The Tourism Bureau yesterday said it aimed to have 50 restaurants certified as Muslim-friendly as it looks at options to further tap into the Muslim tourist market.
Eric Lin (林坤源), director of the bureau’s international travel division, said Muslim tourists visiting Taiwan mainly come from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and northwest China.
The bureau hopes to see 10 percent growth in tourist arrivals from each of those countries this year, Lin said.
Photo: Tseng Hung-ju, Taipei Times
The frequency of broadcasts of television commercials on traveling in Taiwan in Malaysia has increased, he said, adding that the bureau has also worked with travel agencies to organize tours.
“The nation drew about 6 million tourists last year,” Lin said. “The population of Muslim countries is approximately 1.7 billion, which presents a high potential for international visitors.”
The “Muslim-Friendly Restaurant” certification was handled by the Chinese Muslim Association.
Association secretary-general Salahuddin Ma Chao-yen (馬超彥) said the main purpose of the certification was to let Muslims around the world know that there are Muslims in Taiwan as well.
Based on the certification guidelines, restaurants must ensure that the food offered to Muslims is prepared according to Islamic law. The guidelines also have specific instructions for various items, ranging from buying from certified halal food suppliers and seasonings to cookware.
The service personnel must also receive training on the “dos and don’ts” of hosting according to Muslim customs.
Eleven restaurants nationwide have already been certified as Muslim-only businesses — which serve only halal food — while there are seven Muslim-friendly eateries — businesses that serve both halal and non-halal food.
Restaurants in some amusement parks, such as Leofoo Village Theme Park in Hsinchu County, are among those that have been certified.
Jozo Chen (陳怡穎), marketing specialist at Shangrila Leisure Farm in Yilan County, said the farm hosted about 1,000 Muslim tourists last year.
“Apart from the food, they [Muslim tourists] also require a separate dining area to eat,” Chen said. “We must also have arrow signs [pointing to Mecca] for their daily prayers and proper washing facilities in the hotel rooms.”
Chen said the cost of hosting Muslims is slightly higher than that of non-Muslim tourists, but the certification would help the hotel attract more tourists from Muslim nations.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and