“The ministry is currently creating a team to accelerate halal tourism in the three provinces,” said the ministry's destination development deputy Dadang Rizky Rahman in Mataram, NTB, on Wednesday.

Following the declaration of Lombok and Sumbawa as halal tourist destinations last year, NTB reportedly recorded an increase in tourists from Malaysia. “Based on our data, there has been a shift in Malaysian tourist arrivals. Previously, they preferred Medan, Bandung and Bali. Now, most of them opt to travel to Lombok,” said Dadang.

(Read also: West Nusa Tenggara to host halal travel fair)

He said the ministry would make the areas “Muslim-friendly.”  

“This includes Muslim-friendly airports, hotels and destinations where Muslim travelers can easily find places to worship. We must also increase halal certifications for restaurants and food products. Japan and Korea are doing this. We should not be left behind.”

Meanwhile, Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita) chairman Asnawi Bahar called for synergy between the government and local administrations to develop supporting infrastructure for halal tourist destinations, especially in regards to direct flights. 

"For example, since the availability of direct flights between Manado and China, up to 10,000 Chinese tourists have arrived in Manado," said Asnawi.

As of September, NTB has reportedly welcomed over 1.5 million domestic and foreign tourists.

“We are optimistic that we will attract 3 million tourists by the end of this year," said NTB Deputy Governor Muhammad Amin. (kes)