Towards associating negative experiences and recommendations reported by Hajj pilgrims in a mass-scale survey

Abstract

The annual Hajj presents diversified negative experiences to millions of pilgrims worldwide. The negative experiences and recommendations to overcome them as per pilgrims' feedback are yet to be analyzed from an aggregated perspective in the literature, which we do in this paper. To do so, first, we perform a large-scale survey (n=988) using our comprehensive questionnaire. Then, we perform both quantitative (e.g., clustering) and qualitative (e.g., thematic) analyses on the survey data. Our quantitative analysis reveals up to seven clusters of negative experiences. Further, going beyond the quantitative analysis, our qualitative analysis reveals 21 types of negative experiences, 20 types of recommendations, and nine themes connecting the negative experiences and recommendations. Accordingly, we reveal associations among the negative experiences and recommendations based on the themes in thematic analysis and present the associations through a tripartite graph. However, we have some limitations in this study, such as fewer female and young participants. In future, we plan to collect more responses from female and young participants and extend our work by analyzing linkages in the tripartite graph by augmenting the edges within the graph with appropriate weights. Overall, the findings of this study are expected to facilitate the prioritization of tasks for the management personnel in charge of the Hajj pilgrimage.

Keywords

• Religious tourism
• Pilgrimage
• Islamic pilgrimage
• Satisfaction
• Negative experiences
• Suggestions for management