The House of Representatives Commission X overseeing tourism has praised the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) administration for its success in developing its halal food industry, especially on Lombok Island.

"The commission has been impressed with the development of tourism in NTB, especially on Lombok Island, which is famous for its beautiful destinations, including beaches, hills, mountains, traditional customs and cultures, as well as food," the commission's working team head, Wiryanti Sukamdani, said in her speech at the Lombok Office of Tourism during a visit over the weekend.

Wiryanti further said the halal cuisine being developed in NTB, especially on Lombok Island, would help to improve the quality of services provided to all tourists, tribunnews.com reported.

"Moreover, NTB is the only province with a regional regulation (Perda) on halal tourism, as stipulated in Regional Regulation No. 2/2016," she said.

Wiryanti said that with the regulation, halal tourism was legitimized, as foods in the region had been halal-certified. 

West Nusa Tenggara Tourism Agency head Lalu Mohamad Faozal said that since NTB was first branded as a halal tourist destination, the province had received both national and international awards, such as World's Best Halal Tourist Destination and World's Best Halal Honeymoon Destination in 2016.

In the meeting, Tourism Ministry tourist development head Dadang Rizki Ratman handed over financial assistance worth Rp 227.4 billion (US$15.84 million) to the NTB administration to help improve human resources in the province's tourist sector. (stu/ebf)