Though South Jakarta is better known for its entertainment centers, trendy restaurant and cafes, the municipality’s administration is hoping to tap into the potential of Indonesia’s growing halal tourism.

The South Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency introduced its halal tourism concept through a collaboration with South Jakarta’s Abang-None community and Al Azhar Islamic School. They held an event called Hijab Run over the weekend to promote the initiative, marking the school as one of the area’s halal tourist destinations.

Themed Halal in Diversity, the event was the first of its kind for South Jakarta.

“Halal in Diversity means that everyone, regardless of their gender, age and religion, is free to join the event,” the head of South Jakarta’s tourism and creative economy office, Puka Yanuar, told The Jakarta Post at the event.

He explained that the Hijab Run represented fashion from the 16 segments of the creative economy targeted for halal tourism in South Jakarta. The other segments include food and beverages, architecture, theater, art and film.

The idea of developing South Jakarta for halal tourism was first announced by former deputy governor Sandiaga Uno, who said the municipality was expected to be fully ready as a competitive halal tourist destination in Asia by 2020.

The plan, however, did not take off until November last year as the city administration revamped plans to attract 1 million Muslim tourists to Jakarta this year, Puka said.

The idea of developing halal tourism in South Jakarta is not without economic motive. The Mastercard and Crescent Rating, a research group that tracks the halal travel industry, projected in 2018 that halal tourism would grow from a US$180 billion industry to $300 billion in the next decade.

The research also projected that a young, educated and mobile population would be the fastest-growing demographic for global halal tourism.

With more than 2.4 million foreign tourists coming to Jakarta last year according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Puka was confident that halal tourism in South Jakarta would lure a million foreigners and domestic tourists in 2020.

He added that South Jakarta’s administration is eyeing three areas to develop as halal tourist spots, namely Kemang, Cipete and Melawai, based on a series of internal discussions and research.

These three areas also have good public infrastructures, such as refurbished sidewalks and access to MRT Jakarta.

Puka further explained that the initiative was not meant to create a counternarrative to the South Jakarta’s current image as an entertainment hub.

“Halal tourism is a profitable market segment for which millions of people from foreign countries are currently looking [...] We need to shift the definition of halal to include a more open culture,” he said.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo inaugurated Muslim tourist and shopping destination Halal Park at the Gelora Bung Karno sports complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, in April last year, kicking off a project that would see a bigger version of the park called the Halal Lifestyle District.

The president said the launch aimed to tap the potential of a growing market for global halal products, which was worth $3.7 trillion in 2019, according to the Global Islamic Economic Report.

Once completed, the Halal Lifestyle District will become a place for halal industry players to showcase and sell their products, from modest apparel to halal food and beverages. The district is being planned as a Muslim-friendly tourist destination that operates with a sharia ecosystem. (trn)

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