The island seeks to appeal to Muslim travelers from Southeast Asia. A strategy which came to fruition at the end of November with a major professional meeting at the Fullon Hotel in Tamsui, a suburb of Taipei.
The Taiwanese tourism administration has pulled out all the stops to welcome 26 Malaysian travel agencies. On the program: discovery of infrastructures adapted to Muslim travelers in the north and center of the island.
“We want to show that Taiwan can meet the specific expectations of Muslim tourists,” explains a tourism office official. Around twenty local service providers – hoteliers, restaurateurs and traders – already certified “Muslim-friendly” presented their services during this networking day.
This initiative is part of a broader approach supported by two regional tourism unions, Crown Coast and Great Northeast. Their objective: to develop an offer adapted to the dietary and religious constraints of Muslim visitors.
A strategy that could pay off: Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country of 33 million inhabitants, represents a booming tourism market in the region.
A promising market
This opening to Muslim tourism is also part of a particular geopolitical context. Faced with tensions with mainland China, Taiwan is seeking to diversify its economic and cultural partnerships in Asia. Halal tourism, a rapidly growing segment, could thus become a new lever of soft power for the island, while stimulating its tourism economy still recovering from the pandemic.
