THE FEASIBILITY OF ISLAMIC ASTROTOURISM IN MALAYSIA

Islamic astrotourism is a form of tourism that involves the sites with astronomical, historical and archaeological interest such as observatories, mosques, museums, and planetariums. This article discusses a study on the feasibility of Islamic astrotourism in Malaysia. This article aims to enlighten the role of Islamic astronomy may significantly contribute to tourism. A qualitative method was used in this article using instrument such as document analyses, interviews and observations. The result shows that there is a tight collaboration between Islamic astronomy and tourism in some activities held by astronomical institutions and travel agencies, including of amateur astronomers and astronomical organizations such as tours, conferences, carnivals, and publications. In addition, it will show the efficiency of involvement of such organizations in the development of Islamic astrotourism in Malaysia.