THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is crafting a Halal Tourism Roadmap to further develop and expand the arrivals from the Middle East and other Muslim nations.
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Development Planning Benito C. Bengzon Jr. said: “As part of the [agency’s] efforts to promote Muslim-friendly tourism in the country, the Mindanao and Palawan regional directors convened last month to evaluate halal programs implemented, and build on previous initiatives for the halal tourism development in proposed pilot areas.”
Also in the pipeline, he added, are a “consultation meeting with halal certifiers to outline strategies in encouraging tourism establishments to pursue halal tourism certification, and the Halal Tourism Consultation Workshop in preparation for the Halal Tourism Roadmap.”
Bengzon acknowledged that “halal choices would always be a top consideration for [the Middle East] market when visiting a destination.” Tourists from the Middle East or Gulf Coast countries comprise the largest group of Muslim travelers in the world.
Arrivals from the Middle East fell by 11.34 percent to 82,251 in 2018, ostensibly due to a region-wide “silent recession” and their respective governments subsidizing inter-region travel. (See, “‘Arabic speakers, halal food key to attracting more Mideast tourists,”’ in the BusinessMirror, May 8, 2019.) In the first quarter of 2019, visitor arrivals from the region decreased by 16.32 percent to 18,485.
The region is composed of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia accounted for the largest source of the region’s tourists to the Philippines.
The Muslim travel market is one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors in the world, but despite its huge potential, remains relatively untapped, according to a statement from Mastercard and CrescentRating, the foremost authority on global halal-friendly travel. “By 2026, the halal travel sector’s contribution to the global economy is expected to jump 35 percent to $300 billion [P15.6 trillion], up from $220 billion [P11.44 trillion] in 2020. By that time, Muslim visitors globally are forecast to grow to 230 million visitors, to represent more than 10 percent of tourists worldwide.”
Despite the small number of halal-certified establishments in the Philippines, Bengzon pointed out though that “surprisingly, for the first time, the Philippines was able to enter the top 10 non-OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] destinations in this year’s Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index,’’ which is the most comprehensive ranking of Muslim and halal-friendly destinations.
Among non-OIC countries, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Japan and Taiwan retained their positions as the top 5 halal destinations, according to the statement. “In a first for South Korea and the Philippines, these countries have entered the top 10 non-OIC destinations, displacing Germany and Australia.”
Both companies noted that non-OIC destinations have been much more active compared with some OIC destinations in developing strategies and the capacity to attract more Muslim travelers. “For example, destinations such as Spain, South Korea and the Philippines have developed useful resources and travel guides that cater to Muslim preferences by listing best halal restaurants and nearby prayer facilities,” the statement read.
In April 2016, the DOT launched an initial strategy to encourage more Muslim travelers to the Philippines, by promoting the certification of halal restaurants.
“Halal” food are those permitted to be eaten by Muslims, as these had been prepared in adherence to the Islamic Shari’ah law. For poultry and animals, it means a slaughtering process, which involves draining the blood through a clean slit to the throat while an imam offers a prayer.
The DOT then was targeting to get a slice of the $50-billion (P2.6 trillion) halal market in Southeast Asia, which is roughly 25 percent of the global halal market.
DOT officials have pointed out that “halal-consciousness” does not just mean offering halal food, but also raising the awareness of hotels to Muslim practices and providing for instance, a Quran in the rooms, a marker that points to Mecca, and lending a prayer mat to the Muslim guest if needed.
In a related development, Bengzon welcomed the idea of setting up a permanent tourism office for the Middle East to help boost arrivals from the region.
Speaking in reaction to the suggestion from the private sector, the DOT official said: “It’s a very good suggestion. We are looking at the possibility of expanding the DOT’s network of overseas offices. It should be stressed, however, that any additional office abroad requires the approval of the DBM [Department of Budget and Management].”
At present, promotions in the Middle East are being undertaken by a marketing representative based in Dubai, which has yet to be appointed this year. Other countries without a tourism attaché, like Singapore, have also seen tepid arrivals, rising by just 1.87 percent to 171,795 in 2018.
Other countries where the DOT only has a marketing representative are India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Spain, Italy France and Canada.