The Philippines focuses on halal tourism

The Philippines is taking steps to position itself as a destination for halal tourism.

The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) has unveiled a series of initiatives to attract Muslim visitors from the neighbouring ASEAN countries and the Middle East.

It has partnered with CrescentRating, the authority on halal travel, to help it improve its facilities and launch a destination marketing campaign targeted at Muslim travellers. Through the partnership, the PDOT will aim to increase awareness of the availability of halal food, mosques, and other Muslim-friendly facilities in the Philippines.

The initial focus will be on Manila, Davao, Cebu and Boracay.

“The Philippines receives close to 566,000 visitors from the Middle East, parts of ASEAN, as well as India and Israel. This forms our base market to extend halal services and to move forward. Halal is not only a religious matter, but a nation’s concern,” said Ramon R. Jimenez Jr, secretary of the PDOT.

“Hence the impetus in the development of the halal industry must be economic rather than just cultural. Improving the halal industry in our country will not only serve to advance the lives of Muslim Filipinos and attract more tourists, but it could also help spur growth in the Philippine economy.”

CrescentRating and its sister brand, HalalTrip, will also help the Philippines launch a dedicated ‘Muslim Visitor Guide’, along with online and social media campaigns. It will also accredit hotels and restaurants in major Philippine cities using the CrescentRating system.

“We are delighted to have entered into a partnership with the Philippine Department of Tourism on their maiden journey into the Muslim-friendly travel market and excited about working together,” said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating. “Looking at the Philippines’ unique culture and heritage, we believe there is a huge potential for the destination to position itself and inspire Muslim visitors to choose Philippines for their next holiday.

“Muslim tourists are now more bold and daring in their travel choices and the Philippines presents a great offering for those looking for natural beauty and culture,” he added.

The halal travel market is widely recognised as a key growth sector in the tourism industry, and is projected to be worth US$200 billion by 2020, up from US$145bn in 2014. But the Philippines ranked only 47th on the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015.