Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population. The Southeast Asian country is trying to attract foreign tourists by expanding its Halal tourism industry. President Joko Widodo recently inaugurated Indonesia's first halal park, a temporary district that will expand into a bigger complex by 2021. CGTN's Silkina Ahluwalia reports from Jakarta.

This is Indonesia's first Halal Park. Everything from Islamic fashion to halal food and beverages can be found here. Located in the country's capital, Jakarta, the park is set to become the biggest Muslim tourist and shopping destination in Indonesia. HiJup, a prominent Muslim fashion brand, is hoping to capitalize on this enormous growth in the halal industry.

ANASTASIA GRETTI HALAL PARK REPRESENTATIVE, HIJUP PR "For now, this is just a temporary district. We are hoping to build a larger complex by 2021 with a sustainable vision. It will be a one-stop shopping mall where people can find more than just halal products. It will include museums alongside creative and travel industries which will hopefully become a magnet for international tourists."

In 2019, President Joko Widodo is aiming to target 5 million people to experience halal tourism in Indonesia. The demand for global halal products is also projected to reach more 3 trillion US Dollars in 2019.

SILKINA AHLUWALIA JAKARTA, INDONESIA "President Joko Widodo says this is an opportunity that Indonesia simply cannot miss out on. This park is already becoming a hub for industry players to showcase their products, in turn expanding the country's halal industry to the regional and global level."

Research shows there are 140 million Muslim tourists with online spending reaching 35 billion US dollars. That number continues to increase each year and is predicted to reach more than 150 million people in the next year.

SAFRI HALIDING SHARIAH ECONOMIST "We appreciate the government's efforts to enhance Indonesia's Halal industry but one of the biggest challenge is obtaining proper halal certificate. For big companies, it's easy but for small and medium enterprises it's still a difficult and long process. As we know, micro SMEs are important to a country's economy. The government should give out those certificates and other incentives to them easily."

The development of the halal industry is quickly becoming a driver of economic growth in Indonesia as well as a form of creativity and innovation for the younger generation. Silkina Ahluwalia, CGTN, Jakarta.