A part of the Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI), the ranking assesses a country’s ecosystem, including supply and demand drivers relative to its size, governance, awareness and social considerations, according to a statement. The Halal Travel Indicator was first launched in 2014 as part of the 2014 State of the Global Islamic Economy Report initiated by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with DinarStandard, a growth strategy research and advisory system.

This is the first time Indonesia was included in the top 10. The top three countries in the recently released Halal Travel Indicator were Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Indonesia has set a target to attract at least 3.8 and 5 million Muslim visitors in 2018 and 2019, respectively. To reach the target, the Tourism Ministry is expected to allocate a larger budget toward halal tourism to be invested in sales missions and trade shows. Additionally, the ministry has also formed a Halal Tourism Acceleration and Development Team to help develop the archipelago's tourist sector.