Indonesia pins its hopes on Islamic tourism

Just a short hop from the Indonesian holiday hotspot of Bali, a Saudi tourist and his family listen to the call to prayer as the sun goes down on Lombok, the self-styled "island of 1,000 mosques".

Lombok is at the center of an Islamic tourism drive in Indonesia, which has the world's biggest Muslim population and is hoping to boost the number of visitors from wealthy Middle Eastern countries.

While aiming to continue to attract Western tourists who flock to its pristine beaches, the island is also seeking to promote its Islamic heritage, from numerous places of worship to shrines dedicated to ancient Muslim preachers.

"I love it here because I can hear the azan (call to prayer) and people go to the mosque to pray," said 58-year-old Sulaiman, the Saudi tourist, who gave only one name and was accompanied by his wife.

Indonesia is the world's biggest archipelago nation, comprising more than 17,000 islands, but has long lagged behind smaller, more developed countries in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Thailand, in attracting tourists.

Foreign visitor arrivals to Indonesia rose to 8.8 million in 2013, according to official figures, compared with 25.72 million in Malaysia and 26.55 million in Thailand.

While there are no official figures for Islamic tourism in Indonesia, the sector is experiencing strong growth internationally.

In a recent report, the Muslim-oriented business group CrescentRating predicted the sector would be worth $192 billion a year globally by 2020, up from $140 billion in 2013.

"The economic growth of Middle Eastern countries is very good and we see an opportunity there," senior tourism ministry official Rizki Handayani said.

Only about 190,000 Middle Eastern visitors came to Indonesia in 2013, but authorities hope the Islamic tourism drive can increase numbers.

The government has produced tourist guides promoting Indonesia as a Muslim-friendly destination. It highlights the country's best Islamic tourism destinations and notes there are more than 600,000 mosques in the archipelago.

Lombok, long overshadowed by its better known neighbour, Hindu-majority Bali, hopes the drive can help raise its profile.

Authorities are planning to build a huge Islamic center that will contain a mosque, a hotel and a study center. Specially trained tour guides will point Muslim visitors in the direction of the nearest mosque at prayer time.

Other parts of Indonesia are hoping to benefit from the initiative. Aceh province, in the west of the country and the only part of the nation to enforce Islamic sharia laws, and the capital Jakarta are both seeking to lure Middle Eastern tourists, who often bring many family members with them and spend lavishly.