Philippines bets on wellness, medical tourism to attract Middle Eastern visitors

Tourists on Boracay Island, Aklan province, the Philippines, Apr. 6, 2018. (AFP)
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Updated 01 May 2024
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Philippines bets on wellness, medical tourism to attract Middle Eastern visitors

  • Philippines wants position as a leading halal tourism destination
  • Nation aims to welcome 7.7m international visitors in 2024

MANILA: The Philippine tourism sector is shifting to promote the country as a medical and wellness destination, expanding beyond its recreational profile to attract more visitors from the Middle East.

More than 2 million international travelers visited the Philippines since the beginning of the year, with receipts between January and April reaching $2.7 billion. This data, the Department of Tourism said last week, was a 120 percent recovery rate from the same period in 2019 — before COVID-19 lockdowns brought the industry to a standstill.

The department’s data also showed a 10 percent increase in visitors arriving from Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are among the Philippine government’s key emerging-market targets.

To further boost their arrivals and make the country a more attractive destination, tourism stakeholders are shifting their strategy to focus more on the wellness sector, Philippine Tour Operators Association President Arjun Shroff told Arab News.

“This strategic shift aims to position the Philippines as an emerging medical and wellness destination in Asia, expanding beyond its traditional recreational tourism offerings like beaches and diving spots,” he said.

Efforts have also been undertaken to expand the footprint of halal services and goods.

The predominantly Catholic Philippines — where Muslims constitute about 10 percent of the nearly 120 million population — plans to raise 230 billion pesos ($4 billion) in investments and generate around 120,000 jobs by expanding its domestic halal industry by 2028.

The cross-sector efforts include tourism as well, with the Philippines trying to position itself as a leading halal tourism destination.

“We have recently implemented a range of strategic initiatives to enhance our appeal to visitors from the Middle East. Central to our approach is a commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that all tourists feel welcome and safe,” Shroff said.

“In line with this commitment, we have actively promoted halal establishments to cater to the dietary preferences of Middle Eastern travelers. By offering a variety of halal dining options, we aim to provide a seamless and enjoyable culinary experience.”

Filipinos have been exposed to the Middle East, especially Gulf countries, which are home to some 2 million Philippine expats. They understand cultural differences and many also know Arabic.

The tourism sector has lately been tapping into Arabic-speaking talent to help facilitate tours for Middle Eastern travelers.

“We have invested in bilingual tour guides proficient in Arabic ... These guides play a vital role in facilitating communication, providing valuable insights, and enhancing the overall experience for our Middle Eastern guests,” Shroff said.

“Philippine travel and tourism agencies strategically target the Middle East market ... (it) holds great potential for the Philippines.”

In 2024, the Philippines is targeting to welcome 7.7 million international visitors, nearly its pre-pandemic record-breaking achievement in 2019 which ended with 8.26 million inbound arrivals.


Philippines seeks to enhance energy security with new Saudi cooperation

Updated 4 sec ago
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Philippines seeks to enhance energy security with new Saudi cooperation

  • Under national energy plan, Manila wants to increase renewable sources to 50 percent by 2040 
  • Saudi-Philippine cooperation can also explore tech, solutions related to climate change mitigation 

MANILA: The Philippines wants to expand its international energy partnerships and improve energy security with a new cooperation with Saudi Arabia, its Department of Energy said on Monday ahead of an official trip to the Kingdom.

Manila has been exploring clean and sustainable options to generate power as the country regularly suffers outages and faces high tariffs. Coal remains the main source of electricity in the Southeast Asian nation, accounting for more than half of its power generation. 

A Philippine energy mission was headed to Saudi Arabia on Monday for a two-day trip “aimed at enhancing energy security, driving economic growth, and fostering sustainable development,” the DoE said in a statement. 

“A major highlight of the mission is the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Energy of the KSA.” 

The latest mission follows President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s trip to Riyadh last October, during which a $4.26 billion investment agreement was signed with Saudi business leaders. 

At the time, some Saudi state-owned enterprises had expressed interest in investing in the Philippine energy sector, the DoE said. 

The preliminary agreement will provide “a framework for cooperation on key areas,” including renewable energy and natural gas, as well as relevant technologies and solutions related to climate change mitigation. 

Under the Philippine Energy Plan, the government aims to increase the share of renewable sources in the energy mix from 22 percent currently to 50 percent by 2040. 

Philippine authorities expect the country’s power demand to increase almost fourfold from 2020 to 2040, especially as it remains dependent on imported fossil fuels and has insufficient renewables.

“Partnerships with Saudi Arabia extend beyond addressing the current energy needs,” the energy department said, adding that the two countries can explore possibilities for joint research and development projects, policy exchange, and capacity building in areas such as carbon capture, use and storage, and hydrogen.

“As global efforts to transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources intensify, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia can cooperate in the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies.”
 


Three Pakistani policemen killed in attack at police HQ

Updated 3 min 11 sec ago
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Three Pakistani policemen killed in attack at police HQ

  • Three assailants were killed by police

PESHAWAR: At least three policemen were killed in northwest Pakistan when Islamist militants stormed a district police headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, a police source told Reuters.
The attack on the complex, which houses both the district police headquarters and a residential complex, was ongoing, the high-ranking police source said, adding that the assailants, who included suicide bombers, had been “pinned down” in the area.
Three assailants were killed by police, he added.
The source, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said three policemen were killed while resisting the assault on the Police Lines of District Bannu, which borders the restive North Waziristan tribal district on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Islamist militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, a spokesperson for the group said.
The roads around the complex have been closed to traffic as security forces moved to neutralize the remaining attackers, the police source added.
Bannu is about 350 kilometers from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, which is under strict security lockdown due to the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday ahead of a regional leaders’ meeting this week.


French government wants new immigration law in 2025

Updated 14 October 2024
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French government wants new immigration law in 2025

  • The government wants to extend the detention period for undocumented migrants deemed to be dangerous in order to better enforce expulsion orders

PARIS: The French authorities want to adopt a new immigration law next year, a spokeswoman said, as the new right-wing government seeks to crack down on immigration.
“There will be a need for a new law,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told broadcaster BFMTV on Sunday.
The government’s plan to tighten immigration policies and border controls is emblematic of the rightward shift in French politics following this summer’s legislative elections that resulted in a hung parliament.
Michel Barnier’s government hopes the bill will be submitted to parliament at the beginning of 2025.
In September, a Paris student was raped and murdered in a case that has further inflamed a French debate on migration after a Moroccan was named as the suspected attacker.
The government wants to extend the detention period for undocumented migrants deemed to be dangerous in order to better enforce expulsion orders.
One of the options under consideration is to increase the maximum period of detention from 90 to 210 days, which is now only possible for terrorist offenses.
“We don’t rule out the possibility of considering other provisions,” said Bregeon, adding that there should be “no taboos when it comes to protecting the French.”
Last December, France already passed an immigration law.
The bill was hardened to gain the support of the far-right and right-wing MPs.
But the country’s highest constitutional authority censured most of the new amendments which were dropped before President Emmanuel Macron signed it into law.
The measures struck down by the Constitutional Council “will serve as a basis for the new immigration bill,” a government source told AFP. “Some of them could be modified and there will be additions.”
The most hard-line member of the government, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, has vowed to crack down on immigration. He has stirred controversy just days into the job, saying that “the rule of law is neither intangible nor sacred.”
Retailleau, who previously headed the Republicans party in the Senate, was seen as the driving force behind the tough legislation last year.
He wants to reinstate the offense of illegal residence, among other measures.
Gabriel Attal, Barnier’s predecessor and now leader in parliament of Macron’s Renaissance party, said on Monday that a new law on immigration did not seem a “total priority.”
“Adopting a law for the sake of a law makes no sense,” he told broadcaster France inter.
He said “the priority is to act so that the state can truly control who enters and leaves” France.


Ukraine says destroyed army transport plane in Russia

Updated 14 October 2024
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Ukraine says destroyed army transport plane in Russia

  • Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said it had destroyed the Tu-134 transport aircraft overnight between Saturday and Sunday at a military airfield in the Orenburg region

KYIV: Kyiv said Monday its forces had destroyed a Russian military transport plane stationed at an airfield deep inside Russian territory over the weekend, the latest Ukrainian claim of an attack behind Moscow’s lines.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks inside Russian territory in recent months, targeting military sites and energy facilities, aiming to upend Russian military logistics.
Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said it had destroyed the Tu-134 transport aircraft overnight between Saturday and Sunday at a military airfield in the Orenburg region, which lies around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
“These Soviet-built airplanes are used mainly to transport leadership of the Russian defense ministry,” the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said on social media.
The agency posted footage of what Ukraine said was an arson attack, showing a blaze burning inside an aircraft, but it did not provide details of how the alleged attack was carried out.
There was no immediate comment on the specific claims from Moscow.
Since the start of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has detained hundreds of people for alleged sabotage and arson attacks on military, railway and other infrastructure sites.


EU condemns all attacks on UN missions, foreign policy chief Borrell says

Updated 14 October 2024
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EU condemns all attacks on UN missions, foreign policy chief Borrell says

  • Israel has disputed some UN accounts of incidents involving UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they were providing “human shields” for Hezbollah militants

AMSTERDAM: The European Union condemns all attacks against United Nations missions, the union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a response to targeting of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, by the Israel Defense Forces.
“Such attacks against UN peacekeepers constitute a grave violation of international law and are totally unacceptable. These attacks must stop immediately,” Borrell said in a statement on behalf of the EU published Sunday night.
“The EU condemns all attacks against UN missions,” Borrell said.
“It expresses particularly grave concern regarding the attacks by the Israeli Defense Forces against UNIFIL, which left several peacekeepers wounded.”
Israel has disputed some UN accounts of incidents involving UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they were providing “human shields” for Hezbollah militants during an upsurge in hostilities.
In his statement, Borrell said “all actors” in the conflict have the obligation to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property.
“We urgently await explanations and a thorough investigation from the Israeli authorities about the attacks against UNIFIL, which plays a fundamental role in the stability of South Lebanon,” he said.

Spain's Foreign Minister has also made several key statements regarding the situation involving the UNIFIL and Israel. He condemned the attacks by Israel on UNIFIL, calling them "unacceptable."

He also emphasized that only the United Nations has the authority to order the withdrawal of UNIFIL forces, reaffirming the importance of the mission, stating that the work UNIFIL is doing is "valid and necessary."