Foreign tourists coming to Taiwan began to increase in the recent years. Throughout 2017, local government recorded 3 million foreign tourists visited that island in the southeast China.
Foreign tourists come from various countries including Indonesia which is the Muslim-majority country since Taiwan government launched a Muslim-friendly tour.
“The government has a new policy for them (tourists) who come to Taiwan,” said Halal Specialist of the Chinese Muslim Association Majid Tsai when met at Pullman Hotel, M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, Monday, March 5. The policy includes the availability of prayer room or Musala facilities in a number of the tourist site.
Majid recommends some of the following tips for Muslim travelers to enjoy Taiwan.
1. Halal Certified Restaurant from Chinese Muslim Association
In Taiwan, it is a culture to cook with oil contained pork as to make the food delicious.
But now Muslim tourists no need to worry as there are at least 324 restaurants have been certified halal and serve friendly food. For example Banquet A and Hakka Pavillion Restaurant located in Kaohsiung City.
All the restaurants will display certification sign from the Chinese Muslim Association. “It’s usually at the entrance,” Majid said.
2. Ask The Food Vendor in the Night Market
Taiwan people liked to hold the night market. Almost in every town, every night people staged merchandise and presented traditional performances.
There are also culinary sites along the way. If Muslim tourists want to try the traditional food there, they must first ask the sellers. “Although they sell seafood, they used to cook with pork oil,” said Majid.
3. Being Vegetarian
Halal certified food in Taiwan is quite expensive. The budget for a single meal ranges from Rp50 thousand. Moreover, halal food generally available in large restaurants.
To save money and get a halal meal, Majid recommends tourists to be vegetarian for a moment. Throughout Taipei City, there are vegan food vendors at a low price.
4. Special Toilet
The dry toilets is commonly a major problem encountered by Muslim tourists when they first came to Taiwan. “They are usually surprised by the toilet that has no sprayers and flush,” said Majid.
But lately, the government has built a special toilet equipped with the sprayer. This toilet can be found in the visitor center. Across the island, there are 37 visitor centers. “Visitor center usually can be found near tourism site, especially in Taipei,” he said.
5. Choose Hotels with Muslim Friendly Facilities
A number of hotels with Muslim-friendly facilities can be found in three cities, Taipei, New Taipei City, and Keelung City. The hotels usually provide Musala facilities, ablutions, and toilets with water sprayers.
However, Muslim-friendly hotels are generally not the budget hotels which is the four or five stars hotel. The price is around Rp1 million per night. Tourists need to plan more budget for a stay at a Muslim friendly hotel.
6. Application Halal.TW
For further information about Halal tours, travelers can download Halal.TW application. The application contains a variety of information about halal culinary, Muslim friendly hotel, mosque and Musala points, and shopping centers that provide halal snacks.
Halal.TW Applications can be downloaded for free via PlayStore for Android users and via Apple Store for iOS users.