MANILA: Recognizing the growing significance of the global halal travel market, the Philippines is adapting its tourist infrastructure and introducing new standards to receive more visitors from Muslim countries.
Although the Philippines is predominantly Catholic, it is home to a sizable Muslim minority. Islam, the oldest monotheistic religion in the region, has more than 600 years of history that is reflected in the country’s cultural heritage.
The government has been working to combine this rich history with the Philippines’ famous white sandy beaches, diving spots and warm hospitality to expand its tourism markets, particularly targeting visitors from the Middle East.
“It has only been recently that Muslim-friendly initiatives and efforts have gone full throttle. However, the DOT already has a number of programs in place to attract Muslim travelers, to include the Middle East market,” Department of Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Abubakar told Arab News.
“Most of our efforts focus on developing and institutionalizing standards that will protect the interests of Muslim travelers, ensuring that their travels to the Philippines will be enjoyable without compromising their faith.”
One of the key steps taken by the DOT is the introduction of the Muslim-friendly accommodation establishments program, which encourages hotels and resorts to meet specific standards that cater to Muslim travelers.
“From the reception areas to the guest rooms, to the availability of prayer rooms . . . we want our Muslim visitors to feel at home,” Abubakar said.
“The Department of Tourism has a training module on understanding Muslim travelers, as well as on halal and Muslim-friendly tourism. Beyond this, the DOT also developed standards for Muslim-friendly accommodation establishments ... currently, there are 17 accommodation establishments officially recognized as DOT Muslim-friendly.”
Thirteen of the properties are operated by the Megaworld Group, the largest hospitality chain in the Philippines, which last year also opened Marhaba Boracay, a cove area dedicated to Muslim women travelers in Boracay, the country’s top resort island.
“Beyond this, we are also exploring the creation of tailored halal tourism packages for Muslim travelers, including Saudi Arabians. This is in coordination with the different tour operators and travel agencies in the Philippines,” Abubakar said.
“Since the Philippines has a rich history in Islam, there are a number of destinations, activities, and offerings that align with the cultural and religious values of Arab visitors, and Muslims in general.”
One of the most iconic sites is the Sheikh Karimul Makdum Mosque in Tawi-Tawi province. Sitting on the island of Simunul, the mosque is surrounded by coastal waters. Constructed in 1380 by the Arab trader and missionary Makhdum Karimul, it is the oldest mosque in the Philippines.
Besides the mosque, there are also numerous sites throughout Tawi-Tawi related to the Sulu Sultanate, whose rulers played a key role in the spread of Islam in the southern Philippines. Established in the 15th century, the sultanate played an important role in regional trade networks and was a center of resistance to Spanish and later American colonial powers.
While DOT records show steady growth in tourist arrivals from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, one of the major challenges in expanding the Philippines’ appeal in the region is increasing air connectivity to key cities such as Dubai and Riyadh.
Warren Palacio, chief of the DOT’s Routes Department, said that negotiations with airlines from the Gulf states were underway to address these issues.
“There is a pending request from the UAE to hold air service agreement negotiation talks,” he told Arab News.
“Maybe within the next two or three months, I think we will have the air negotiation, the air service agreement to be scheduled. Then that’s where we’ll move forward when the flights will be increased and more seat capacity will be in place.”
