Halal-certified offerings expanded

Jamie Liu

More than 140 restaurants and another 50 hotels have received halal-certification or international Muslim tourism accreditation, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

The development comes amid the observance of Ramadan, which started on Saturday and ends on March 30.

So far, 53 hotels, as well as five attractions and exhibition venues, have received accreditation from CrescentRating - an international Muslim tourism certifier - while over 140 local restaurants have been halal-certified.

HKTB deputy executive director Becky Ip Ching-tak said the board has been developing Hong Kong as a Muslim-friendly tourism environment since the start of last year and it is glad to see businesses are seizing the opportunities by applying for accreditation and introducing halal-certified products.

"These initiatives further enrich the experience and options of Muslim visitors when it comes to catering, accommodation and shopping," she said.

Ip said the board is producing a series of new training materials for frontline tourism practitioners that deal on greetings, customs, dietary requirements, attire and daily life.

"[This aims] to deepen their understanding of Muslim culture and how they can provide hospitality. In the future, we will also step up promotions of Hong Kong's tourism in Muslim visitor-source markets," she said.

Last month, HKTB hosted over 20 Muslim travel trade representatives for a trip to introduce the city's Muslim-friendly facilities and tourism products.

A total of 22 representatives from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - Hong Kong's Southeast Asian visitor-source markets - visited from February 17 to 20.

They tried authentic-quality Chinese cuisines with halal-certifications, including crab roe noodles, while tasting Hong Kong-baked handmade cookies, such as palmiers with salted eggs, and Hong Kong-style dim sum.

The visitors went to Ocean Park - where they saw giant pandas An An and Ke Ke - Disneyland, Ngong Ping 360, the historic fishing village of Tai O, and mosques.

They also visited various Muslim-accredited hotels to check out their accommodation facilities and catering services.

AB Sadewa, from Indonesian travel agency Moslem Tour-Panorama JTB, recognized Hong Kong's readiness to receive visitors from Muslim markets.

"I think the ecosystem of the hotel or the restaurant is ready to receive visitors from our market ... and they will find Hong Kong has reached a new level as a destination for Muslim travelers," he said.

Among the hotels with halal-certification are The Mira Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui as well as its sister property Mira Moon on Hong Kong Island. They received five crescents on CrescentRating's seven-tier system.

To accommodate Muslim travelers during the ongoing holy month of Ramadan, some hotels, including the Mira, now have rooms with Mecca direction pointers, Quran and prayer rugs. Others have also launched special Ramadan buffets.