Indonesia offers 1 million free halal certifications to boost Muslim-friendly tourism

Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism is expanding halal certification to strengthen Muslim-friendly tourism in the country.

Head of BPJPH, Ahmad Haikal Hasan said, collaboration between both agencies is necessary and strategic  considering that they have overlapping programs.

“It’s important to create synergy through joint programs that support and strengthen one another so the benefits are felt more broadly across society,” he said as reported by Antara News. 

According to Haikal, BPJPH is offering a free halal certification program known as Sehati which aims to grant 1 million free halal certificates to micro and small enterprises (SMEs) across the country this year. 

At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism has supported the development of over 6,000 tourism villages nationwide.

Head of Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan (credit photo: BPJPH)

“This creates a strategic and productive synergy, especially for promoting Muslim-friendly tourism, where the availability of halal-certified products is essential,” he said.

Haikal emphasised that Indonesia has strong potential in the halal industry and Muslim-friendly tourism which stemmed from its abundant resources and infrastructure.

He also calls for cross-sectoral collaboration involving all relevant stakeholders in order to optimize this potential.

“We have high-quality tourism villages across all regions that are truly competitive,” he said.

Haikal added that  BPJPH is serving a market of 64 million business players nationwide and working together with over 100,000 Halal Product Process Companions (P3H).

Indonesia is currently ranked number one as the best Muslim-friendly country destination according to the Global Muslim Travel Index 2024. (credit photo: Freepik)

“We need to optimize these resources, especially by ensuring halal-certified products are available in tourist destinations and by taking strategic steps to promote our halal tourism on the global stage,” Haikal stated.

Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana also expressed strong support for the partnership.

“We’re very excited to collaborate with BPJPH. We will begin joint visits to more than 20 tourism villages, with a goal of reaching over 6,100 villages to provide free halal certification,” she said.

Widiyanti emphasized that clear communication and strong promotion are crucial to restore Indonesia’s position as a leading global travel destination.

“We’ll hold a coordination meeting involving all stakeholders. We need to be more proactive,” she added.