CONCEPT AND MODEL OF SHARIA SALONS AND SPAS: MYTH OR REALITY?

Currently, health issues have grown rapidly into Health Tourism segment to strengthen Indonesia’s tourism. Ironically, the proliferation of salon and spa business as well as other forms of health tourism business is considered to cause negative effects in the form of destructive cultural penetration of foreign tourists. This study aimed to analyze the prospects of sharia salons and spas in safeguarding the health tourism in Indonesia. Furthermore, we examine the mix variables of sharia marketing as a marketing stimulus to encourage Muslim tourists in making the decision to visit and re-visit as well as their interest in the sharia salons and spas. This explanatory study uses the paradigm of quantitative research involved 13 informants of Muslim owner/staff sharia salons and spas in East Java, Indonesia. The results of this study indicate that stimulus of sharia marketing is needed to develop tourist visits, especially Muslim travelers in health tourism destination of sharia salons and spas