Hyatt Hotel leads Halal Tourism in South Africa

Picture: Asif Raza – cluster General Manager, Hyatt Hotels South Africa

Halal tourism is currently one of the fastest-growing sectors of tourism, and the Hyatt Hotel group in South Africa is positioning itself as a leader in the emerging sector, ready to meet the demand.

With South Africa being one of the most desired destinations on the continent, the hotel chain is catering to the Halal traveler with the Halal certification of its restaurants across its three properties in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

One of the hotels, the Hyatt Regency Cape Town promises an immersive experience of the city’s culture and colour as it is strategically located in Cape Town’s vibrant neighborhoods with picturesque views of Table Mountain and Signal Hill.

Owned by Millat Investments, Hyatt Regency Cape Town offers world-class halal dining at its 126 Cape Kitchen & Café. The trendy yet relaxed restaurant draws from Malay & Indian-inspired cuisine made with only the finest, locally sourced products, and prepared to offer that homely taste and burst of flavors and aromas.

“We looked at it as a very important segment within South Africa and growing in the world. So we have restaurants which are all halal certified, ” said Asif Raza – cluster GM: Hyatt SA “We are in Cape Town, the part of an area called Bo-Kaap, which is predominantly a Muslim community. We do a lot of activities within the settings to make sure that we are part of the community 100% as far as the community is concerned”.

With a variety of options such as Samosa & Falafel, Soup Du Jour, Squid, Dal Makhani, Butter Chicken Curry, Ribeye, Sirloin, and a host of other mouthwatering dishes, the halal kitchen is a gastronomic experience worthy of every flavor.

Despite being relatively new as far as South Africa’s tourism industry is concerned, some industry experts argue, that Halal tourism has always been available but underemphasized. According to Fayrouz Holliday-October, Chief Vision Officer and Travel Designer of Halaal Hopper Travel and Taste Experiences, “Halaal Tourism isn’t a new kid on the block, we’ve visited families and friends, locally and abroad, without realizing that our needs are actually being catered to, many don’t understand the concept of Halaal and how to incorporate it into Tourism – we need to create awareness, educate and incorporate skills development & training”.

“Travellers want experiential experiences and authentic halal gastronomic tours, incorporated with heritage and culture gives people another avenue to explore which in turn creates revenue. Fine-tune what is already existing by not knocking down the walls, but to educate and create awareness about Halaal Tourism and how to transition the business to accommodate the Muslim Traveller, will lead to growing the Halaal Tourism Economy” she added.

Hyatt is very known to South Africans and across the continent of Africa because the brand has been available in Johannesburg for over 20 years. Their new collaboration with Millet Investments also provided the opportunity to grow the brand within South Africa, by establishing the Hyatt Regency, Cape Town, and two more hotels in Johannesburg; the Hyatt House, Sandton, and Hyatt House in Rosebank. All three hotels were built and opened over the last 18 months.

Story by Jason Amoo