IP: 83.171.252.117 On: Sun, 26 Jul 2020 02:57:24 Delivered by Ingenta Article(s) and/or figure(s) cannot be used for resale. Please use proper citation format when citing this article including the DOI, publisher reference, volume number and page location. Tourism Review International, Vol. 23, pp. 165–171 1544-2721/20 $60.00 + .00 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3727/154427219X15773977783056 Copyright © 2020 Cognizant, LLC. E-ISSN 1943-4421 www.cognizantcommunication.com 165 Address correspondence to Ahmed Abdel Fattah, Ph.D., Lecturer, Tourism College, Institute for Tourism Studies, Colina de Mong-Há, Macao, China. Tel: (853) 8598-2215; Fax: (853) 8598-1283; E-mail: ahmed@ift.edu.mo among Muslims via spiritual activities and mystical experiences (Corbett, 2016; Min Allah & Abbas, 2015). Sufism is not considered a separate Islamic sect or branch, but a different approach toward Islamic practice that exists among both Sunni and Shi’ite communities (Elhadary, 2018). The mys- tical realm of Sufism is characterized by distinct Introduction This research note indicates an area for fur- ther research within the intersection of Islam and tourism—Sufism. Sufism, or tasawwuf, some- times translated as “Islamic Mysticism,” relates to the quest for the experiential knowledge of God RESEARCH NOTE WHAT DO SUFI MUSLIM LEADERS THINK ABOUT VISITORS AT THEIR SACRED SITES? A RESEARCH NEED AHMED ABDEL FATTAH AND MARY EDDY-U Tourism College, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao, China The existing studies on Islamic tourism lack consideration of a particular form of Islamic practice, Sufism or “Islamic mysticism,” which is seen as a more moderate and apolitical form of Islam in the West. The Sufi sheikhs’ perceptions towards visitors at their sacred sites remain underresearched. This is despite the fact that Sufi religious sites exist throughout a number of African and Asian coun- tries, providing pilgrimage sites and retreat centers for both Muslim visitors and those of other faiths. Although a number of academic studies examine the host/guest relationship at different sacred sites of various religions, minimal academic research has been conducted on how tourism and tourists are perceived in an Islamic, particularly a Sufi Islamic, context. This research note aims to demonstrate and raise awareness concerning the lack of research of tourism at Sufi Islamic sites, and specifically research exploring the perspectives of Sufi host communities. How Sufi sheikhs perceive tourism development and how they cope with challenges created by visitors at their sacred sites are necessary questions for researchers and tourism planners in the Muslim world to consider in the future. Key words: Sufi tourism; Host perceptions; Religious tourism; Muslim tourism; Host/guest relationship