Indonesia Targets to Achieve the 1st World's Muslim-Friendly Tourism Rankings

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is targeting a rise to the top spot in the world's Muslim-friendly destination rankings next year, after successfully jumping from fourth to second place in the 2026 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI). Deputy for Event Development at the Ministry of Tourism, Vinsensius Jemadu, delivered the statement to media on the sidelines of the 2026 International Islamic Expo (IIE) in Jakarta on Friday, June 26, 2026.

According to him, the two-rank jump is due to the Minister of Tourism's commitment to Indonesia's return to number one, given the country's large Muslim population. "The Minister has a commitment, if possible, to be number one next year, because we were once number one," he said.

Currently, Malaysia holds the top spot in the GMTI, while Indonesia sits in second place. To achieve this position, the government is considered to be continuously encouraging its officials to promote Muslim-friendly destinations and prepare additional services or extended services to ensure Muslim tourists feel comfortable and safe.

Vinsensius explained that the criteria for Muslim-friendly tourism extend beyond culinary delights, including accommodation readiness and clarity of halal certification from food providers. "One of the criteria is the readiness of the destination and its accommodations to provide comfort for tourists, including clarity from suppliers that the food is halal," he said.

Several destinations that have been identified as Muslim-friendly, including West Sumatra, Lombok, Banten, West Java, East Java, and South Sulawesi, were also featured in the exhibition. At least 11 to 13 destinations were invited to participate as part of the promotion of Indonesian Muslim-friendly tourism.

Beyond the Muslim-friendly ranking, Vinsensius also mentioned that IIE 2026 is part of an effort to strengthen the MICE ecosystem, considering that MICE tourists can spend three to four times more than leisure tourists. "This exhibition is part of our efforts to improve the MICE ecosystem, as we see MICE as a quality tourism product," he said.

He detailed that IIE 2026 successfully brought together 126 exhibitors from 16 countries and 18 associations, with a target economic turnover of around Rp115 billion (US$6.4 million) and a total of 18,000 visitors over the three-day exhibition. "I think this is a significant achievement amidst the boom in various MICE activities in Indonesia," he conveyed.