After successfully completing the certification process, Opatija hotel group Milenij Hotels has been awarded the Halal certificate, confirming their implementation of halal standards in the process of preparing, serving and storing food, and preparing rooms for guests of the Islamic faith.
The Halal certification was presented to representatives of Milenij hotels by head of the Center for Certification of Halal Quality Aldin Dugonjić, reports HRTurizam on February 5, 2017.
“Today's award of the certificate of halal quality in the tourist mecca of Croatia for hotel group Milenij Hotels d.o.o. significantly expands the possibility of the arrival of tourists within the halal market. The recognition of the Republic of Croatia for halal markets is increasing every day, as is the infrastructure tailored to guests who are seeking a halal market - and the synergistic work of tourism stakeholders in Croatia has opened opportunities for even better positioning within this market. In support of the further development of halal tourism, daily flights from Dubai - Zagreb by one of the world's largest airline companies Emirates Airlines will fly from this June.”
The certificate was accepted by Ivan Sarajilić on behalf of Milenij Hotels who on this occasion pointed out that the certification will not only contribute to the hotels, but to the whole destination - opening new markets that have a lot of potential. The Halal certificate was awarded to the hotel Milenij, hotel Royal and hotel Agave.
Halal quality is represented by the totality of characteristics of goods or services that comply with Islamic regulations and meet the quality attributes that are allowed by food consumers of the Islamic religion. Halal, apart from the religious aspect, should be understood in the linguistic, cultural, traditional and health context, while the word itself means “permissible” (or allowed). The halal standard is based on a preventive and proactive method and is compatible with international quality management standards (ISO, HACCP and others).
The halal world market is growing despite the global crisis in recent years, with expected growth up 20-25% in the next decade. Currently, the global halal market is estimated at 635 billion dollars. In addition, the consumption of halal food is increasing in European countries, especially in France as it is the largest halal market. The halal market in Croatia is increasing by 7-10% per year.
It is estimated that the value of the halal market in the European Union amounts to 66 billion US dollars, of which only 3 billion falls on France. The halal market in the UK is estimated at around 2.8 billion GBP, and according to the British Food Safety Agency, halal food is consumed by about 6 million end-users.
