Africa Halal Week, hosted at Cape Town International Convention Centre from October 7-9, highlights Cape Town and the Western Cape as preferred Halal trading partners and travel destination.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Alderman James Vos highlighted “Cape Town is a melting pot of colour, cuisine and culture. We pride ourselves in being an inclusive city, where the Muslim culture is part of this city’s social fabric and embedded in our city’s unique character.”
“As a City, we are committed to attracting more Muslim travellers as we are a Halal friendly destination. Together with the City’s destination marketing agency, Cape Town Tourism, we are implementing numerous strategies to grow this industry,” said Vos.
Vos also said that Cape Town Tourism has partnered with the Crescent Rating Authority, an authority on Muslim-friendly travel services. Crescent Rating’s rating and accreditation service is the globally recognised premier independent standard for the Muslim travel market; the ideal Halal assurance solution for non-Muslim countries; and HalalTrip is the world’s leading online travel platform catering specifically to the needs of the Muslim traveler.
The City of Cape Town has also conducted research to gain further insight into this sector. This included:
The following methodology:
- Conducted an online survey targeting the travel industry
- Conducted a travel services staff online assessment
- On site visits to some of Cape Town’s travel and tourism services and facilities
- Facilitated workshops and group discussions with industry role players
Discoveries:
- Most respondents agree attracting Muslim tourists will help Cape Town prosper as a destination
- Most respondents do not have a clear understanding of this market segment
- Most respondents have a very basic understanding of Halal concepts
- There is a notable confusion about Halal food and the use of the term “Halal-friendly food”
Response:
- We published the Halal Tourism Basic Guidelines and Glossary
- The document holds all the relevant terms and basic guidelines in one place that helps service providers to understand the concepts, terms and definitions and to navigate the sector better
- Educated local stakeholders about the Muslim travel market and the needs of the Muslim traveller
- We collaborated with Crescent Rating Authority to hold In-destination Workshops to increase skills and competencies
- We established the first-ever Chef Exchange Programme in partnership with Crescent Rating to train chefs on Halal gourmet cuisine
What’s coming in the future:
- We will roll out a Muslim-friendly rating drive to increase the number of Muslim-friendly products especially in the Hotel and Restaurant sector
- We will publish a Cape Town Muslim-friendly Visitors Guide to create visitor comfort and the ease of travelling, which will make the discovery and trip planning phase easier for those looking for a Muslim-friendly travel experience in our city
At Africa Halal Week more than 63 exhibitors have been confirmed, covering a range of sectors, including Islamic banking, modest fashion, film and media promotion, cuisine and investment and trade.
More than 24 international buyers joining this year’s event from countries including Mozambique, the United States of America, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, India, the United Kingdom, Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana.
