With about 200,000 Muslim tourists visiting Taiwan, the country has been rated as the 10th best destination for Muslim travellers outside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states by the Global Muslim Travel Index.
The Taipei Grand Mosque is the most notable mosque in Taiwan and is also the oldest and largest mosque on the island. The Kaohsiung Mosque, the Taipei Cultural Mosque and the Tainan Mosque are a few other mosques in Taiwan.
There are numerous halal-certified restaurants spread across the country. Locating good halal eateries have become easier these days. In addition to local specialties like Hakka stir fries, Taipei beef noodles and snacks like shrimp rolls, oyster omlettes, steamed dumplings and shaved ice, tourists will also be able to enjoy fantastic Japanese cuisine along with other international flavours.
Taiwan has two certification boards; the Taiwan Halal Integrity Development Association (THID) and the Chinese Muslim Association. There are two kinds of certification, 'Halal restaurants' for those owned by Muslims, and 'Muslim friendly restaurants' for Halal outlets owned by non-Muslims. Since both these certificates confirm the halal status of the restaurant, Muslim tourists looking for a restaurant to dine at could now look for the logos displayed at these outlets before dining. The halal logos displayed at the restaurants and the helpful information found online regarding these outlets make it easier to plan a trip to the island nation.
Locating halal restaurants in cosmopolitan Taipei is known to have more options, while those venturing out of Taipei city, especially to more rural parts of Taiwan may find it more difficult to locate Halal cuisine. When unable to locate halal eateries in certain areas, the best option would be to find a vegetarian restaurant. Since many Taiwanese are vegetarians due to religious reasons, locating a good vegetarian restaurant will not be too difficult.
Taiwan’s tourism board is attempting to create a Muslim-friendly island nation and it is achieving success at a faster pace than expected. The bureau has been working with the Taipei-based Chinese Muslims Association over the past few years to create a Muslim-friendly environment that would include the certification of Muslim restaurants and hotels. More than a hundred businesses in the field of travel hold halal certification and many other businesses are being scrutinised for certification.
These places include the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101 and hotels in tone of the most beautiful places such as Alishan and the Sun Moon Lake.
Islamic prayer rooms have been made available at Taoyuan International Airport, the high speed Taichung Station (rail station) and along some highways.