Special app for Muslim travellers

PETALING JAYA: A special app for Muslim backpackers can now be used on most smartphones.

Have Halal Will Travel (HHWT) has tips on where to get halal food in non-halal countries.

The app is a follow-up to the Singapore-based team's already popular website of the same name.

“Muslim travellers are using these (HHWT) articles to plan for their trips,” HHWT's co-founder Melvin Goh told The Star.

"So what makes sense for us is to put all the best things to do halal food options and prayer spaces all into one app," he added.

The HHWT website has dozens of tips and guides on a large number of countries, getting 180,000 unique visitors a month.

The website has about 30 contributing writers worldwide, and a small office in Malaysia.

Nearly 75% of their patrons are women aged 18 to 35 years old, with most visitors coming from Singapore and Malaysia.

Unlike its website, the app has only one city with guides: Seoul, South Korea.

The app comes with the ability to check out Seoul's landmarks, restaurants and prayer spaces.

Each entry is given a star ranking, with addresses, contact details and a short summary on what's available.

HHWT users can also use the app to plan their trips around a new town, with added tip pages on what to do there.

"What we're trying to do is get Muslims to try local cuisines," Goh said, adding that the focus was on "frontier" countries where Muslims are a minority.

“In London, it can be fish and chips stalls, in Japan ramen," he added.

He added that HHWT's travel guides weren't only for Muslims, and non-Muslims could just as easily use them.

Goh did not wish to comment when asked how HHWT made money.

The app can be downloaded for free on both Android and Apple phones.