JAKARTA: Tens of thousands of Indonesians attended the country’s biggest Muslim lifestyle festival on Sunday amid a government push to promote and develop the local halal industry.

Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, has been working to boost the growth of its halal industry, hoping to harness the substantial potential of its domestic market.

Over the weekend, almost 200 Indonesian lifestyle and service brands took part in the 2024 Muslim Lifestyle Festival. The three-day event opened on Friday and was held on the outskirts of the capital, Jakarta, targeting at least 45,000 visitors.

“We must organize this type of activity more often so that the Muslim community can develop themselves even farther in economy, education and halal food. Let’s shift from any disagreement and turn the energy to develop halal food, economy, entrepreneurship, fashion and education,” Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said during the opening ceremony on Friday.

“We must be productive and develop further. We have to dominate the local and global market.”

Dubbed the “biggest and most comprehensive” exhibition of its kind in Indonesia, the Muslim Lifestyle Festival featured a variety of products and services, from a selection of halal food products and Islamic books to halal-certified cosmetics as well as Hajj and Umrah travel offerings.

This year, as it is held alongside the Muslim Edu Fest and the Jakarta Halal Expo and Conference, the event also featured Islamic education presentations and public discussions with halal industry leaders.

In October, the Ministry of Trade will host its annual Trade Expo Indonesia and the Jakarta Muslim Fashion Week, also aiming to attract thousands of domestic and international visitors.

Such events can help “maximize the huge potential of the halal industry” and “strengthen Indonesia’s position as a leader in the global halal industry and Islamic economy,” Nia Niscaya, an expert at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said in a statement.

“It can also further boost the inclusive and sustainable development of our nation’s economy,” she added.

Amid government efforts to boost the local halal industry, Indonesia moved up a spot by the end of 2023 in the Global Islamic Economy Indicator, an index of countries with the strongest Islamic economies.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy was ranked third, just behind Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.