Philippine Halal Tourism Project eyes more Qatari travellers
The Philippines is poised to welcome more Qatari tourists and other travellers from the Middle East with more tourism-related establishments at major destinations offering halal food as part of the recently launched Philippine Halal Tourism Project.
Initially, a total of 43 hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourism –related establishments have been halal-certified under the project undertaken by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).
The recently released list includes establishments located in a number of key tourist destinations including Manila, Cebu, Boracay, Davao, Bohol, Zamboanga City, General Santos City, Koronadal, Cotabato City, Surigao City, and Siargao Island.
Gonaranao B Musor, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of economic and political section, said the project was launched to further tap the Muslim tourism market and is an important part a major initiative to develop the country’s halal industry.
Through the initiative, the Philippines aims to partake in the vibrant global halal market which is worth $200bn.
Recent data released by Crescent Rating-a Singapore-based authority on Muslim travel-project 117mn Muslim travelers to grow to 168mn by 2020 making the region a vital tourist market.
The Philippines only placed 47th among 100 countries ranked in the 2015 Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) produced by Crescent Rating.
“The DOT recognizes Qatar and the rest of the GCC and Middle East as a potential market for tourism,” Consul Musor told The Peninsula.
Based on latest figures, tourist arrivals from Qatar, though small in number, witnessed the biggest growth among Middle Eastern countries, with 19.02% increase in January and February this year compared to the same period last year.
The Philippine Embassy in Doha and other Philippine posts in the GCC are collaborating to organize familiarization trips for travel agencies and journalists to further promote the country’s tourism, according to Musor.
“Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have already expressed interest in supporting this project. Hopefully, this will be implemented this year,” he added.
Courtesy: thepeninsulaqatar.com
During a holiday in Senegal I noticed that German tourists wanted their German Wurst and Sauerkraut. What an idiotic idea. Why don't they stay at home then?
Mufti: I suppose this is the way of "stopping temptation".
It would also probably entail facilities which cater for the familes, including no alcohol or pork, beaches with privacy and standard dress code etc ..
If there's a demand , then why not...
What is halal tourism all about. What kind of facilities are available in halal packages. Isn't it is solely up-to a tourist to stay away from things which he deems as non-halal.