The Philippines has been awarded because the Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination of the 12 months at the distinguished Halal in Travel Global Summit 2023 on June 1 in Singapore, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco announced.
The Halal in Travel Global Summit 2023 recognizes destinations, organizations, corporations, and individuals who’ve made a big impact on the Muslim lifestyle travel segment.
The Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination of the 12 months (non-OIC) award is given to recipient destinations that cater to the unique needs and preferences of Muslim travelers.
The Muslim travel market is foreseen to significantly propel the tourism industry’s growth with projections that Muslim traveller arrivals will reach 140 million in 2023 and in succeeding years could reach 230 million with estimated expenditures of USD225 Billion by 2028.
“This award is an affirmation of our collaborative efforts towards positioning the Philippines as a preferred destination for Muslim travelers, and strategically developing our Halal Tourism portfolio across our regions. This global recognition also opens up enormous opportunities for our country to introduce our wealthy and diverse culture and heritage evident in our Muslim communities, and our immensely beautiful destinations, including Mindanao,” Secretary Frasco said.
Based on Secretary Frasco, the Department of Tourism has focused on developing the country’s halal tourism portfolio ensuring, amongst others, its prioritization within the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028.
The DOT has also implemented a big selection of services and amenities designed to cater to Muslim travelers. These include the conduct of a comprehensive inventory of Halal-certified dining options and the pursuit of increased Halal accreditations for tourism enterprises across the country, in addition to the conduct of Halal Awareness Orientations with Tourism Stakeholders, and knowledge dissemination with tourism enterprises on the values, beliefs, and practices of Muslim-travelers.
Recognizing global trends and preferences of Muslim travelers, Secretary Frasco said that the Department of Tourism has also continued to pursue its sustainable tourism development initiatives, and recently inked a big agreement with global health and wellness tourism leader Agora to position the Philippines towards providing quality medical and wellness tourism offerings especially to the Middle Eastern market.
It would be recalled that early this yr, the Department of Tourism organized the very first Mindanao Tourism Expo. This was followed by the successful MICECON in Davao jointly organized by the DOT, Tourism Promotions Board, and the private sector and City of Davao. Secretary Frasco also recently led the Mindanao Tourism Convergence held in Zamboanga City in collaboration with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of National Defense (DND).
Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar accepted the award on behalf of the Department of Tourism and CrescentRating and HalalTrip, for recognizing the efforts of the Philippine government and tourism stakeholders.
“We hope to proceed the good stride on tourism promotion and economic boost in our country for our Muslim brothers and sisters who’re arriving within the Philippines and who’re surely welcome to go to and explore our greater than 7,000 islands with majestic white sand beaches and warm people,” Undersecretary Abubakar said.
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