MANILA, Philippines -The Department of Tourism (DOT) remains upbeat it would exceed its original target of six-million international arrivals for 2016 as it launched a program aimed at tapping the huge Muslim market globally.
Although not giving exact new projections, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said he sees further increase because of the halal-certification given to several tourism establishments in the country that would pave the way for more Muslim visitors.
“Yes, it will likely exceed. 2016 is becoming a very good year for us. February already places at double-digit growth again. We are growing at almost 21 percent. You can just imagine what the year is going to look like,” Jimenez said during the Philippine Halal Tourism Project launch.
Data from DOT showed international arrivals from Muslim countries in 2015 totaled approximately 600,000 and is projected to increase up to 13 percent following the launch of the halal program.
“We target around 10 to 13 percent increase for this year from those market. Our connections are increasing. Turkish Airlines is flying daily while Emirates and Qatar Airways have entered Cebu. With our efforts of activation in those markets, we can only see a double-digit increase,” DOT Assistant Secretary Arturo Boncato Jr. said.
According to CrescentRating, the world’s leading authority on halal travel, there are 117 million Muslim travelers and is seen to surge to 168 million by 2020 with over $200 billion in travel spendings.
“Many destinations are aggressively targeting this market because it is a continuously growing segment and there is a need to diversify your arrivals. You cannot just rely on one segment of the market,” CrescentRating chief executive officer Fazal Bahardeen said.
Amid misconceptions of global fear and terrorism attached to Muslims, Boncato said non-Muslim destinations continue to become the most aggressive in targeting the halal conscious travelers.
The Southeast Asian region alone gets 20 - 25 percent of the the global halal market valued at $50 billion per annum.
“If we get at least 10 percent, that is already twice the income we have now. Even if we are a Christian country, we are one of the preferred places to go because we are surrounded by Muslim countries. It is growing and the market is already there, what we lack is capacity and availability of halal food,” Jimenez said.
DOT aims to get a share of the billion-dollar global halal industry by improving halal facilities and making halal services available in tourist destinations and increasing the number of halal-certified hotels, resorts, restaurants and other establishments.
“We have broken real ground and set very realistic targets to begin the very important work of making halal a real industry in the Philippines,” Jimenez said.
Meanwhile, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Yasmin Lao said despite cultural and religious aspects, halal is not something exclusive to Muslims, but for everyone.
“Halal will lead the way in making the Filipino Muslims feel that they are a part of this country. This will be a game changer in terms of the economic development in the area. This is matter of people having a livelihood because they are going to be a contributor to a bigger goal of mainstreaming the halal industry,” she added.