Korea Welcomes Muslim Tourists
With around 130,000 Muslims living in South Korea, both Koreans and foreigners, and currently about 15 mosques, South Korea seems to be like an unlikely Halal hub. However, the East Asian country is making a strong push to attract Muslim tourists and to cater to those who would like to enjoy a taste of Korea back home.
Seoul Central Mosque
The number of Muslim tourists to Korea has been steadily increasing by an average of 20 percent every year with approximately 900,000 Muslim tourists visited Korea in 2015 compared with 750,000 the previous year, a small percentage of the total 12 million foreign visitors to Korea in 2015.
Specifically, the arrival of Muslim tourists from Malaysia in Korea is estimated to reach 115,000 in 2016, which will be about 40% increase over 2015.
KOREA, A BETTER AND MORE CONVENIENT DESTINATION FOR MUSLIMS
In order to keep boosting up the Muslim tourist numbers, KTO is working continuously to increase awareness of Islamic practices among Koreans and to create a friendlier environment for Muslim tourists during their stay in the country. Activities such as conducting tourism market survey among the Muslim tourists in Korea which focused on the praying infrastructure as well as providing more Halal-certified restaurants for Muslim tourists have been actively done by the organization in ensuring a better understanding about Islam among Koreans.
Muslim tourist can now experience real Korean food at Hala-certified restaurant in Korea
It can be hard for Muslim tourists to find Halal-certified local food products and restaurants, especially those that allow them to experience real Korean food, as well as places to pray while travelling in Korea. As of to date, there are about 130 Muslim friendly restaurants including 14 Halal-certified eateries and the number is expected to grow in the years to come. Nevertheless, more Halal shops and marts are being opened where it gives more access for Muslim tourists to enjoy Halal meat and meals while in Korea.
Additionally, besides the mosques, there are more praying facilities have been developed at popular tourist destinations such as Nami Island, Lotte World, COEX Mall, Incheon International Airport and also including the new K-Style Hub, a tourist information centre by Korea Tourism Organization in Seoul.
Prayer room for Muslim tourists at Lotte World
Recently, a new multi-praying room has opened at Gimhae International Airport makes it more convenient for Muslim tourists when travelling in Korea. Overall, there are about 40 prayer rooms across the country and the number is expected to grow as well.
HALAL ASSISTANTS
One of the tools KTO has developed to help the Muslim tourists is Halal Korea, a free English-language app that allows Muslim travellers to find nearby Halal and vegetarian restaurants, determine prayer times, the nearest mosques, and the direction of the Kaaba according to their current location. It even has a function for scanning barcodes in supermarkets to see if the products are Halal-certified or not.
Other KTO initiatives include producing a restaurant guidebook for Muslim tourists, organising Halal food festivals, and creating educational programs for Koreans on Halal food and the needs of Muslim visitors.
THE ATTRACTIONS OF KOREA
The global success of Korean TV shows such as “Winter Sonata”, “My Love from the Star” and “Descendants of the Sun” is helping to drive international tourism, including Muslim visitors, as fans of those programmes seek out favourite filming locations in Korea.
The popularity of Korean dramas and K-pop music has also led to an increase in demand for Korean food and interest in experiencing the culture. Currently about 150 companies in Korea have received Halal certification for their food products, but the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Trade Corporation together with the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs are working to increase that number, while also boosting the Halal exports. Recently, a cosmetic company where its products are being manufactured in Korea has been Halal-certified where it will be a great contribution to the Muslim community in Korea.
CONNECTION WITH KEY ISLAMIC ECONOMIES
The Korea Muslim Federation (KMF), which provides Halal certification domestically, has already synchronised its requirements with those of Malaysia in order to facilitate exports to that Muslim-majority country, one of the main sources of international tourism to Korea.
Moreover, Korea Tourism Organization also provides financial supports to restaurants that would like to get Halal-certified by Korea Muslim Federation which it will be helpful in expanding the number of Halal-certified restaurants in Korea.
Official Halal certification by Korea Muslim Federation (KMF)
The increasing of Halal marts in Korea is also a sign of continuous effort done by Korea in providing the access for Muslim tourists to enjoy the Halal meat and meals without any hesitation. Even though the development in providing the facilities and resources for Muslim tourists might not be as fast as other countries, Korea is surely trying its best to cater the Muslim tourists need and demands in order to ensure that they will have the pleasant experience while travelling in Korea.
Nevertheless, Korea Tourism Organization will continuously to explore the world of Muslims to provide better and improve tourism services for Muslim tourists to Korea.
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