As climate change accelerates and environmental concerns become increasingly urgent, the travel industry is rethinking its impact and its responsibilities. At the Halal in Travel Global Summit 2025, a dedicated session on integrating environmental stewardship into halal tourism brought together global leaders in sustainability, tourism innovation, and public sanitation to address this very challenge.

Moderated by Irshad Cader, CEO of Globothink Halal Industry Consulting Services, the session explored how halal tourism can offer a model for more sustainable, responsible, and community-focused travel.

The session featured insights from Saeeda Ahmed (Founder & President, Sustainable Cities Global Limited), Taufan Rahmedi (Founder, Indonesia Tourism Innovation Foundation), and Professor Jack Sim (Founder, World Toilet Organization).

Their collective message was clear: halal tourism must evolve not only to meet the growing expectations of environmentally aware Muslim travelers but also to be a force for positive change in the global tourism ecosystem.

Islamic teachings and environmental ethics

Saeeda Ahmed emphasized that Islamic values naturally support environmental responsibility. At the heart of these teachings is the concept of a responsibility toward all of creation, including biodiversity, fellow humans, and the planet itself.

“[This responsibility] is much wider and it encompasses wider than the corporate social responsibility, it incorporates this biodiversity in it, it includes the responsibility to social justice,” she stated.

She explained that halal tourism, when practiced in alignment with these principles, becomes a conscious, value-driven experience. For example, halal tourism should prioritize local communities, biodiversity, and environmental health, not just traveler comfort. Tourism workers should also be treated with respect and dignity, in keeping with the Islamic emphasis on social justice.

The Islamic economy, she argued, is not limited to Muslim benefit but extends responsibility and care to all. This spiritual and ethical foundation positions halal tourism as an ideal framework for sustainable travel practices.

Lombok’s holistic halal tourism model

From Indonesia, Taufan Rahmedi shared practical applications of environmental stewardship within the context of halal tourism, using Lombok as a leading example.

According to Rahmedi, halal tourism is not a replacement for conventional tourism, but a lifestyle-based extension of it by offering added value through ethical, faith-compliant, and sustainable travel services.

Lombok’s approach includes:

• Minimal use of motorized transport on the Gili Islands to protect the environment.
   
• Tree-planting programs that invite tourist participation.
   
• Integration of symbolic elements like the sapu headband, which represents commitment to both God and society.
   
• Promotion of services that are already widely practiced by Indonesia’s Muslim majority, but now positioned for global travelers.
   

Lombok’s success in integrating sustainability and halal compliance has not gone unnoticed. According to Rahmedi, the island is now considered one of the best Muslim-friendly destinations globally, drawing attention from both Southeast Asia and the Middle East travel market.

As a result, other Indonesian provinces are beginning to adopt similar models, indicating a scalable blueprint for sustainable halal tourism across the region.

“After we have world recognition as the world's best halal tourism destination, the stakeholders begin to believe us, and they are not afraid anymore to put the label halal in their promotion tools,” he revealed.

Cleanliness as a pillar of halal travel

Few topics in travel are as overlooked as public sanitation, but Professor Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organization, brought it to the forefront.

"Cleanliness is part of faith," Sim stated, also adding how Muslim travelers require access to clean ablution facilities for prayer, making sanitation a religious necessity, not a luxury.

He proposed several actionable improvements:

• Ablution-friendly public restrooms in areas with significant Muslim visitor traffic.
   
• Installation of Japanese-style wash bidet toilets or simple water hoses in toilets to meet hygiene requirements.
   
• Development of a "toilet advisor" app, where users can rate cleanliness, incentivizing businesses to maintain hygiene standards.
   
• Emphasis on sanitation as a revenue driver, not a cost, as clean facilities attract more visitors and increase destination competitiveness.
   

Sim’s call to action reminded stakeholders that sustainability also includes human dignity and practical hospitality.

Final Reflections: A Values-Based Path to Sustainable Travel

The Halal in Travel Global Summit 2025 session concluded with a unified message: halal tourism, when aligned with Islamic values and environmental ethics, can be a transformative force in the global travel industry.

As Professor Sim reminded the audience, “You cannot have beautiful hotels and dirty toilets.” Similarly, you cannot build a truly halal tourism experience without caring for the planet and the people who inhabit it.

Watch the full panel on YouTube here.

To see more of the Halal In Travel Global Summit 2025 sessions, please visit this page.