Korea to Attract 1 Mil. Muslim Tourists

TEHRAN (IQNA) - The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) says it aims to attract 1 million Muslim tourists this year in an effort to diversify the inbound tourism market.

Under the initiative, the KTO will establish more Muslim-friendly facilities and hold various events throughout the year, as part of its Muslim-Friendly Korea project.

This comes as part of the KTO's eight core projects for this year to reinvigorate the tourism industry, after it was hit hard by last year's Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak. 

"It is urgent to sharpen the competitiveness of the whole tourism industry in order to leap forward again," said Jung Chang-soo, CEO of the KTO. 

To do that, the KTO has vowed to attract tourists from more diverse regions, particularly Muslims. 

"We need to diversify the tourism market which has relied heavily on China and Japan," a KTO official said. 

"Given that Muslims represent 23 percent of the world's population, we should tap the markets where they live, especially in Asian Muslim countries."

The KTO will introduce a system at some 140 restaurants for evaluating their suitability to Muslim visitors. 

The system is divided with five categories from Halal Certified, Self Certified, Muslim Friendly, Muslim Welcome and Pork-Free. Halal means lawful or permissible in Arabic, and includes rules for the slaughter of animals and processing and manufacture of food products in accordance to Islamic law. Halal food makers cannot add pork, alcohol or meat-derived ingredients such as collagen.

Also, from April to December the KTO will support setting up facilities such as Muslim prayer rooms and restaurants serving halal-certified foods in various regions. 

The KTO will also provide leaflets and mobile applications carrying information about Muslim-friendly restaurants in Arabic. It has already introduced the Arabic service on its website.

A Halal Food Festival will be held with celebrity chefs demonstrating the preparation of halal foods. Further details of the event have not been decided. 

Kim Jong, vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, said in a recent meeting with reporters that the ministry will also develop tourism programs targeting Muslims. 

"If we properly promote our tourist resources to Muslims, many tourists will come to Korea. Especially, Iran is very favorable to Korean culture," Kim said.

Korea has seen a rise of Muslim tourists in recent years. Last year, the nation drew some 800,000 Muslim tourists. Asian Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia have recently been included among the top 10 sources of visitors.

Source: Korea Times