Market shifts toward Muslim tourists
By You Soo-sun
A prayer room is now available for Muslim tourists at Avenuel's World Tower Branch of Lotte Department Store in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, reflecting the growing trend among businesses in Korea to attract more Muslim tourists here.
On Wednesday, three winners of an Indonesian beauty pageant visited the room ― located on the 11th floor of the building ― the first of its kind to be set up by a local retailer here.
"Having this room makes me feel respected in this country," Syifa Fatimah, the final winner of the beauty contest, told The Korea Times after she finished praying. "It feels like home. All of the facilities are in place ― almost as well-equipped as the prayer rooms in Indonesia."
The 49.6-square-meter room consists of three parts. At the center is a tub where visitors may wash their feet, a ritual to cleanse the body before praying. Copies of the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, and prayer rugs for the room were placed on a shelf in front of the tub. The room is further divided into two prayer rooms ― the left for men and the right for women.
Fatimah complimented the details of the room, such as the mark indicating the Qibla, the direction one should face while praying. "The only thing missing is prayer attire. It would be nice if it were provided in the room." The store official said they will have it ready soon.
Lotte Department Store is among many companies that have been catering their promotions to bring in more Muslim tourists. The number of such tourists to Korea increased 33 percent this year to 980,000. This is in contrast to that of Chinese tourists, which plunged 66.4 percent in June from the previous year in the wake of a diplomatic row between Korea and China over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system here.
This caused a growing consensus for the need to diversify tourists, mostly by attracting those from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. And retailers have been keen on the trend, stepping up efforts to bring in more Muslim visitors who are likely to grow in number according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
The halal market here is an apparent sign of this change. In addition to the prayer room, Lotte Department Store plans to open halal restaurants using ingredients approved by Islamic law.
Some stores and hotels have already begun offering halal dishes. InterContinental's Seoul Coex branch recently hired an Arabian chef to cook halal dishes. Galleria Duty Free in Seoul also attained certificates for four of its restaurants to provide halal dishes.
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| A woman prays inside a Muslim prayer room at the Lotte Department Store branch in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul. The room was made available for Muslim tourists, Wednesday. / Yonhap |
By You Soo-sun
A prayer room is now available for Muslim tourists at Avenuel's World Tower Branch of Lotte Department Store in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, reflecting the growing trend among businesses in Korea to attract more Muslim tourists here.
On Wednesday, three winners of an Indonesian beauty pageant visited the room ― located on the 11th floor of the building ― the first of its kind to be set up by a local retailer here.
"Having this room makes me feel respected in this country," Syifa Fatimah, the final winner of the beauty contest, told The Korea Times after she finished praying. "It feels like home. All of the facilities are in place ― almost as well-equipped as the prayer rooms in Indonesia."
The 49.6-square-meter room consists of three parts. At the center is a tub where visitors may wash their feet, a ritual to cleanse the body before praying. Copies of the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, and prayer rugs for the room were placed on a shelf in front of the tub. The room is further divided into two prayer rooms ― the left for men and the right for women.
Fatimah complimented the details of the room, such as the mark indicating the Qibla, the direction one should face while praying. "The only thing missing is prayer attire. It would be nice if it were provided in the room." The store official said they will have it ready soon.
Lotte Department Store is among many companies that have been catering their promotions to bring in more Muslim tourists. The number of such tourists to Korea increased 33 percent this year to 980,000. This is in contrast to that of Chinese tourists, which plunged 66.4 percent in June from the previous year in the wake of a diplomatic row between Korea and China over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system here.
This caused a growing consensus for the need to diversify tourists, mostly by attracting those from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. And retailers have been keen on the trend, stepping up efforts to bring in more Muslim visitors who are likely to grow in number according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
The halal market here is an apparent sign of this change. In addition to the prayer room, Lotte Department Store plans to open halal restaurants using ingredients approved by Islamic law.
Some stores and hotels have already begun offering halal dishes. InterContinental's Seoul Coex branch recently hired an Arabian chef to cook halal dishes. Galleria Duty Free in Seoul also attained certificates for four of its restaurants to provide halal dishes.
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