Philippines aims to build on boom in tourists from Middle East

As tourist arrivals from the UAE and wider region continue to increase, the South East Asian beauty spot is showcasing its new halal-certification programme at the Arabian Travel Market.

The Philippines tourism industry is showcasing the best of the South East Asian hotspot at this year’s edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2016 in Dubai, bringing its largest Philippine contingent yet to travel fair.

The Philippine department of tourism (Pdot) is spearheading the country’s participation in the ATM, which ends today. A total of 30 travel companies representing the Philippines’ top hotels, resorts and travel agencies joined the Pdot in the annual showcase of the world’s best destinations, grandest hotel and resort properties and top-notch tourist products and services.

The Philippines has seen the consistent growth in tourist arrivals from the Middle East. In 2015, the country received a total of 83,546 tourists from the region, growing by 9.6 per cent over 2014. Tourist arrivals from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the two largest markets out of the region for the Philippines, reached 50,884 and 16,881, respectively, according to the Pdot.

The assistant secretary of the Pdot’s tourism regulation, coordination and revenue generation unit, Arturo Boncato, said as a part of its programme for the Middle East market, the department has introduced its Halal Tourism Programme, which is specifically designed to meet the food requirements of Muslim travellers to the Philippines.

“To maintain the successes we’ve achieved in this region, we see the importance and urgency of having hotels, resorts and restaurants in key destinations in the Philippines [to be] halal-certified within a 100-day timetable.” This, he said, “is expected to lead to better dining options for our Muslim guests and an improved readiness to receive tourists from this region.”

Initially, he said, the Pdot has assisted 16 hotels and restaurants in the Philippines with the issuance of their halal certifications. Thirty four more establishments are expected to be certified by the end of May. After seeing the benefits of halal certification, Mr Boncato said that more tourist-related establishments have signified their interest to join the program.

To capitalise on the programme’s accomplishments, the Philippines has partnered with CrescentRating, a leading global authority in Muslim travel, to launch a Muslim traveller’s guide during the Halal Tourism Conference 2016 to be held in Konya, Turkey on May 3 to 5, to highlight the Philippines as a Muslim-friendly destination.

This year is touted as a banner year for Middle East arrivals to the Philippines. In March, Emirates increased flight frequencies to Manila and mounted new flights to Cebu and Clark, Pampanga, two destinations in the Philippines that are considered as top tourist draws.