How full Sharia compliance increases tourists’ intentions to return: a case study of halal village destination in Aceh, Indonesia

Purpose This study aims to analyse how full Sharia compliance (SC) increases tourists’ intention to visit Aceh. Specifically, it examined destinations that have formally and comprehensively implemented Islamic laws. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modelling with partial least squares (SEM-PLS) was used to analyse data collected from 1,000 respondents, including domestic tourists who visited halal tourist villages in the Aceh region, using online and offline surveys. Findings This study indicates that social media, service quality (SQ), INF, ACC and SC have direct and significant effects on TIN. However, halal tourism (HT) did not directly influence TIN. Instead, HT and SQ indirectly affected TIN via SC. These findings indicate that HT attributes are perceived as basic standards in Aceh, whereas SC reflects the broader implementation of Islamic values that strongly influence tourists’ revisit intention. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to HT villages in Aceh, Indonesia. Further research should adopt a comparative and longitudinal approach, involve foreign tourists and examine the psychological and spiritual aspects of HT experiences. Practical implications This study highlights the importance of consistently strengthening SC in managing HT villages to increase the intention to revisit. Social implications This study’s results highlight the importance of consistently strengthening SC in managing HT villages to increase the intention to revisit. Originality/value This study makes a theoretical contribution by emphasising that SC plays a central role in shaping the intention to revisit destinations that officially implement Islamic laws. Focusing on HT villages as the main unit of analysis offers a new perspective on the development of ethical, sustainable, community-based HT that is rooted in local cultural and religious values.