Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Businesspeople in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam have blamed the improper implementation of sharia (Islamic law) for the lack of development in the province's tourism industry.

"The image of Aceh as a sharia-ruled region has caused reluctance among tourists to visit," Totok Yulianto, owner of a travel agency here, said recently.

As a destination, Totok went on, Aceh actually had all the potential to develop into a world-class tourist spot.

"The natural beauty here – the sea, beaches, mountains, forests – and the people's hospitality are the main capital for the tourism industry," Totok said.

And yet, he added, Aceh remained the country's least developed province in terms of tourism, thanks to the improper implementation of sharia in the sector.

As an example, Totok pointed out the requirement for female tourists to wear jilbab (headscarves) while bathing at beaches in Aceh.

He said such a requirement needed a clear bylaw. He also suggested the provincial administration make a clear distinction between beaches for women with jilbab and for those without.

"That's just an example of an insubstantial problem. There are many other bigger problems that the Aceh people and administration have to resolve," he said.

Unless something is done to bring regulations and bylaws on tourism in line with sharia, he warned, Aceh's tourism industry would never develop, much less to catch up with those of provinces such as Bali.

Dahlan Sulaiman, chairman of the World Bank-sponsored Aceh Tourism, Industry and Trade Working Group, expressed similar sentiments, saying other sectors such as trade and industry were facing similar problems over regulations, policy and security.

"To date, we see that the government, especially the immigration office, has yet to side with the interests of businesspeople," he told The Jakarta Post recently. He pointed out the lack of a visa-on-arrival facility at Banda Aceh's Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport as clear proof of this.

Dahlan suggested all these issues could be resolved if the provincial administration and the business community worked together on the matter.

Otherwise, he warned, Aceh's economy would continue to deteriorate, especially with the end of the post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction process and the dissolution of the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Body fast approaching.

If the Aceh administration wanted to create a tourism concept based on sharia, Dahlan went on, it must look to countries employing a similar concept, such as Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, as an example.

He added Aceh was rich in sites that reflected Islam, which could also be used to attract tourists to the region. Unfortunately, most of these sites are neither well-preserved nor well-maintained, with some even abandoned, he lamented.

"We have a lot to do to catch up and compete with other provinces, especially in this post-conflict and post-tsunami stage," Dahlan said.