A Muslim is someone who practices the religion Islam. There are more than one billion Muslims around the world, which makes up about a quarter of the global population; and the increasing scale is about the same as the global Chinese market. Consequently, countries around the world are competing to attract the large numbers of Muslim tourists. Catching on with this new market trend and acting in concordance with the central government’s New Southbound Policy, the Tourism Bureau of Tainan City Government organized a seminar on providing Muslim-friendly accommodations on March 29 at Tainan Tayih Landis Hotel. During the event, the government encouraged local hotels to provide Muslim-friendly accommodations and Halal-certified meals. The aim is to let local government and hospitality industries work together to transform Tainan into a Muslim-friendly city and attract more Muslim visitors.
Since processed foods were not so prevalent in the past, Muslims could discern whether the item is halal or not from its appearance. However, with the progress of food processing technology and varied regulations across different countries, now it is impossible to distinguish whether the food product is in compliance with Islamic dietary law or not just from the ingredient label. This is the reason why the international Halal certification emerged so that Muslim consumers would know which products they can consume. In recent years, more and more people around the world acknowledge and support the certification; therefore if a business obtains such a certification, it would improve business image and consumers’ trust in the brand.
In order to tap into the Muslim tourist market, Tainan City Government Tourism Bureau collaborated with Chinese Muslim Association and hosted a seminar on providing Muslim-friendly accommodations in Tainan. Lecturers from the Association were invited to give detailed introductions on proper accommodations for Muslims, Halal-certificated food products, and other hospitality-related and supplementary issues. Tainan Tayih Landis Hotel, which has already received Halal certification, shared their application experience and process with the audience. Over forty businesses participated and engaged in lively discussions with the speakers. The lecturers explained the Muslim tourist market to local industries, and how to provide appropriate services to Muslim guests according to Islamic law and their lifestyles, such as providing items and marks required for prayer; and making sure that items and equipment used in the restaurants (including ingredients and their place of origin, spices, cooking processes, kitchen equipment, logistics, storage, dining area and tableware) must comply with Islamic law.
FX Hotel Tainan said that although the hotel has not yet applied for Halal food certification, at the moment they do offer custom-made meals for Muslim guests and hope to obtain the certification in the future. Tainan Fushin Hotel remarked that currently they do not have many Muslim guests, but they do believe the number will rise in the future and will cooperate with the central government’s New Southbound Policy to tap into the Muslim tourist market. Other hotels including The Place Tainan, Good Ground Hotel, and H Villa Inn all expressed willingness to apply for the Halal certification.
Tourism Bureau Director-General Wang Shi-si pointed out that the collaboration between city government and local businesses will effectively increase the competitiveness and visibility of Tainan’s tourism and hospitality industries in the international Muslim tourist market. In addition to transforming Tainan into a Muslim-friendly tourism destination, this trend is an opportunity for Tainan to present its multicultural and hospitable image. By becoming more Muslim-friendly, Tainan hopes to welcome more international visitors to the lovely city.