The Tourism Board and certification authorities are encouraging restaurants, hotels and attractions to enhance their Muslim-friendly offerings by obtaining Halal certification, with the aim of enriching the experience of Muslim visitors to Hong Kong. The board said on Thursday that the number of certified Halal and Halal-friendly restaurants has risen from approximately 100 at the start of the year to around 130. The SAR now has its first ever high-end Chinese restaurant certified as Halal-friendly. Saito Chau, culinary director of Chinesology, said the certification process was extremely detailed, encompassing everything from menu design and the procurement of cutlery and cooking utensils to selecting appropriate ingredients. He said that achieving the Halal-friendly status was a significant milestone in making Chinese cuisine more accessible to Muslim consumers. For example, the restaurant has recreated the popular "char siu", or Chinese barbecue pork, with beef instead. "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," he said. Becky Ip, deputy executive director of the board, said the SAR is committed to expanding its outreach to visitors from Middle Eastern and Asean markets, recognising the significant potential and spending power of Muslim consumers. "We have just started the whole support to our agencies and also the [Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong] Board of Trustees for making Hong Kong more Muslim-friendly, particularly in the dining scene," she said. "It's just a beginning as we just started in June this year, so so far we have about 30 new restaurants joining as Halal-friendly restaurants. So hoping by doing so, we will have more. We'd like to see more restaurants participate in the scheme." Ip added that they have intensified promotional efforts in Muslim source markets to draw more visitors from Southeast Asia and the Middle East to Hong Kong. "[It is] very important to let Muslim travellers understand well [that when] they come to enjoy Hong Kong, it will also be very safe for them to eat the food in Hong Kong, where they stay will be very safe for them," she said. "We have actually brought a few delegations to the Middle East and quite some delegations to promote Hong Kong together with our trade partners in these areas, Middle East and Southeast Asian countries. Apart from that, we also have invited over the past few months a series of KOLs, media and trade partners to come and see Hong Kong themselves. "Particularly let them have a chance to sample our hotel facilities and sample the Hong Kong food they look forward to. It's very, very important."
