Written by 
Ayra Wang
Over 130 local restaurants and 39 hotels have obtained halal certifications as Hong Kong is promoting Muslim-friendly facilities to attract more tourists from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Middle East.
Speaking at a press conference at the IFC mall yesterday, Hong Kong Tourism Board deputy executive director Becky Ip Ching-tak said the Muslim tourism market has huge potential. “By 2028, 230 million Muslim visitors are expected with associated global tourism revenues of US$225 billion (HK$1.75 trillion),” she added.
The city has been attracting visitors from the Asean and Middle Eastern markets, Ip said, so there is an opportunity to “capitalize on the vast potential and high-spending ability of the Muslim consumer segments.”
Ip said most Muslim visitors to the city stay overnight with a per capita spending of HK$6,700 – higher than the HK$5,300 average consumption of non-Muslim visitors.
The board had commissioned CrescentRating, an internationally recognized halal travel promotion company, to assess local hotels and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition venues on their Muslim-friendliness from 1 to 7, with level 7 being the highest rating.
Ip said the institution had received applications from 57 hotels and 39 of them had obtained certifications rated from 3 to 5, which means that the hotels at least provide prayer amenities and halal breakfast corners.
Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel and Kowloon Shangri-La have obtained a level 5 rating. They have prayer facilities, halal breakfast and menus for room services, in-hotel halal-certified restaurants and kitchens as well as customized toilets.
A total of 132 local restaurants were also halal-certified by the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong.
Among them, Chinesology in Central became the first high-end local traditional catering establishment certified as halal-friendly. It offers 20 halal Chinese dishes.
The restaurant’s operations and culinary director, Chau Sai-to, said the dishes will enable Muslim customers to enjoy the special flavor of Chinese cuisine. “We hope to show our hospitality to customers from different cultural backgrounds by introducing halal-friendly dishes,” Chau said.
Chinesology prepared for half a year to get the certification, developing dishes, purchasing dedicated kitchenware, training chefs and setting up an area in the kitchen for cooking halal food.
It also offers Muslim set menus, with a six-dish lunch menu costing HK$600 to HK$800 per person and an eight-dish dinner menu priced at HK$1,200 to HK$1,500 per person.
Meanwhile, the board also designed a one-stop webpage for Muslim visitors at www.discoverhongkong.com.
ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com