Babel launches halal tourist destination

Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung (Antaranews Babel) - The Provincial Administration of Bangka Belitung (Babel) Islands has launched halal tourism destination as an effort to attract domestic and foreign tourists visiting the province.

"We want this tourism sector to be one of the foundations of the local economy in the future," Babel Islands Provincial Secretary Yan Megawandi said, after opening the Babel Halal International Halal seminar here, on Wednesday.

He added that the provincial administration is helping micro, small, and medium enterprises engaged in food processing to obtain halal certification as a strategy to realize Babel as a halal tourist destination.

"This halal certification program is also aimed at increasing business awareness on the importance of certifying processed food products," Megawandi noted.

According to him, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Japan, and other countries currently require halal certification as one of the efforts to sell their products to the international markets.

"With halal certification, of course, these food products would be guaranteed and have good quality," he remarked.

Megawandi asked all hotels and restaurants to support the local administration program in realizing Babel as a halal tourist destination in order to speed up the development of the tourism sector and grow the local economy.

"We invite all private companies and state-owned enterprises to help local administrations in helping small and medium businesses to get halal certificate for their products," Megawandi revealed.

The President Director of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of the Babel Islands Province, Zayadi Rosman, stated that he was ready to help the local administration to make Babel a halal tourist destination.

"We are ready to assist the administration in certifying food products, so that they can be competitive in the international market," he added.