The global Islamic economy is preparing to turn its attention to Jakarta as the 13th Indonesia Sharia Economic Festival (ISEF 2026) takes place from 14 to 18 October 2026 at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC), Senayan.
A central highlight of this year's program will be the official launch of the Indonesia Muslim Travel Index (IMTI) 2026. Presented during the Indonesia Muslim Friendly Tourism Summit (Muslim-Friendly Tourism Forum), the launch will feature a keynote address by Fazal Bahardeen, Founder & CEO of CrescentRating and HalalTrip, delivering critical data-backed insights on the evolving competitiveness of Indonesia’s provincial destinations.
What is ISEF 2026?
Hosted annually by Bank Indonesia in strategic partnership with the National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS), government ministries, and industry bodies, ISEF is Indonesia’s flagship and largest annual Sharia economic event.
Anchored under the theme “Accelerating Sustainable Sharia Economic and Financial Growth through Synergy and Digital Transformation,” ISEF 2026 brings together international trade delegations, policymakers, financial institutions, and enterprise leaders. The five-day festival spans the full spectrum of the Halal value chain—including Islamic finance, the Halal Value Chain (HVC) ecosystem, modest fashion (IN2MOTIONFEST), Halal healthcare (IN2HCC), and faith-compatible tourism.
The Return of IMTI: Benchmarking Indonesia's Destination Readiness
The Indonesia Muslim Travel Index (IMTI) is the premier national benchmark measuring provincial destination readiness and competitiveness for faith-conscious travelers across the archipelago.
Developed by CrescentRating in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, IMTI adapts the internationally recognized ACES Framework to evaluate provinces across four critical dimensions:
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Access: Air and land transit, visa and border flow capacity, and regional transport
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Communications: Multilingual guides, digital marketing, and AI discoverability
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Environment: Safety and hygiene, sustainability and ESG, and stakeholder literacy
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Services: Halal F&B provision, prayer rooms, and Muslim-friendly stays
Following the results of IMTI 2025—where West Java (Jawa Barat) surged to claim the #1 ranking and DKI Jakarta secured top honors for accessibility and transit connectivity—the 2026 edition tracks how regional governments have accelerated their provincial readiness ahead of the 2026–2030 travel growth cycle.
Fazal Bahardeen to Unveil Key Insights at the Tourism Summit
Taking the stage on Friday, 16 October 2026, during the Indonesia Muslim Friendly Tourism Summit, Fazal Bahardeen will present the core findings of IMTI 2026, examining how Indonesian destinations are converting sovereign demographic scale into measurable economic yields:
Translating Global Leadership Locally
In the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2026, Indonesia achieved the strongest year-on-year climb (+3 points) to share the #2 ranking globally alongside Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. IMTI 2026 reveals how individual provinces are driving that sovereign momentum.
Capitalizing on Regional Demand
With 2.27 million Malaysian arrivals leading inbound flows and 75% of Muslim arrivals originating within ASEAN, Bahardeen will detail how destinations outside primary gateways can package bookable cultural and eco-tourism corridors.
The Imperative of AI Discoverability
Bahardeen will emphasize that physical infrastructure alone is no longer enough. To capture the tech-native travelers entering peak spending years between 2026 and 2036, provincial DMOs must structure local assets into machine-readable data that autonomous AI travel agents can index and verify in real time.
Looking Ahead
As global Muslim travel expenditures head toward USD 310 billion by 2030, the launch of IMTI 2026 at ISEF provides Indonesia's provincial leaders, DMOs, and private operators with the diagnostic clarity needed to allocate capital effectively, train frontline workforces, and build world-class visitor experiences.
