Introduction

Tourism is a robust sector in developed economies, and governments collaborate with private enterprises to cater to foreign tourists’ needs. The meaning of tourism has also undergone significant changes for Singapore Muslims. In Islam, the movement of people from one place to another has always been part and parcel of community, cultural and religious life. Some of these travels are predicated on necessities, such as warfare (as refugees), migration (forced or voluntary) and religious obligations (such as the pilgrimage to Mecca). Muslims also travel for work and leisure (holidays). Examining how travel among Singapore Muslims has changed over the years is significant because it allows one to take stock of the impact of the Islamic resurgence movement of the 1980s, which scholars have identified as the reason for the attitudinal change of Muslims in Southeast Asia towards exclusivism or conservatism (Azhar 2014; Chandra 1987). Since the 1980s, Muslims (the majority of whom in Singapore are Malays) experienced improvements in their socio-economic life. The community's ascension into the Muslim middle and educated class corresponds to the changing appetite of needs, lifestyles, and requirements (Bourdieu 1984). The nexus between the expanding middle class and growing religiosity led to new demands and requirements, among others, for Islamic tourism or shariah-compliant travel.

Today, the haj (also called hajj) and umrah industry is the fastest-growing sector in the Malay-Muslim community. Based on the 2020 census, the Malay-Muslim community (also referred to as the Malays) makes up about 15 per cent of the 5.6 million Singapore population. The haj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and it is obligatory for Muslims to perform the haj ritual to Mecca once in their lifetime. This chapter examines the evolution of the haj and umrah from a religious obligation into a flourishing industry in Singapore. During the colonial period, the city-state earned the reputation of being the centre of the haj pilgrimage, where travel to Mecca from outside Arabia was only feasible by sea, and Singapore played the role of the haj port in Southeast Asia. Today, as the mode of transportation has changed from sea to air, Singapore no longer plays that role. Nevertheless, the privatization of haj has made the ritual a business opportunity.