Tourism entities in Indonesia are partnering with CrescentRating (CR), which promotes Muslim-friendly travel and halal hospitality, to regain the country’s position in the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI).
Indonesia, which held joint first in the 2023 and 2024 GMTI destination ranking, slipped to fifth place this year.
CR, based in Singapore, has signed an agreement with the National Hotel Institute (NHI) Bandung Tourism Polytechnic, under the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE), according to founder and CEO Fazal Bahardeen.
The collaboration will cover internship programmes for students in the CR network, the development of academic modules integrating CR global standards into the polytechnic curriculum, and training, short courses, and certification for students, lecturers and industry professionals.
Research on market trends, consumer behaviour and the development of Muslim-friendly destinations will also form part of the initiative, including the implementation of the Responsible, Immersive, Digital and Assured Framework in the Bandung, Bogor and Cirebon areas.
Another initiative is the launch of Bank Indonesia’s fourth and largest Indonesia Muslim Travel Index (IMTI), supported by MoTCE, at next month’s Indonesian Shariah Economic Festival in Jakarta.
BI, which promotes Muslim travel and the shariah economy, launched IMTI in 2018 to target domestic and international travellers and businesses, covering 10 Indonesian provinces. The second edition was held in 2019 and the index resumed post-lockdown in 2023 and 2024.
Fazal said the 2025 IMTI edition covers 15 provinces, with teams from CR, the ministry and the polytechnic spending three weeks meeting stakeholders, including provincial governors.
“Indonesia has to continue to improve (as a Muslim-friendly travel destination) because other countries are doing more and competition is getting stronger,” he said.
