speakers do agree more than the rest of the speakers of the sample, and that those with a previous knowledge of Halal also agree more than those who are less conscious of the Halal industry. The latter result is even reinforced for those who have a previous experience of a Halal tourist establishment. This is an important issue that needs to be further analyzed in the context of tourism supply, as the perspective of the value that tourism establishments and firms obtain from servicing this niche market is still unknown.

Finally, the obtained elasticities show that the segments determined by the knowledge of HT are more homogeneous than the cultural segments obtained by the mother language. Thus, it was inferred that the cultural issues captured by the mother language affect more intensely the degree of agreement of the catalyst role of the IF on the development of the HT in Spain than the knowledge of HT. To our surprise, the degree of agreement was more elastic with respect to the potential capacity of Spain to be an important player in the HT sector for the mother Arab speakers.

Muhamed and Ramli [9], looking at the current practice worldwide, conclude that the Halal sectors are separated, and that integration should be promoted for any type of goods, commodities and services including IF. Thus, the catalyst role of the IF in the development of the HT is advised as a way of adopting Islamic financing as the source of capital in order to start an integrated Halal business. In this respect, different stakeholders need to become visible in order to participate in HT development as a way to more adequately exploit the cultural Arab endowments of some Spanish regions. This development can also be fostered by FinTech companies that help new startups to provide a wide range of innovative products and services in the growing Halal niche market.

This study contributes to a strand of the literature that is still nascent. Nevertheless, it presents a number of limitations that need to be commented upon. First, the development of HT products goes beyond the role that IF can have as a catalyst because many other factors, like the important Muslim heritage that exists, for example, in Spain, can be even more determinant and decisive. Second, the lack of a theoretical model impedes the use of a better instrument (scale) to analyze the role of the IF, so more empirical scales are needed in order to compare the results obtained in the study. Third, the convenience sample should be enlarged in order to be more representative of the main stakeholders involved in such development, such as hoteliers and restaurateurs. These limitations open new roads for promising venues for future research.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, information gathering, writing, validation, J.C.M., C.O.-C., and S.Z.; methodology, software J.C.M.; data treatment and curation S.Z.; writing—review and editing, original draft preparation, J.C.M. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** We would like to thank the delegates of the congress 'Halal, a Global Concept', held in Cordoba between 24 and 26 March 2015, as well as the Instituto Halal for giving us the opportunity to administer a pilot survey during the event.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.

#### **References**

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