Hong Kong to have first halal-certified restaurants under Q-mark scheme by year end

Hong Kong has moved closer to having its first batch of halal-certified restaurants under the city’s Q-mark certification scheme by the end of this year, with the finance chief insisting the next step was to expand international promotion efforts targeting Muslim tourists.

Commerce experts on a panel exploring halal markets on Monday also emphasised that Hong Kong businesses should learn more about Middle Eastern countries and traditions rather than viewing Islamic countries as a single entity.

Secretary for Finance Paul Chan Mo-po said the rise of the halal economy reflected a wider shift and signalled the growing economic influence of the Global South.

“We are working to ensure that our tourism and hospitality sector is increasingly welcoming to Muslim travellers,” he said at the forum organised by the city’s business chambers, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries.

“Our next step is to scale up our international promotion so that more Muslim travellers will discover what Hong Kong has to offer.”

Chan noted that in the first eight months of this year, Hong Kong welcomed 54,000 visitors from the Middle East, a nearly 40 per cent increase year on year.