Indonesia Expands Halal Certification Push To 1,500 Tourism Villages

JAKARTA, Oct 17 (Bernama-ANTARA) -- Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and the Indonesian Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) are collaborating to advance halal tourism by expanding halal certification for micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) products across 1,500 tourism villages.

"This step is a key milestone in bolstering Indonesia's position as the world's main Muslim-friendly tourist destination and to provide added value to the local communities," Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said in a statement confirmed on Friday, reported ANTARA news agency.

During her visit to Penyengat Island Tourism Village, Riau Islands, on Thursday, she noted that the halal certification programme has been rolled out since July 2025, with a pilot project carried out in 20 tourism villages, including Penyengat Island.

As of October 15, 2025, 438 MSME products have been certified halal under the initiative. Especially in Penyengat Island, 24 MSME products have received a halal certificate.

"It is highly fitting that Pulau Penyengat is selected as the symbolic location to emphasise our commitment to enhancing halal tourism," she remarked.

BPJPH Head Haikal Hasan noted that halal tourism is now a new engine of the economy that grows rapidly and becomes a symbol of health, quality, and transparency, thereby calling for optimisation of Indonesia's halal market.

He further said that President Prabowo Subianto is currently boosting the free halal certification programme for 1 million MSMEs, allowing them to get the certificate more easily and transparently.

Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad expressed gratitude for the support given by the Ministry of Tourism and the BPJPH in developing the halal tourism ecosystem in the region.

"We believe that the halal industry, especially in the food sector, has become one of the key icons in the global economy. Halal products are characterised by high standards of health and quality," he said.

Tourism villages are villages that have tourist attraction potential, developed and managed by the local village communities. According to data from the Ministry of Tourism, there are at least 6,155 tourism villages across Indonesia.

BERNAMA-ANTARA