halal-friendly Archives

1st Asia Pacific Halal Friendly Cruise Ship “Scintillating Oceanic Experience”

by admin | May 25, 2021 | Halal Food, Halal Industries, Halal Medicine

Grand launch of Asia Pacific’s 1st Halal & Muslim Friendly Cruise Ship

Riyadh: (Press Release) The halal industry is growing rapidly whereby it was approximately USD2.3 trillion, which has now almost tripled, to USD 6.4 trillion as of 2020. UNWHD has identified its exact & accurate partnership with Genting Cruise in this juncture whereby identifying the niche market and they are always in the hunt and are looking for the right partners to engage with. There have already been cruises in the Asia Pacific region serving halal food but World Dream is the first to embrace a more holistic Muslim-friendly approach beyond just having a halal-certified kitchen. The “halal/Muslim-friendly cruises” concept has been talked about since a few years now. It has been getting more and more interest from Muslims pre-COVID. This growing interest from Muslims encouraged some cruises to have halal-certified kitchens.

Halal is not only for Muslims but for the whole mankind and UNWHD and Genting Cruise have made these arrangements so that everyone can have a home away from home feel. Singapore is a pioneer country in many aspects and has always been a front runner for taking new & unique initiatives and setting as an example for other countries.

Creating an Edge to accept & obtain Halal/Muslim Friendly Compliance in Cruise Ship is a goal for many leading industry players, United World Halal Development (UNWHD) a Singapore-based Halal Certification Body was the pioneer to certify Halal Friendly Cruise Ship in the Asia Pacific.

World Dream, one of the services from Genting Cruise Lines’ A brand of Dream Cruises, which is Benchmarked by the OIC/SMIIC Standards & Guidelines for Halal Food And Beverages Prepared, Stored And Served as well as Halal Tourism Guidelines set out by the Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries (SMIIC).

The cruise is also officially rated by Halal Travel Authority Crescent Rating. The Singapore- based Muslim-Friendly Travel Authority told Salaam Gateway this is the first time it is rating a cruise service based on the services they (World Dream Cruise) offer (halal-certified food, prayer facilities etc.), they are rated Crescent Rating 5,” Being the highest.

UNWHD and Genting Cruise who had similar vision of serving to all immaterial of any caste creed or religion decided give an amazing cruise experience which complies with Halal Friendly environment. UNWHD follows a stringent audit process which complies with Halal & Shariah Compliance Standards before issuing the certificate. Genting Cruise has gone through such scrutinised process to attain the Halal Friendly Cruise Ship certificate. Genting Cruise ship has a halal- certified central kitchen with halal-certified ingredients for halal cuisine, prayer room with access to Quran, prayer mats, and compass to locate the Qibla. It will also catert Ramadan guests with Suhoor and Iftar menus.

This Stunning initiative will bring more tourists as being the centric in the Asia pacific and Singapore to become the global tourism attraction in the field of Halal / Muslim Friendly Tourism. United World Halal Development (UNWHD), Singapore strives to continue its solid commitment towards people’s safety and welfare. UNWHD is built on internationally applicable standards of practice, knowledge, and ethics encircling all businesses to offer quality products and services. UNWHD vision is to extend the halal way of life to all businesses and explore new areas of economic growth of halal standards, certification, and practices.

UAE’s Ajman Palace: Where halal-friendly is the USP

by admin | May 25, 2021 | Halal Industries

The Ajman Palace Hotel

Ajman (UAE) (IANS): This is one ‘dry’ place where guests are crowding to enjoy a unique concept in hospitality. Tucked away in the UAE’s emirate of Ajman, the Ajman Palace Hotel takes pride in its halal-friendly tag.

Located on the beach-front that gives an endless view of the Persian Gulf, the Ajman Palace Hotel is a popular destination for travellers from Central Asian countries as well as those Muslim families which want to abide by the rules of Islam.

“We wanted to establish the property as a unique one. It is alcohol-free and focussed on family guests. We have worked very hard on making this concept (halal friendly) popular and our guests have given us a very encouraging response,” hotel general manager Ferghall Purcell, who hosted the G8 leaders when he headed the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland in June 2013, told IANS here.

The absence of liquor in a 5-star property may be seen as a hindrance by many, but this is “not an issue at all” for the Ajman Palace management (managed by Hospitality Management Holdings or HMH), as Purcell put it.

The high point of the hotel is that it has become a much sought-after venue for all-women’s parties during weddings due to its ‘halal friendly’ concept.

“We have the largest hotel ballroom in the northern Emirates. We are a hit for weddings and big conferences. We recently hosted a big fat Punjabi wedding with guests travelling here from across the globe. Everyone went back happy with memories to cherish,” Purcell said.

The Al Saalah Ballroom can accommodate over 1,200 people.

The hotel, located among a chain of top properties along the Corniche road in Ajman, has hosted nearly 60 weddings this year.

It has its own 150-metre-wide private beach that can be enjoyed at any time, particularly between October and March.

With 254 rooms in the semi-circle shaped hotel, getting a sea-view room is an option. The hotel offers an array of food – ranging from local Arabic flavours to Indian sub-continent to continental to Japanese, among others. For those wanting to indulge in some evening fun, the open-air ‘Seesha’ bar is an attraction.

“Our guests can find 34 different kinds of sushi in our Asian restaurant Dragon’s Place,” its manager said.

“Balancing world-class facilities with the legendary Arabian hospitality, it offers 254 rooms, suites and serviced residences, a remarkable range of restaurants and lounges, fabulous meeting and event venues,” Purcell noted.

The hotel itself is a multi-nationality place with the staff hailing from 27 countries.

FAQs:

Property: The Ajman Palace Hotel (5-star).

Location: Ajman (capital of Ajman emirate); adjoining Sharjah city.

Distance: 11 km from Sharjah International Airport; 22 km from Dubai International Airport.

Activities: Pool, sea beach and an array of leisure and recreation options at Lifestyle Club, including a spa and state-of-the-art fitness facility.

Price range (rooms, suites, residences): $175 to $550 (Rs.12,000 to Rs.36,000)

(Jaideep Sarin was on a private visit to Ajman. He can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)