Seoul is taking its first step toward creating better tourism infrastructure for Muslim visitors. As part of its efforts to attract more Muslim travelers, the city plans to increase the number of halal restaurants and set up more prayer rooms, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.

The Seoul Tourism Organization will commission a research project this month to come up with measures to vitalize Muslim tourism in the capital. It is the city's first project solely dedicated to improving the travel experiences of Muslim visitors, according to a city official.

Among over 1 million foreign travelers who visited South Korea in 2023, 273,000 were from Middle Eastern countries and 218,000 were from Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia, where Islam is the predominant religion.