Social Exchange and Pilgrim Loyalty: A Case Study of Al-Miftah Hajj Guidance Group (KBIH)

Abstract

This study examines why pilgrims remain loyal to KBIH Al-Miftah, which is affiliated with Pondok Pesantren Miftahul Ulum Panyepen, Pamekasan, despite its technical services not always meeting modern standards. Such loyalty cannot be explained through transactional service quality approaches; therefore, this research employs social exchange theory as its analytical framework. The study adopts a qualitative method with a single-case design. Data were collected from eleven informants through semi-structured in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis and subsequently analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña. The findings reveal that pilgrims’ loyalty is grounded in non-material rewards such as inner peace, belief in divine blessing, and symbolic closeness to the kyai—forms of reward that commercial institutions cannot provide. Trust based on the pesantren’s reputation, the cultural norm of reverence toward kyai authority, and reciprocity manifested in recommendation behavior collectively sustain loyalty. This study contributes to the extension of social exchange theory within the study of religious institution management, particularly in pesantren-based contexts.