HKTB Drives Development of Muslim-Friendly Tourism Facilities to Elevate Visitor Experiences on All Fronts

Hong Kong Sees a High-End Chinese Restaurant Certified as Halal-friendly for the First Time

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been driving the development of Muslim-friendly tourism facilities with various trade partners to boost Muslim visitors’ experience in Hong Kong. HKTB collaborates with leading certification authorities to encourage restaurants, hotels, attractions, MICE venues, and other establishments to review their Muslim-friendliness, while promoting the importance of Halal certification among the trade. Notably, Chinesology, a celebrated Chinese fine diner, is assessed to be “Halal-Friendly” by the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong (Board of Trustees, BOT). It has become the first high-end Chinese catering establishment to achieve similar certification in Hong Kong, allowing Muslim visitors to enjoy Hong Kong’s fine dining scene, particularly in Chinese cuisines.

Ms Becky Ip, HKTB Deputy Executive Director, said, “The populations of countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, consist of a significant portion of Muslims. In recent years, Hong Kong has been dedicated to developing visitor sources in the Middle Eastern and ASEAN markets to capitalise on the vast potential and spending ability of the Muslim consumer segments. As such HKTB deploys a diverse strategy to make our city a Muslim-friendly tourism destination. At the same time, we have also stepped-up promotions in Muslim source markets to attract more visitors from the Southeast Asia and the Middle East to Hong Kong.”

Encouraging the industry to strengthen Muslim-friendly facilities and get certified

HKTB has commissioned the internationally recognised halal travel promotion company CrescentRating to carry out the following works: working jointly with local halal accreditation organisation, studying how Hong Kong can further develop as a “Muslim-friendly” destination, assessing local hotels, attractions and MICE venues based on categories and standards on par with international benchmarks while taking into account of Hong Kong’s actual situations, and providing training to the trade and conducting promotions in visitor source markets. For restaurants, HKTB works with local halal certification authority BOT to promote the existing accreditations in the city and encourages F&B establishments to apply for certification. In addition, large-scale trade seminars are held to educate the industry, with a view to motivating them to apply for certifications.

Categories/ Ratings for various tourism facilities

So far, a total of 39 hotels has successfully applied for and obtained certifications from CrescentRating, among which Kowloon Shangri-la and Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel have obtained Level 5 rating. Four attractions and MICE venues have also been rated.

At the same time, HKTB also closely partners with BOT to encourage restaurants to obtain halal related certification, with the number of certified restaurants increasing from about 100 at the beginning of the year to more than 130. Mr Saeed Uddin, Chairman of BOT, said, “With HKTB’s assistance and promotions, the number of restaurants applying for ‘Halal-friendly’ certification has shown a significant increase. As businesses in the F&B sector further deepen their understanding towards ‘Halal-friendly’ catering, it is expected that more restaurants will join the list of certified restaurants for Muslim consumers.”

More details are available in Appendix I.

Chinesology certified as Hong Kong’s first halal-friendly high-end Chinese restaurant

Most Muslim visitors choose to eat at restaurants with halal or halal-friendly certifications. Chinesology, a renowned local Chinese fine diner and a certified merchant of the Quality Tourism Services Scheme, is recently certified as a “halal-friendly” restaurant by BOT, becoming the first halalfriendly high-end Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. This marks a milestone development of Hong Kong’s F&B sector in terms of expanding its target market segment to Muslim consumers.

Mr Saito Chau, Culinary Director of Chinesology, shared his experience, “Muslim diners do not know much about Chinese cuisines, many of which have never tried Chinese cuisine before. This inspires us to offer a culinary experience to Muslim visitors that allows them to explore the sophistication of the Chinese culinary culture by getting to taste the dishes themselves. The accreditation not only marks Chinesology’s breakthrough in serving Muslim diners, but also demonstrated our brand’s innovative spirits in expanding its markets to more diverse segments. We will continue to share our quality Chinese dining experience with Muslim consumers and promote the art and culture of the Cantonese cuisine.”

Mr Chau added that the certification procedure is highly meticulous. From menu design, procurement of cutleries and cooking utensils, to identifying suitable ingredients, the Chinesology team has been working closely with HKTB, while BOT has provided extensive professional advice.

Chinesology offers 20 halal-certified Chinese dishes (see Appendix II) to allow Muslim diners to enjoy authentic Chinese tastes. The restaurant also offers flexible set menus for Muslim consumers’ customisation. A 6-dish lunch menu is about HK$600-800 per head; while an 8-dish dinner menu costs about HK$1,200-1,500. Reservations are required with advance notice of three days or more.

HKTB Strengthens promotions in Muslim visitor source markets Dedicated webpage for Muslim tourists launched

HKTB also leverage different channels to attract Muslim visitors to Hong Kong, including a webpage dedicated to Muslim visitors (https://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/explore/muslimtravel.html) on DiscoverHongKong which consolidates travel information on food, accommodation, prayer facilities, cultural experiences and activities suitable for Muslim visitors. The webpage is available in 4 languages and is constantly updated with the latest information to ensure visitors and the trade can keep abreast of Hong Kong’s latest offerings. Besides, HKTB continues to step up promotions in Muslim visitor source markets, visiting the Middle East and Indonesia, and to strengthen promotions on social media. HKTB also invites the Muslim travel trade and media to visit the city in person, promoting Hong Kong tourism through their networks and showcasing Hong Kong as a Muslim-friendly travel destination.

Photos of Muslim-friendly facilities in Kowloon Shangri-la

Photos of Muslim-friendly facilities in Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott