Kosher travel brings big opportunities for UAE's hotels and restaurants

Being a Kosher-observant Jew is a breeze for someone travelling to New York, London or Paris – but it becomes a bit tricky when visiting destinations where the Jewish representation is marginal at best. The UAE and its hospitality businesses, however, will soon make Kosher observers feel right at home.

Al Habtoor Hotels for example was the UAE’s first hotel operator to introduce 24x7 Kosher-compliant in-room dining services at three of its properties in Dubai. While Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism has started offering hotels free Kosher certification services for a year. All of which can push the UAE’s credentials as one of the must-see places for travellers of the Jewish faith.

“The Jewish demographic, both inside and outside of Israel is a very affluent one. They are typically professionals or entrepreneurs who have the means and propensity to travel,” said Raphi Bloom, co-founder of TotallyJewishTravel, one of the most visited Jewish travel websites in the world. “They take three to four foreign trips a year and they tend to always look for luxury in their “Kosher-travel”.