Indonesia Boost Local Tourism Villages to Capture Global Muslim Tourist Market

RRI.CO.ID, Bandung – Bank Indonesia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, has launched an intensive training program for dozens of tourism villages across Indonesia to better equip them to serve Muslim tourists from both domestic and international markets. The program, titled "Capacity Building Bootcamp for Leading Muslim-Friendly Tourism Villages," was held in Bandung from August 5–7, 2026.

In a statement received on Monday, August 10, 2025, Expert Staff member to the Minister of Tourism, Masruroh, stated that strengthening the capacity of tourism village managers is a crucial investment in creating high-quality, globally competitive destinations. This initiative was undertaken because the global number of Muslim tourists continues to rise, representing a significant economic opportunity for Indonesia.

Twenty-five tourism villages were selected from a pool of 63 candidates to participate in the training. They represent the five provinces that performed best in the 2025 Indonesia Muslim Travel Index: Aceh, West Sumatra, West Java, Central Java, and West Nusa Tenggara. Over the course of three days, participants engaged in training sessions, group discussions, and site visits to model tourism villages.

The "Muslim-Friendly Tourism" concept promoted here does not entail altering a destination's local identity or culture. Instead, it focuses on enhancing services—such as providing halal food, clean prayer spaces, and adequate sanitation facilities—to ensure that tourists from all backgrounds feel comfortable.

During the training, participants were also equipped with digital marketing strategies and instructed on how to list their tourism products on online travel booking platforms, or Online Travel Agents (OTAs). The goal is to make these villages more accessible and visible to prospective international tourists.

Dwi Putra Indrawan, Deputy Director of the Sharia Economics and Finance Department at Bank Indonesia, stated that the program aims to build a robust Muslim-friendly tourism ecosystem at the national level. He expressed hope that the participating tourism villages would be able to develop competitive tourism products ready for the global market.

Each participating tourism village now has a follow-up action plan to guide its development after the training concludes. The government stated that collaboration with various parties will continue so that these villages can grow into drivers of the local economy while also becoming part of the global Muslim-friendly tourism industry.