Proposed strategic branding for halal travel company: case of Shafwah Holidays

Before the epidemic, Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector had grown to be a major sector, accounting for 6% of the nation’s GDP. Shafwah Holidays is a travel agency that promotes Halal travel as one of its core offers. It is a new player in the business as of 2020. By the end of 2021, the management had assessed the business’s performance and had identified a number of problems, including low sales, weak brand awareness, and growing competition. The market is present, but it does not appear to have any impact on the business since the Halal tourism ecosystem has begun to expand and the number of Muslim tourists is rising. The solution to the present corporate problems may lie in strategic branding. Shafwah Holidays as a brand will be introduced to the market through the development of a communication strategy, supported by segmentation analysis, and brand positioning. A descriptive exploratory study is conducted in order to meet the goal, using both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques.Six chosen clients have been the subject of preliminary interviews. 301 individuals were randomly chosen to complete questionnaires about customer behaviors while traveling. The results showed only three of the six clustered segments met the requirements. The brand has also been reinvented to become a travel partner offering customizable itineraries and end-to-end halal travel services. Through the use of lifestyle branding, this will be expressed. The three main messages—Personalized, Halal, and For Everyone—are included in the communication pillars. Social media marketing has been selected as the communication strategy. This study contributes to the development and application of branding strategies, particularly for halal travel businesses like Shafwah Holidays.