PH strengthens halal tourism to attract Muslim travelers, visitors

The Philippines had made significant leaps to accommodate Muslim visitors and is now ready to accommodate the Halal tourism industry.

During the 3rd Halal and Muslim-Friendly Tourism Forum at the Malaysian Embassy on Tuesday, Department of Tourism Undersecretary for Halal Tourism and Muslim Concerns Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar said Halal tourism is a big market that the country continues to explore.

Data shared by the Global Tourism Business Association (GTBA) showed that the Philippines saw 630,000 Muslim visitors in 2024, which was a 23% increase from 2023.

The Philippines is among the Top 20 countries for non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation (non-OIC) detinations at the Global Muslim Travel Index.

Despite this, Abubakar noted that the Philippines still fell behind neighboring countries in terms of accommodating Muslim visitors, but that efforts are now being done to improve this.

“I can say that we are ready in receiving all our Halal travelers coming in the Philippines… It's very important [to have Halal options] because it's kind of like respecting their culture. It's just like when you go to other countries that you want to be respected, you want to be accommodated based on your belief, based on your faith,” she shared.

“We are doing all our best to make the Philippines as a premier destination for Muslim visitors because it also has a very big impact on our economy,” she added.

During the forum, GTBA Founder and President Michelle Taylan laid out plans to increase and further promote Halal tourism in the country.

Said plans and programs included the following:

• Creating land and sea cross-linkage tours of halal-friendly destinations like Metro Manila, Cebu, Boracay and Davao
• Establishing a Halal Fusion Culinary Festival to celebrate Filipino cuisine and Muslim traditions
• Promoting Halal Lifestyle Travel through retreats and cultural tours
• Conducting Halal Tourism Awards for Local Government Units
• Creating a Halal Interfaith Harmony Festival where tourists can visit multiple faith sites, including mosques

In addition to boosting the Halal tourism industry, Taylan said efforts are also aimed at creating jobs to support small local tourism businesses.

“[This forum] is one way of us telling the people, our Muslim brothers and sisters, that the Philippines is actually ready… Compared to our neighboring countries, since we are not a Muslim-dominated country, we are actually a little behind. But we're exerting extra, extra effort, not to be really at par with them, but at least for us to be able to provide what is necessary for our Muslim brothers and sisters,” she said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino Anthony said that the forum and the Philippines’ increased efforts in promoting Halal tourism significantly helped the relationship between the two countries.

“Halal tourism has tremendous potential worldwide. Malaysia is one of the biggest players in Halal tourism. We want to share our experiences with the Philippines and other countries… The Philippines has been recognized as one of the leading Halal tourism destinations in the world. I think that itself constitutes a tremendous achievement. It shows that the potential the Philippines has,” he said.

“Malaysia, of course, is very happy to work together with the Philippines for the developing of this very important industry, and we hope that more and more players will come into the field,” he added.

The envoy noted that the Halal tourism sector is looking into a USD$30 trillion boosted revenue over the next 5 years due to a growing population, and noted that the Philippines was one of the perfect places to accommodate such services.

“Halal is sustainable, Halal is a sector that is inclusive, and Philippines being an inclusive country and community fits well for the Philippines… The more inclusive you are, the more acceptable you are for different cultures and views, and that makes an environment that creates peace, understanding, and of course, love. So I think for me, it's a perfect setup,” he shared. — BAP, GMA Integrated News