TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The halal research and certification institution, CrescentRating, has released ten leading halal tourist destinations in Indonesia throughout the first quarter of 2019. The list is recorded in the 2019 Indonesia Muslim Travel Index (IMTI).

The ten destinations are Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Aceh, Jakarta, West Sumatra, Yogyakarta, West Java, Riau Islands, Malang Raya in East Java, Central Java, and Makassar in South Sulawesi. Lombok perches in the top rank with a score of 70 points above all.

CrescentRating Chief Executive Officer, Fazal Bahardeen, said that halal tourism provides Indonesia a great opportunity to attract Muslim tourists in the world and expand its economic development.

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Halal tourism is highly prospective to be developed further as Indonesia has the largest population of Muslim. Moreover, the country has many leading tourist sites, such as beaches, diverse cultural heritage, and basic infrastructures, Fazal explained.

Based on the 2018 IMTI, the leading tourist destination in Indonesia was Lombok with 58 points, while the last rank was South Sulawesi including Makassar and its vicinity with 30 points.

“IMTI will help stakeholders in the tourism sector to play an important role in accelerating the growth of halal tourism in Indonesia,” Fazal remarked.

To access the performance of leading halal tourist destinations in Indonesia, IMTI adopts four criteria used by Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI), viz. Access, Communication, Environment, and Services (ACES).

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