Taiwan Promotes Halal Dining Certification, Targeting the 1.9 Billion Muslim Market

Taiwan promotes Halal dining certification, targeting the 1.9 billion Muslim market.

Taiwan's Tourism Bureau recently said it expects to complete Muslim certification for 50 restaurants this year, aiming to further break into the Muslim travel market.

Promoting "Muslim-friendly restaurant" certification

The "Muslim-friendly restaurant" certification will be handled by the Chinese Muslim Association. Association Secretary-General Ma Chao-yen said the main purpose of the certification is to let Muslims around the world know that Taiwan also has Muslims. According to the introduction, to obtain "Muslim-friendly restaurant" certification, the ingredients used must be handled in the manner prescribed by Halal regulations; seasonings and the towels and tissues used for wiping must not contain alcohol; and dedicated tableware and a separate dining space must be used.

In addition, Taiwan's tourism authorities will also provide professional training on Halal customs for tourism practitioners.

Full Halal service

Currently there are 11 Muslim restaurants across Taiwan that serve only Halal food. At the same time, 7 are certified as "Muslim-friendly restaurants," serving both Halal and non-Halal food.

Almost all the restaurants around the Leofoo Theme Park in Hsinchu have already taken part in the certification. Chen Yi-ying, marketing director of the Shangri-La resort in Yilan, said the resort hosted about 1,000 Muslim tourists last year. "Besides providing Halal food, we must also set up a dedicated dining area for them," Ms. Chen said. The resort has also set up dedicated guest rooms for Muslim believers. The washing facilities in the room bathrooms conform to the customs of Muslim believers, and prayer rugs for worship are provided in the bedrooms.

Chen Yi-ying said the cost of hosting Muslim tourists is slightly higher than for non-Muslim tourists, but certification helps attract more tourists from Muslim countries.

A 1.7 billion travel market

Lin Kun-yuan, director of the International Travel Division of the Tourism Bureau, said Muslim tourists visiting Taiwan mainly come from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and northwestern China.

"The Tourism Bureau hopes that the number of visitors to Taiwan from each country and region can increase by 10% this year," Lin said. The frequency of Taiwan travel promotional videos in Malaysia is steadily rising. "The Tourism Bureau will also work with local travel agencies to organize locals to travel to Taiwan," Lin Kun-yuan added. "Taiwan attracted about 6 million tourists last year," Lin said, "while the Muslim countries' population is about 1.7 billion - huge potential."

Mainland China's production of Halal food and goods saw leapfrog development last year, with total trade with Arab countries exceeding USD 66 billion. The development of China's tourism industry can also draw on the model of the Taiwan region: not only going out, but also letting Muslim tourists come in, applying the development experience of Halal food and goods production to the catering industry, and using Muslim dining to tell the Muslim world that China's tourism industry welcomes Muslims.