During a discussion with the academic community and tourism and creative economy players at Trunojoyo University Madura, Bangkalan, East Java, on April 1, Uno stated that the concept of halal tourism focused on a broader scope of services that employed three concepts: the need to have, good to have, and nice to have.
Need to have meant that a destination has facilities, such as proper places of worship and halal food. Good to have aims to offer a memorable and different experience for tourists or visitors.
Meanwhile, nice to have meant that halal tourism in Indonesia must be able to compete with other countries.
"Halal tourism is an additional service or extended service. There are three categories of services, the first being the availability of halal food, places of worship, water-friendly washrooms, and no Islamophobia. Then, (there must be) good to have and nice to have (aspects)," he noted as quoted from in his official broadcast on Saturday.
He stated that the concept was translated into five components: halal hotels, halal transportation, halal food, halal tour packages, and halal finance.
"Bangkalan itself already has supporting infrastructure capital holistically, such as the Islamic Science Park, which will be built later on. We believe that halal tourism will stimulate the economy in Greater Madura and (offer) business opportunities in the tourism and creative economy sectors," he stated.
Related news: Halal tourism showing upward trend: Vice President Ma'ruf Amin
Minister Uno also noted that halal tourism had generated foreign exchange from Muslim travelers in an optimal way. Data from the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2019 indicated that the total expenditure of the world's Muslim tourists reached US$200.3 billion, or 12 percent of the total global tourist expenditure of US$1.66 trillion.
"Thus, Indonesia is in the 5th place of the 'TOP 5 Muslim Traveler Countries,' with the largest expenditure after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait," he stated.
Other attendees at the discussion comprised Trunojoyo University Madura Rector Muh. Sharif, Head of Bangkalan District Abdul Latif Amin Imran, and some officials from the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.
Related news: Indonesia has considerable halal tourism potential: Uno
Translator: Maria Cicilia, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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