Indonesia Intensifies Halal Tourism Drive After Climbing Global Muslim Travel Rankings
Jakarta — Indonesia is accelerating efforts to establish itself as the world’s leading Muslim-friendly tourism destination after rising to joint second place in the 2026 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI), with officials pledging to enhance destination readiness, digital innovation and visitor services to capture a growing global halal travel market.
The annual Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index ranked Indonesia alongside Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in second place this year, up three positions from 2025, while Malaysia retained the top ranking.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism said it would strengthen Muslim-friendly tourism by improving destination infrastructure, service quality, accessibility and collaboration with industry stakeholders to meet increasing international demand.
The GMTI described Indonesia as one of the strongest-performing destinations in 2026, highlighting the country’s adoption of smart tourism technologies and artificial intelligence to improve visitor experiences.
Masruroh, senior adviser for digital transformation and tourism innovation at the tourism ministry, said the improved ranking reflected Indonesia’s continued efforts to innovate and deepen cooperation with international partners.
Officials are also using the 2026 International Islamic Expo, which concludes on Sunday, to promote investment opportunities and showcase leading halal tourism destinations, including West Sumatra, Lombok, Banten, West Java, East Java and South Sulawesi.
“Our next target is to become number one in the world. For that reason, we will continue to boost quality service for Muslim travelers,” Vinsensius Jemadu, an expert staff member at the Ministry of Tourism, said.
Indonesia is seeking to capitalize on the rapid expansion of the global Muslim travel market, which the GMTI projects will generate 262 million international arrivals and approximately $310 billion in annual tourism spending by 2030. The report said Muslim international travel reached 196 million arrivals in 2025 and is expected to increase to 208 million this year, exceeding earlier growth forecasts.
