Catering to Muslim tourists
BY SUSAN TAM

http://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/1/18/features/4756277&s\
ec=features

EVER since the terrorist bombings of the World Trade
Center in the United States and Bali in Indonesia, the
number of Western and European tourists that visit
Taiwan has dwindled. So the island is looking to the
South-East Asian region, mainly Singapore and
Malaysia, as a new source of visitors. In fact, so
eager are they to welcome us, the island has waived
visas for 14-day visits.

As part of its efforts to promote itself to Malaysia,
30 tour operators and journalists from Malaysia were
invited to visit last year.

“Our next target also includes the Muslim market from
the South-East Asia region,” said the Taiwan Visitor’s
Association’s South-East Asia and South-Asia regional
director Philip K. S. Chao, adding that “we realise
there is still much to do to cater to their needs”.

Taipei can be an attractive shopping destination for
some, but for the Muslim community, access to halal
food could pose problems.

“There are about 60,000 Muslim Chinese on the island.
Historically, about one-third of them emigrated from
mainland China,” 47-year-old Muslim Chinese Dennis Ma
reassured. You just have to be a little adventurous to
find a place that will cater to the halal palate. Ma,
whose Muslim name is Nouraddin Masawod, did manage to
point out several such eating places, including a Thai
outlet, an Indian restaurant and several others run by
Muslim Chinese, all offering the tastiest beef
noodles, tandoori chicken and lamb kebabs.

And hotels and vegetarian restaurants, given advance
notice, can cater for specific eating requirements,
adds Ma who has more than 10 years experience as a
tour guide.

“Meat for specific menus laid out for tourists can
also be supplied to some restaurants to be cooked,” he
says, adding that there are six mosques located in the
country with a population of 22 million people. Two
mosques are located in Taipei.

Malaysian tour operator Kelvin Yeap is excited about
the idea of developing the Muslim market for Taiwan
tours. The managing director for Super Services Travel
Agency (M) Sdn Bhd, Yeap is based in Kelantan where
his clients are mostly Malay.

“Taiwan is an ideal spot for sight-seeing and
shopping. The Malay market at home will not hesitate
to join tours to the island just as long as their food
requirements are taken care of,” he says, adding that
he plans to set up tours in Taiwan for these tourists
with the help of his Taiwanese counterparts.

Ma says Yeap could be the first Malaysian tour
operator to make such arrangements for the Malaysian
Muslim traveller.

But, as Asiaworld Plaza Hotel Sales and Marketing
director Benedict Lim said, while the intentions of
tourism players are commendable, language poses a
barrier to non-Mandarin speaking travellers.

“The barriers are part of the local community’s
mentality, they may not realise that although they are
fluent in Mandarin or the local Hokkien dialect, they
may be ignorant towards those who do not speak their
native language,” he said.

Lim said if the hotel industry plans to create more
travelling opportunities for the non-Chinese market,
efforts must be made to provide information in
languages other than Mandarin and guides who can speak
other languages.

“Japanese tourists, who happen to love Taiwan, find it
difficult to get around in the city, for example, as
most signage is in Mandarin,” he added.

Taiwan’s Transportation and Communications Ministry’s
tourism bureau section chief Eric Lin acknowledged the
need to have bilingual signage and information packs
for non-Chinese travellers.

“Times have changed and we have to cater for other
communities and tourists. The government has already
started to move in that direction as they have started
English studies in schools this year to encourage more
people to speak that language,” he explained.

Chao said the Taiwan Visitor’s Association has also
conducted many promotional road shows in Malaysia and
Singapore in the language suited to those markets.

Taiwan has a lot to offer Malaysian tourists – but it
needs to take the initiative to implement changes that
will accommodate the changing profile of its tourist
arrivals.



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