Indonesia Aims To Attract More Muslim Visitors In 'Halal' Tourism Push
On Gili Trawangan, an islet off the coast of Indonesia's verdant Lombok island, tanned and pinkish Westerners in bathing suits mingle in the same restaurant as a group of hijab-wearing women from Malaysia on a corporate retreat. There is a large mosque just off the main road whose last call to prayer at night can be heard through the beat of live reggae bands.
Tourists flock to Indonesia from all over the world to enjoy its beaches, wildlife and heritage sites. But many are coming for religious reasons, too. In 2015, Lombok, whose population is 90 percent Muslim, was dubbed the "world's best halal tourism destination" at an annual Muslim travel industry event in Dubai. The island — which has long been overshadowed by glamorous, Hindu-majority Bali, just a 30-minute flight to the west — eagerly seized on the distinction as a unique touristic selling point.
"We don't have to be the 'Muslim Bali,'" Muhammad Adi
