Penguatan Branding Destinasi Wisata Halal Melalui Kuliner Tradisional dan Transaksi Tempu di Pasar Kamu Pantai Labu

This study examines how traditional halal cuisine and the “Tempu” (coconut-shell token) payment system strengthen the branding of Pasar Kamu, a weekly community-based culinary destination in Denai Lama Village, Pantai Labu District, Deli Serdang Regency, from an Islamic economics perspective. Using a descriptive qualitative case study, data were collected in June–July 2025 through in-depth interviews with eight informants (vendors, the market’s initiator, the tourism awareness group chair, a community figure, the village head, and two visitors), participant observation, document analysis, and manager and vendor records. Data were triangulated by source and method and analysed with Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña’s interactive model. Two vendor informants reported sales increases of about 50%, and the manager’s records show roughly 1,000 visitors per market day after the branding was strengthened (unaudited figures). The findings show that traditional food perceived as authentic, clean, and locally made functions as the destination’s main cultural identity marker, while halal cues remain largely implicit. From a fiqh muamalah perspective, Tempu, exchanged at a fixed and announced rate at an entrance counter, is best classified not as money (thaman) but as a closed-loop prepaid token akin to a sakk (voucher). Its validity rests on ‘urf and mutual consent (‘an taradin); the fixed rate and refundability mitigate gharar and exclude riba and maysir, provided that the operator’s rules are stated in writing. Informants perceive gains in vendors’ sales (hifz al-mal), cultural continuity, and environmentally friendly practices; the sales and visitor figures come from unaudited vendor and manager records, and the distribution of benefits was not examined. The study recommends written Tempu rules, facilitation of halal certification for local micro and small enterprises, and follow-up mixed-methods research that verifies income records across a larger sample of vendors.