366 hotels, resorts out of 1,574 have halal certs

PUTRAJAYA (Feb 23, 2011): Out of 1,574 hotels and resorts in the country, 366 have obtained the halal certificates for the food served in their premises.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said of this, 77 were issued by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) while the rest by the state Islamic Affairs Departments.
"Of the 366 hotels and resorts, 273 or 74.59% are those rated between three and five stars, 53 (14.48%) are between one and two stars while the other 40 (10.93%) budget hotels and resorts.


"We believe we can achieve the target that by end of this year, 412 three- to five-star hotels registered with the Tourism Ministry will be granted with the Malaysian Halal Certificate," he told reporters at Jakim today.
Jamil Khir said this was made possible with the smart partnership between Jakim, state Islamic departments, the Tourism Ministry, Malaysian Hotel Association and Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners.
Earlier, he presented the Halal certificates to Thistle Hotel and Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Hotel.
"This is part of the marketing strategy of the hotels to boost the confidence of their clients including tourists especially those from the Middle East.
"This is because it is not only about halal food but also the preparation process from the start until the end, including in terms of storage and cleanliness," he added.
He said hotels and resorts are required to have the Malaysian Halal Certification before they could hold buka puasa programmmes during the fasting month of Ramadan.
The public can get further information on food outlets certified as halal by Jakim and state Islamic departments by visiting Jakim’s website at www.halal.gov.my