REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM - The government through the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is introducing a sharia-base tourism to boost domestic and foreign tourist visits in Indonesia. Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Elka Pangestu said on Sunday that the Sharia-based tourism model introduced Islamic tourism objects incorporated with sharia values.

"The tourism potentials are managed by adopting the Islamic values," the minister said.

The Islamic values that could be developed in the tourism sector included halal (allowed based on Islamic law) culinary and Muslim apparel with Islamic values. She said that many domestic and foreign tourists looked for halal culinary tourism, and this would be more attractive if sharia-based culinary and fashion tourism were designed in interesting packages.

After all, Indonesia now had a target of becoming a global hub of Muslim fashion by 2020, together with the growing Muslim fashion industry, Pangestu said earlier this week.

"Indonesia is seeking to become a global hub of the Muslim fashion industry by 2020," she said at that time.

Pangestu said her ministry had organized the Muslim fashion festival every year in Jakarta to achieve the target of being a global hub of the Muslim fashion industry. In addition, the government also had sponsored three noted Muslim fashion designers, including Dian Pelangi, to participate in overseas exhibitions, she said.

"We brought it (Muslim fashion design) to London. We received an extraordinary response there," she added.