Sumaya El-Zaher
Halal tourism has become a booming industry in the past few years. Muslims are travelling more than ever and travelling everywhere in the world. It is not only Asia that Muslims are interested in. South Africa is also dealing with an increase of Muslim tourists.
With South Africa being one of the most visited countries in 2016, it is no surprise Muslims are starting to get interested to travel there as well. It is estimated by a report by Mastercard that the Muslim tourism industry could be worth $200 billion by 2020. South Africa is one more country on the long list of countries that noticed the increase of Muslim visitors and started to make its tourism more Muslim-friendly. Although South Africa is new to the game and not as advanced in its attempts to make its tourism Muslim-friendly, it still has a lot to offer.
Major chains, such as Hilton, have introduced Muslim-friendly rooms. These rooms include a prayer mat and the Qur’an. The rooms are also free of alcoholic drinks. All the food that is prepared in the kitchen is made without alcohol and pork. The Hilton Cape Town City Centre kitchen is completely ‘halal’.
Cape Town does have a small Muslim population. The Bo-Kaap area in Cape Town, which was formally known as the Malay quarter, is still home for many Muslims. In the area that is popular for its rainbow-like houses, there are more than seven mosques. The Bo-Kaap museum highlights the early contribution of Muslim settlers to Cape Town and it is definitely worth a visit.
Cape Town was once named ‘best food city in the world’, but because the traditional local cuisine was not suitable for Muslims, it has been hard to try it out. Although recently, the amount of halal restaurants serving these traditional dishes have been increasing, making it possible to enjoy local food.
There is also a Muslim-run tour company that will help Muslim tourist enjoy the local culture to the fullest.
It is no secret that Muslim tourists are influencing tourism all over the world. Countries are actively making effort to make their accommodations more attractive to that group. So what country are you planning to visit next time?