Six tourist destinations in Taipei certified as Muslim-friendly

Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) Six tourist attractions in Taipei, including the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, have been certified by the Taipei government as Muslim-friendly as the city steps up efforts to make itself more welcoming to Muslim visitors.

The other attractions to be certified were the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Taipei Children's Amusement Park, the Zhishan Cultural And Ecological Garden, and the Discovery Center of Taipei, according to the city's Department of Information and Tourism.

The National Palace Museum and Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall made the list because of the availability of facilities for prayer and ritual ablution, or purification, the city said in a statement released Monday.

The Zhishan Cultural And Ecological Garden also provides a prayer room, hoping to attract more visitors from Southeast Asia, and the Taipei Children's Amusement Park and Discovery Center of Taipei have continued improving their facilities.

As for Taipei 101, it recently built a Muslim prayer room on the fifth floor of the skyscraper and installed a Muslim-friendly toilet equipped with a hand shower and electric bidet on the third floor.

A facility for ritual ablution will also be introduced on the 89th floor by the end of this year, the statement said.

In Taipei, the most favored destination among Muslim travelers are Ximending, Taipei 101, and Dadaocheng, according to the city.

Meanwhile, 36 hotels in Taipei have secured halal certification for providing Muslim travelers with prayer rugs, signs indicating the direction of Mecca, Muslim friendly toilets or facilities for ablution, and halal breakfasts, the statement said.

Speaking at a press conference announcing the Muslim-friendly attractions, Deputy Taipei Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said the world's Muslim population is estimated to reach 2.8 billion by 2025, and the Muslim market is expected to be the fastest growing travel sector in the world.

He noted that in the 2019 global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) released by MasterCard International, Taiwan was promoted to the third best destination among non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation countries for Muslim travelers for the first time.

Freedom, diversity and openness are characteristics that make Taipei a charming city for Muslim tourists, he said.