Hong Kong Halal Tourism Push, Targets Indonesian Tourists
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Hong Kong is stepping up its efforts to develop the halal tourism market, including travellers from Indonesia. The local tourism authorities are expanding Muslim-friendly facilities, from halal-certified restaurants to hotels with Muslim-friendly accreditation.
Regional Director for Southeast Asia at the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Liew Chian Jia, said Indonesia is one of the main markets for Hong Kong’s tourism in Southeast Asia.
Throughout 2025, around 382,000 Indonesian tourists visited Hong Kong. That figure contributed to the total global tourist arrivals of 49.9 million people last year.
“Indonesia is one of our key markets in Southeast Asia. We are very pleased to see 382,000 Indonesian visitors coming to Hong Kong last year,” Liew said in Central Jakarta on Thursday, 5 March 2026.
Overall, visits by travellers from Southeast Asia reached about 2.2 million in 2025. Liew cited rising interest from Indonesia and the regional area as a motivation for Hong Kong to offer more inclusive travel experiences.
He said that in recent years Hong Kong has focused on increasing Muslim-friendly facilities to support travellers’ comfort. “We are expanding Hong Kong’s tourism programmes, from increasing halal-certified restaurant options to improving access to Muslim-friendly facilities and accreditation of family-friendly Muslim-friendly hotels,” he said.
The efforts are beginning to bear fruit. Hong Kong was named Most Promising Muslim-friendly Destination of the Year at the Halal in Travel Awards 2025, based on CrescentRating’s assessment through the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI).
In the report, Hong Kong also achieved several important rankings among non-OIC destinations, including first place for Muslim-friendly travel accessibility, second place for safety of Muslim women travellers, and third place overall as a Muslim-friendly destination.
Several Hong Kong tourism industry players also received similar awards. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, for instance, was named the best Muslim-friendly convention centre, while Ngong Ping 360 won the best Muslim-friendly tourist attraction award.
In the hotel sector, The Mira Hong Kong and Kowloon Shangri-La Hong Kong were named the best Muslim-friendly hotels.
According to Liew, this industry support demonstrates Hong Kong’s strong commitment to attracting Muslim travellers from various countries, including Indonesia.
“The confidence and enthusiasm of travellers from Indonesia and from around the world inspire us to continue delivering more diverse and higher-quality travel experiences in Hong Kong,” he said.
Currently, around 59 hotels in Hong Kong have Muslim-friendly accreditation from CrescentRating, while the number of halal and Muslim-owned restaurants totals around 195 outlets.
The HKTB is also continuing to push a range of new initiatives to increase Muslim traveller comfort, including Ramadan-specific culinary programmes at several hotels and the development of Muslim travel guides available in several languages, including Indonesian.